Centre 360 in Civic Center, NYC: Free Cupola Visits Atop the Dinkins Municipal Building

For the first time since the tower was finished in 1914, the public can go up into the cupola of the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building at 1 Centre Street in Civic Center. The program is called Centre 360, it is run by the city's Department of Citywide Administrative Services, and it is free. Each visit takes eight guests to a balcony about 580 feet above the street, and reservations are limited to parties of five.

A visit lasts roughly 15 minutes, ascent included. Guests meet inside the CityStore on Centre Street, show photo ID to building security and hear a short welcome. An escort then takes the group by elevator to the 24th floor, where everyone transfers to the tower elevator for the final climb. The balcony allows a full walk around the cupola, directly beneath Civic Fame, the 25-foot gilded statue sculpted by Adolph Weinman and installed in 1914. Its five-pointed crown stands for the five boroughs, and it also carries a laurel branch and a shield. According to the official site, this balcony is the only place where a visitor can stand right under the figure.

The views are organized by direction. North looks to the Midtown skyline and the Empire State Building. East runs over the East River and the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. South opens toward the harbor, and west covers the courthouses, City Hall and the Hudson. The site lists One World Trade Center, the Woolworth Building and Tweed Courthouse among the sights, and a phone-based Landmark Hunt helps you find them.

McKim, Mead and White designed the building as one Beaux Arts home for 40 agencies, and it was the first U.S. government building put up directly over a working subway line. It is named for Mayor David N. Dinkins, the city's first Black mayor.

Visits depart hourly on the hour, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cupola is closed on weekends and access depends on the weather. Wear closed-toe shoes. Anyone under 18 needs an adult and must be at least 42 inches tall. Cameras and phones are fine, tripods and drones are not. The Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall station (4, 5, 6, J, Z, R, W) is nearby.