Hudson River Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1919 |
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| Location | 511 Warburton Avenue Yonkers, New York |
| Type | Art museum, Planetarium |
| Public transit access | Glenwood station |
The Hudson River Museum is a cool place in Yonkers, New York. It's located in Trevor Park and is the biggest museum in Westchester County. Many people think of it as an art museum because it has many Hudson River School paintings. But it also shows exhibits about the history, science, and culture of the region. The museum started in 1919 as the Yonkers Museum and changed its name to the Hudson River Museum in 1948.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's Past
The museum began in 1919 as the Yonkers Museum. It was also known as the Yonkers Museum of Science and the Arts. Before that, it had some mineral samples kept in Yonkers City Hall. People like photographer Rudolf Eickemeyer Jr., sculptor Isidore Konti, and George J. Stengel helped create the museum.
Exploring Glenview Mansion
A very important part of the museum is the Glenview Mansion. This house was built in 1877 by architect Charles W. Clinton. It used to be the home of a person named John Bond Trevor.
The mansion has been part of the museum since 1929. Today, it shows six rooms with furniture and decorations from that time. In 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The museum has been recognized for its quality by the American Alliance of Museums since 1974. The rooms you can visit have beautiful carved wood made by a cabinetmaker from Philadelphia named Daniel Pabst.
In 1979, artist Red Grooms made a special art piece called "The Bookstore." You can still see it at the Hudson River Museum today.
Journey to the Stars: The Planetarium
The museum is also home to the Andrus Planetarium. This is the only public planetarium in Westchester County. It was added in 1969 to celebrate the start of the Space Age. People were very interested in space at that time!
Adding the planetarium was part of a big expansion for the museum in the 1960s. They built bigger, more modern spaces for their collections. They also fixed up the ground floor of the Glenview house to look like it did in the 1800s. In the early 1990s, the planetarium's laser shows helped more people visit the museum.
In 2014, the planetarium was updated. They put in a new Megastar projector. It can show up to 22 million stars! The old Zeiss projector could only show about 5,000 stars.
Museum's Growth and Programs
The museum is known for its diversity. In 1972, the New York State Council on the Arts called it one of the most unique cultural places. The museum has worked hard to keep this diversity over the years.
The museum's site is about 23 acres. In 2006, they tried to connect the old Glenview Mansion better with the newer buildings from 1969. The museum celebrated its 75th birthday in 1994, focusing on the Hudson River. In 2019, it celebrated its 100th birthday!
Since 1995, the museum has offered a Junior Docent Program. This program helps young people learn about the museum and share what they know. In 2008, this program won a special award called the Coming Up Taller Award.
In 2020, the museum started building a new part called the West Wing. This new wing opened in June 2023. It has new spaces for special art shows that look out over the Hudson River. It also has an auditorium with 100 seats, a gallery for community projects, and more space to store art. This means the museum can show even more of its amazing collection!
Supporting the Museum
The late 1980s were a bit tough for the Hudson River Museum. They had less money and many staff changes. The museum had to open for fewer hours and cut some programs. But they were still able to make the planetarium bigger!
In the 1990s, things got much better. The museum received many grants and awards. They also got more money from Westchester County. This helped them expand just in time for their 75th anniversary. The number of visitors almost doubled from 55,000 to 100,000 between 1990 and 1994.
However, in the late 1990s, funding went down again. The museum had to make more cutbacks. To help with money, the museum started hosting private events and offering tours. They especially gave tours to groups of school children. This helped them earn more income.
See also
In Spanish: Museo del Río Hudson para niños
