Tours Details
Dates: Every Friday
Time: 5:30pm EST
Duration: 2 hour (40min walking)
Meeting Point: Washington Square
End Point: Cooper Square
Participants limit: 10
New York Soho and the Village
Art and Architecture Tour
From the historically diverse communities to cosmopolitan hot spots, the Lower East Side, Bowery, and SoHo have a fascinating history captured by the area’s architecture. During this tour, we discover this history by looking at some of the defining architectural typologies of these neighborhoods including the cast iron industrial spaces of Soho and tenement apartments of the LES as well stand-out contemporary buildings such as the New Museum by SANAA, Prada flagship boutique by Rem Koolhas, and Cooper Union by Morphosis.
Important Projects Featured on this Tour
Washington Square Park 1827
Washington Square Arch, Stanford White, 1889
Judson Memorial Church, Stanford White, 1877
NYU Bobst Library, Phillip Johnson, 1971
Washington Mews, Maynicke & Franke (converted), 1830’s (1916)
Jefferson Market Library, Frederick Clarke Withers, 1874-77
40 Bond Street, Herzog and deMeuron, 2008
Public Hotel, Herzog and deMeuron, 2013
City Hall, J. Mangin & J. McComb, Jr., 1812
Tweed Courthouse, Kellum Leopold Eidlitz, 1881
Bowery Savings Bank, McKim, Mead & White, 1895
New Museum, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (SANAA), 2007
Little Singer Building, Ernest Flagg, 1904
Condict (Bayard Building), Louis Sullivan (Architect), 1898
NYU Silver Towers, I.M. Pei & Associates, 1966
51 Astor Place, Fumihiko Maki, 2014
Cooper Union Foundation Building, Frederick Peterson, 1858
Cooper Union Engineering, Morphosis, 2009
Languages
Public tours are in English. Private tours are available in English, Spanish, Italian, French, Russian, Bulgarian and Catalan.
Washington Square Arch
Your PhD Architect Guide
Ivan R. Shumkov, PhD
Dr. Ivan Shumkov is a New York based architect, urban planner, entrepreneur, and professor with more than 20 years of experience across the private, public, and academic sectors. He is the founder of Build World and Build Academy, organizations dedicated to providing professional solutions and education for the built environment.
Ivan combines his experience of practicing and teaching architecture with his passion for discovering and sharing the history and secrets of New York. His tours provoke curiosity, show hidden urban gems, and provide opportunities for experiencing and understanding art and architecture in a unique way. He helps his guests to see and connect the city through the eyes of an architect. They are activated and transformed by these immersive experiences and view the city in a new way.
Ivan is a licensed NYC tour guide. Being fluent in multiple languages, he can conduct tours in English, Spanish, Catalan, Bulgarian, French and Italian.
Semi-Private Walking Tour
You’ll expperience NY with a small group of up to 10 other Art and Architecture professinals, enthusiasts and lovers.
Exclusive Private Tour
You’ll experience NY by yourself or with a group of your family, freinds and colleagues. Call or email us to customize your tour experience.
Experience New York with our PhD Architect-led Tours
Our public tours are 2 hours of transformational experiences that connect people with the city on a deeper level. We focus on 8 areas according to the location, neighborhood and their distinct character - weaving culture, history, architecture, art and design in an engaging, story-telling manner to uncover some of the city’s hidden gems and best-kept secrets.
