Climbing up the Jefferson Market clock tower

Once a year, the steep winding staircase leading to the top of the Jefferson Market Library’s Gothic clock tower opens to the public.

It’s worth the almost hour-long wait in line and slight vertigo to ascend the many steps and reach the top of this singular beauty of a building.

As many New Yorkers know, Jefferson Market was built as a courthouse by Central Park co-creator Calvert Vaux and opened in 1877. It’s the subject of frequent Ephemeral posts, as it’s such a spectacular place steeped in history).

The reward for making it up the stairs: magnificent views of Greenwich Village and beyond, and the satisfaction of knowing you’ve been inside a closed-off part of New York that few residents get a peek at.

Thanks to the people of Jefferson Market and Open House New York for making this architectural treasure accessible!