Event · City Hall Area

In Civic Center, NYC: Centre 360 Opens the Municipal Building Cupola for Free 360° Views

For the first time since 1914, NYC opens the cupola of the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building. Free, reservation-based 15-minute visits put eight guests at a time on a balcony about 580 feet up, with 360-degree views.

By NBT Editors · 2026-10-14

In Civic Center, NYC: Centre 360 Opens the Municipal Building Cupola for Free 360° Views — Image: Centre 360, David N. Dinkins Municipal Building cupola

The cupola of the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building at 1 Centre Street, in Lower Manhattan's Civic Center, is open to the public as Centre 360. It is the first time since 1914 that the city has offered this view, and it is run by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Admission is free.

Cupola of the Dinkins Municipal Building crowned by the gilded Civic Fame statue — Image: a856-centre360.nyc.gov

Visits are by reservation. Each tour takes eight guests for roughly 15 minutes, ascent included, and booking parties are capped at five. Groups meet inside the CityStore on Centre Street, show photo ID to building security and hear a short welcome. An elevator carries them to the 24th floor, where they switch to the tower elevator for the climb to the cupola. The final stop is the balcony, about 580 feet above the city, where you can walk a full circle.

Civic Fame, the 25-foot gilded statue atop the tower — Image: a856-centre360.nyc.gov

The sweep runs from Midtown and the Empire State Building to the north, across the East River and the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges to the east, out to the harbor in the south, and over the courthouses, City Hall and the Hudson to the west. On a clear day you can also pick out One World Trade Center, the Woolworth Building and the Chrysler Building. A phone-based Landmark Hunt on the site gives you a checklist to find them.

Panoramic view east from the cupola over the East River and bridges — Image: a856-centre360.nyc.gov

The building is a sight on its own. McKim, Mead and White designed it as a Beaux Arts home for 40 agencies, and it was the first U.S. government building constructed directly over a working subway line. The 25-foot gilded Civic Fame statue, sculpted by Adolph Weinman and installed in 1914, crowns the cupola, and the balcony is the only place a visitor can stand directly beneath it.

View west from the cupola over City Hall Park toward One World Trade Center — Image: a856-centre360.nyc.gov

Visits run Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., departing hourly on the hour; the cupola is closed Saturday and Sunday. 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, but tripods and drones are not, and access depends on the weather. The Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall stop is served by the 4, 5, 6, J, Z, R and W.