At Civic Center, NYC: Centre 360 Opens the Dinkins Building Cupola, 580 Feet Up, Free

The cupola atop the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building at 1 Centre Street, in Lower Manhattan's Civic Center, is open to the public through Centre 360, a free experience run by the city's Department of Citywide Administrative Services. The city says it is the first time since the building's 1914 completion that this view has been opened to visitors.

Visitors enter through the CityStore on Centre Street, show photo ID to building security and gather for a short welcome. The group then rides an elevator to the 24th floor, transfers to the tower elevator and goes up to the cupola. On the balcony, about 580 feet above the street, you can walk a full circle. It is the only place where a visitor can stand directly beneath Civic Fame, the 25-foot gilded statue by Adolph Weinman. A visit lasts roughly 15 minutes, including the ascent, and takes eight guests at a time.

The views change by direction: Midtown and the Empire State Building to the north, the East River and the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges to the east, the harbor to the south, and the courthouses, City Hall and the Hudson to the west. On a clear day the Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center and the Woolworth Building are also in sight. The website adds a phone-based Landmark Hunt for the balcony and a virtual tour.

Visits run Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., departing hourly on the hour; the experience is closed on weekends. Reservations are free and made on the Centre 360 website. Bring a photo ID and wear closed-toe shoes. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and be at least 42 inches tall. Phones and cameras are welcome; tripods and drones are not. Access depends on the weather.

The building sits at Centre and Chambers Streets, opposite City Hall Park, near the Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall subway stop (4, 5, 6, J, Z) and City Hall (R, W). It makes an easy weekday stop for anyone already downtown.