Archtober 2026: 9 must-see architecture tours in and around NYC

The annual Archtober Festival officially kicked off this month as a celebration of architecture and design in one of the most architecturally significant cities in the world: New York. The monthlong program, put on by AIA New York (AIANY) and the Center for Architecture, with partners and sponsors, hosts a variety of events and tours across the city and the greater New York City region to encourage the exploration and appreciation of architecture and how it intersects with our lives.

Kyle Bergman, an architect and the founder and festival director of the Architecture & Design Film Festival, has been involved with Archtober since the beginning.

“We all brainstormed this idea together, so I’ve been involved for a long time,” Bergman said.

“When it originally started, it was a bunch of smaller cultural institutions who decided let’s all work together and promote architecture and cultural events as a group. This idea of design weeks or months is everywhere now, and New York City was one of the first places to do it.”

As part of Archtober, the Architecture & Design Film Festival has special programming and exhibits, including a short film that will show at the 52nd Street 6-line platform on October 11.

With an endless list of activities and tours to embark on all throughout October, we asked Bergman and other architecture and design experts to spotlight some of the must-see buildings and tours of Archtober 2026. Please note some tours have sold out or have already taken place at the time of publishing, but all of these spots can still be enjoyed outside of the festival.

Studio Museum, Harlem

“I love the way it stands out as a unique piece of architecture but fits in scale-wise. I love the building; I think it really works,” Bergman said. “I love the staircase that holds it all together. I love the views when you get to the top that look over Central Park.”

Studio Museum unveiled its new building, designed by Adjaye Associates and Corgan, last November. “That building is a great addition to NYC as a museum,” added Bergman.

Little Island, Hudson River Park

“I love Little Island. It makes you smile. It’s a joyful place,” said Bergman. “It’s one of those places—it’s kind of like so popular no one goes anymore because … it’s jam-packed with tourists, so sometimes as New Yorkers we avoid it, but I think Little Island is worth going.”

Little Island opened in 2021 on a pier that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. It’s a modern, elevated park that has walkways, places to sit and picnic, and an amphitheater.

“It’s magic … I’m just happy every time I go out there. Music and theater in the amphitheater if you get out there on a night in the summer looking out on the Hudson—it’s just amazing. I think it’s just a joyful little park. It’s a jewel. Worth a tour.”

AIANY Architecture Boat Tour

“Seeing the city from the water completely changes your understanding of its buildings, infrastructure, and skyline, revealing relationships and history that are impossible to appreciate from the street,” FXCollaborative Partner Michael Syracuse told 6sqft.

“Every time I see Manhattan from the water, I’m reminded why New York remains one of the world’s great experiments in architecture, planning, and urban design.”

The guided tours are two hours long, take off from Chelsea Piers, and are presented in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter.

Brutalism and Nature in Zoo Design, Bronx Zoo

“Architecture can create memorable experiences, and as I recall visiting them as a young child, the Bronx Zoo’s World of Birds and World of Darkness do exactly that. Later in life as an architect, I came to appreciate mid-century architecture for its unique design moves at a specific place in time,” said Syracuse.

“These buildings are bold, unconventional, and deeply tied to a moment in New York’s architectural history. For anyone interested in modern architecture, preservation, or simply discovering one of the city’s lesser-known design treasures, check out the Bronx Zoo.”

Calvary Baptist Church, Midtown

FXCollaborative designed the mixed-use tower that combines boutique office space with the historic Calvary Baptist Church.

“At its center, a double-height sanctuary takes shape as a sculptural, wood-lined volume partially visible from West 57th Street, giving the church a renewed civic presence,” Archtoberfest describes.

The tour is sold out, but Syracuse invites the public to check out the space on their own.

Shinnecock Oral History Plant Tour, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Anjelica S. Gallegos, director of the Indigenous Society of Architecture, Planning, and Design (ISAPD) and designer for Stantec, highlights a tour at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden that brings guests out into nature.

“Join Chenae Bullock, a member of the Shinnecock Nation, for a Native Flora Garden tour and talk based on ITEK, or Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge,” the description reads.

This tour is included with regular garden admission, so no registration is necessary.

Nolen Study Room, Thomas J. Watson Library, The Met

Did you know the Met has a library room? It “is one of the great resources in the world for research into the history of art manifested as printed matter … The existing wood shelves of the library are reused to clad the walls as a paneling,” as the Archtober website describes.

Gallegos recommends this tour that is indoors and accessible by wheelchair.

‘T’ Space | Steven Myron Holl Foundation Art + Architecture Campus, Rhinebeck

Get out of the city with this Sunday tour in the Hudson Valley. “Guided tours offer visitors a rare opportunity to explore the Foundation’s public architectural resources and current exhibition, where art, architecture, light, and landscape are brought into active dialogue,” Archtoberfest describes.

Gallegos recommends this tour of a space that “embodies principles of light, movement, and ecological integration, incorporating geothermal systems, solar energy, and a green roof.” It’s described as part gallery, part library, and houses “more than 1,200 architectural models, 4,400 books, 20,000 watercolors, furniture, drawings, and documents tracing contemporary architecture from 1977 to the present.”

Grace Farms, New Canaan, Connecticut

For another trip out of the city, Grace Farms invites architecture enthusiasts to visit “meander through the River building, Barns, and North Field, and take in 360-degree views of the surrounding landscapes while exploring the building’s sustainable design, curated interiors, and materials choices.” Grace Farms encompasses 80 acres of nature and architecture to explore.

While you’re in New Canaan, check out the significant mid-century Glass House designed by Philip Johnson as well.