Hidden History in Murray Hill: Exclusive AIANY Historic Buildings Committee Tours

On Saturday, March 21st, the AIANY Historic Buildings Committee hosted two exclusive tours of The Amateur Comedy Club and historic Sniffen Court, offering attendees a rare opportunity to explore one of Murray Hill’s most hidden architectural gems. Tucked away in a mid-19th-century mews built in the 1860s, Sniffen Court’s ten brick carriage houses—now part of the Sniffen Court Historic District and listed on the National Register—represent one of Manhattan’s few surviving purpose-built courtyards. The tour featured The Amateur Comedy Club, which adapted two of these carriage houses in 1918 and remains the oldest continuously operating theatrical society of its kind in the nation, bringing to life a unique intersection of architecture, culture, and performance history right in the heart of Murray Hill.