New York City Tourism & Conventions

Historic New York City Landmarks for Events

New York City’s wealth of history and culture is a huge draw for meetings.

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New York City’s wealth of history and culture is a huge draw for meetings and events. Your attendees will never forget meeting at the world-famous Apollo Theater, where music legends like Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown got their start, or sipping a cocktail in the gilded lobby of one of Loew’s movie palaces. Here are some inspiring clubs, theaters and landmark buildings that are available for your next NYC event.

3 West Club nyc

Courtesy, 3 West Club

3 West Club

The neo-Georgian 3 West Club, located in Midtown near Radio City Music Hall, was established in 1934 on the site of Andrew Carnegie’s 51st Street mansion. Six spaces are available for private events, including the Grand Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 350 attendees; the 1,564-square-foot Grand Salon, for events of up to 250; and the gorgeous ninth-floor solarium, which can hold 130. Consider this timeless setting for unforgettable gatherings.

The Apollo Theater at dusk, with its bright vertical neon sign and marquee lit up. Nearby, there are storefronts for Banana Republic, GameStop, and Cinderella Eyebrows, with cars parked along the street.

Apollo Theater. Photo: Kate Glicksberg

Apollo Theater

An icon of American culture, Harlem’s Apollo Theater debuted in 1914 as Hurtig & Seamon’s New Burlesque Theater before being renamed and opened to African American patrons in 1934. The Apollo launched the careers of many musical luminaries and comedy legends and features two auditorium spaces for private events: the 1,500-seat Main Stage, renovated and restored in 2005, and the 1,680-square-foot Sound Stage, a flexible space that can accommodate up to 180 attendees. The Apollo also offers two flexible black box theaters—the 199-seat Victoria Theater 1 and the 99-seat Jonelle Procope Theater, named in honor of the former Apollo President/CEO—both of which can be customized for concerts, panels, shoots and private events, making them ideal, intimate alternatives to traditional large-scale venues. Host your next event where history and creativity take center stage.

A grand, ornate theater auditorium at BAM with multiple tiers of red seats, elegant balcony sections, and a decorative, domed ceiling with intricate lighting and chandeliers, viewed from the stage.

Howard Gilman Opera House. Courtesy, BAM

Brooklyn Academy of Music

f you’re seeking a venue with artistic edge and historic significance for commercial, nonprofit groups or community organizations, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a gem in Brooklyn’s vibrant Fort Greene neighborhood. BAM comprises several performing arts spaces, including the Beaux-Arts Howard Gilman Opera House, which can host events for up to 2,096 attendees; the 837-seat BAM Harvey theater; and the Adam E. Max Gathering Space (BAMcafé), a ballroom turned flexible performance space that can accommodate up to 325. 

Carnegie Hall, a historic brown brick building with arched windows and American flags on the facade sits at a busy city intersection, surrounded by modern high-rise buildings in New York City.

Carnegie Hall. Photo: Jeff Goldberg/Esto​

Carnegie Hall

Elevate your next event with the timeless prestige of Carnegie Hall, a storied Manhattan performance space that opened in 1891 and has welcomed legends like Maria Callas, Billie Holiday and the Beatles during its long reign as one of the City’s premier theaters. There are six spaces available for private events, including the 10th floor Weill Music Room, which offers skyline views and accommodates up to 260 attendees; Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall's newest concert venue (599 capacity); and the wood-and-brass paneled Shorin Club Room and Rohatyn Room, which together can hold as many as 299 guests or may be rented out separately for more intimate events. 

A display of three vintage film cameras on tripods at a museum. The cameras differ in design and size, with the closest one having a wooden casing and a lens. The background is softly lit in blue, highlighting the historical equipment.

Museum of the Moving Image. Photo: Marley White

Museum of the Moving Image

In Queens, the Museum of the Moving Image offers a range of sleek, flexible spaces that can be tailored to provide a cinematic setting for unforgettable events, from elegant dinners and cocktail receptions to dynamic trade gatherings and milestone celebrations. The Sumner M. Redstone Theater seats 262 and features state-of-the-art projection for all film formats. The more intimate Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room accommodates 68 for lectures and screenings. The Digital Learning Suite is a flexible space that hosts up to 240 guests for seated dinners and can be divided into two classrooms, each with a projection system. The Moving Image Café and Lobby, with 44 seats and courtyard views, can be reconfigured for cocktail receptions and gatherings, especially when combined with the adjacent William Fox Amphitheater. Museum galleries can remain open during events, with interactive exhibits and customizable video projection throughout the space. 

New York Botanical Gardens' large glass conservatory with white framing stands behind a pond filled with lily pads and blooming plants, surrounded by colorful flower beds and clear blue sky.

New York Botanical Garden. Photo: Tagger Yancey IV

New York Botanical Garden

The Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden, a National Historic Landmark erected on the northern bank of the Bronx River in 1840, has several spaces, including classrooms, gardens and the Victorian-era glass-domed Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, available for private events. For smaller gatherings, the newly refurbished farm chic Stone Mill can host 50 to 120 attendees. This 250-acre living museum offers a lush, scenic escape in the Bronx, just 30 minutes from Midtown Manhattan. 

The exterior of the New York Public Library with people walking and sitting on the steps; tall buildings and trees surround the historic stone building on Fifth Avenue.

New York Public Library Main Branch. Photo by Will Steacy.​

New York Public Library

The New York Public Library’s Main Branch opened to the public in 1911 on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Its six event venues include the 6,400-square-foot glass-domed Celeste Bartos Forum, which can hold 500 attendees classroom style and 450 for a seated dinner, as well as the 4,500-square-foot Edna Barnes Salomon Room, which accommodates 300 to 325 and is notable for its skylights, dramatic chandeliers and fine paintings.

Panorama of New York City. Courtesy, Queens Museum of Art

Panorama of New York City. Courtesy, Queens Museum of Art

Queens Museum

Founded in 1972, the Queens Museum is set within Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the heart of the nation’s most culturally diverse county. Housed in a historic venue that served as the site of two World’s Fairs and the temporary home of the United Nations (1946–1950), the museum offers a distinctive setting rich in history, culture and architectural beauty. Available for private events including meetings, film shoots and milestone celebrations, the space features 40-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the iconic Unisphere. It can accommodate up to 600 guests for seated dinners and 1,000 for standing receptions. 

Night view of Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with bright neon lights and signs illuminating the building and reflecting on the wet street. A few people walk along the sidewalk.

Radio City Music Hall. Photo: Clayton Cotterell

Radio City Music Hall

NYC landmark Radio City Music Hall—with a neon marquee that spans an entire city block, not to mention a shimmering 6,000-pound gold stage curtain—has several spaces available for private events. The theater’s Great Stage, Grand Foyer and Grand Lounge are impressive settings for large receptions, while the ornate Roxy Suite is perfect for a group of up to 75 attendees. It’s an art deco masterpiece that offers show-stopping options. 

Lavishly decorated interior of Staten's Island's St. George Theatre with ornate golden balconies, red velvet seats curving around the stage, intricate architectural details, and a large red curtain partially open on the right side.

St. George Theatre. Photo by Julienne Schaer.​

St. George Theatre

A hidden gem with grandeur, Staten Island’s 1,903-seat St. George Theatre opened as a vaudeville palace in 1929 with one of the largest cantilevered balconies ever built, an advanced heating-and-cooling system and a $25,000 Wurlitzer organ (the equivalent of more than $350,000 today). It’s just steps from the Staten Island Ferry terminal and offers stunning views of New York Harbor. The entire theater is available for buyouts for private events, whether it’s a concert, film shoot, private screening, meeting or reception at the VG Lounge.

Ornate, golden theater interior with intricate decorations, red velvet seats, and a brightly lit yellow curtain on stage, viewed from the audience perspective.

Courtesy, United Palace of Cultural Arts

United Palace

United Palace, originally opened in 1930 in Washington Heights as the region’s premier vaudeville and movie house. Known as a Loew’s Wonder Theater, it is Manhattan’s fourth-largest theater. The AIA Guide to New York City described the opulent seven-story Thomas Lamb design as “Cambodian neo-Classical.” In addition to the nearly 3,400-seat theater, the foyer, mezzanine and first- and second-floor annexes can be booked for private events. 

People walk through Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, featuring a holiday market with decorative stalls, under ornate chandeliers and high arched windows. A person takes a photo on the left.

Vanderbilt Hall. Photo: Will Steacy

Vanderbilt Hall

Few venues capture the architectural grandeur of Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall. Once the busy commuter hub’s main waiting room, this Beaux-Arts space has 6,000 square feet of open space and five massive chandeliers that date back to 1913 and hang from 55-foot ceilings. From mid-November through the end of December, Vanderbilt Hall hosts the annual Grand Central Holiday Fair, but the space is available for private events the rest of the year. It’s a one-of-a-kind venue in the heart of Midtown that offers a dramatic backdrop for galas, receptions and branded activations. 

Elegant event space with vintage decor, including large wooden barrels, lounge seating, cocktail tables, and a bar. Staff members are preparing the area, and a grand vault door stands open at the center of the room.

Weylin. Photo: Mercedes Noriega Photography

Weylin

Weylin, a beautifully transformed event space in Brooklyn, made its debut as the Williamsburgh Savings Bank in 1875. The original design was heavily influenced by Williamsburg resident Weylin B. Seymour, a respected local businessman and frequent host of lavish parties who was famous for his skill at matchmaking—yes, the romantic kind. Spaces available for private events include the grand 3,500-square-foot Main Rotunda; the 2,500-square-foot Oculus Dome; and the gemlike Victorian Room, with wallpaper designed by William Morris, for 15 or fewer attendees. This landmark has been meticulously restored as a showstopping event venue. 

New York City’s prominence as a global business and financial capital and vibrant mix of arts and culture means it’s a can’t-miss destination for meetings and events. New York City Tourism + Conventions works with planners at every stage of the event cycle to create the best possible experience for attendees. Get in touch so that we can partner with you on your next event.