Centre 360: Free Cupola Tours Atop the Dinkins Municipal Building

Centre 360 is a free visit program that lets the public climb into the cupola of the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building, the Beaux Arts tower at 1 Centre Street in Lower Manhattan's civic district. It is run by the city's Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which describes it as the first public access to this view since the building opened in 1914.

Each visit takes eight people and lasts about 15 minutes, ascent included. Reservations are free, with parties capped at five. Guests check in at the CityStore entrance on Centre Street, show photo ID to building security, ride an elevator to the 24th floor, then switch to the tower elevator up to the cupola. The balcony lets you walk a full circle about 580 feet above the street: 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 view. A phone-based Landmark Hunt game helps you pick them out.

The balcony sits directly beneath Civic Fame, the 25-foot gilded statue by Adolph Weinman installed in 1914. The building, designed by McKim, Mead and White, was also the first US government building constructed over a working subway line.

Visits depart hourly on the hour, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends are closed. The nearest stations are Brooklyn Bridge and City Hall (4, 5, 6, J, Z, R, W). Bring photo ID and wear closed-toe shoes. Children under 18 need an adult and must stand at least 42 inches tall. Cameras and phones are fine; tripods and drones are not. Access depends on the weather.