On February 23, 1857 thirteen architects met in Richard Upjohn's office in the Trinity Building and decided to form a professional organization. Until that time, anyone who wanted to call themselves an architect could do so. They invited 16 more colleagues to join them for the next meeting a month later. By April they had drafted a constitution and filed a certificate of Incorporation. To celebrate, they had lunch at Delmonico's. Richard Upjohn served for nearly 20 years as the first president. He was followed by some of the best architects of the day: Richard Morris Hunt, Daniel Burnham, Cass Gilbert, George Post, and Charles McKim. They were instrumental in shaping Lower Manhattan designing Trinity Church, the Stock Exchange, the Municipal Building, the Woolworth Building. The tour will visit a few of the remaining buildings.
