50 Shades of Green: Privately Owned Public Spaces in Midtown East

Janes Walk

Led By Ortal Sadoun, NYCBeivittours

A 120 minute walk visiting some of the city’s nicest free public spaces hidden inside, around and between seemingly (!) grey and mundane office buildings. The tour will present the notion of POPS – Privately Owned Public Space – a type of public space provided for public use by a private owner in return for a zoning concession. We will talk about its origin, fraught history and different implementations, while looking at some of these more noteworthy (and mostly unknown by tourists and the general public) spaces. Luckily, these spaces are also hidden within some of the city’s exquisite architectural gems, so it’s a 2 in 1 tour 🙂

Please wear comfortable shoes and bring water, but there will be plenty of sitting spots during the tour.

This walk is sold out and the waitlist is full.

Accessibility

The tour is wheelchair accessible, and includes several sitting stops along the way. Note: the walk leaves from an area without public restrooms.

Location Information

RSVP is required and capacity is limited. Meeting location, ending location, and directions will be provided via email before walk date.

guided

Saturday, May 3, 2025
3:00 PM
2 hours

Borough: Manhattan

Theme: Art & Architecture, History & Culture

Language: English

50th Street Commons public space, constructed as part of the East Side Access project, formally opened on Tuesday, September 16. The new 2,400-square-foot urban space, located at 48 East 50th Street between Park and Madison Avenues, features a rich palette of stone, glass, stainless steel and North American granite blocks designed to draw people into the space. Tables, chairs and benches can seat more than 40 people, with room for many additional visitors. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, MTA Capital Construction / Rehema Trimiew.