Museum of the City of New York facts for kids
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The main facade of the museum, facing Fifth Avenue
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| Established | 1923 |
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| Location | 1220 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10029 U.S. |
| Visitors | 320,000(2019) |
| Founder | Henry Collins Brown |
| Public transit access |  New York City Subway:
New York City Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M106 buses |
The Museum of the City of New York (often called MCNY) is a special place in Manhattan, New York City. It's a museum that focuses on the history and art of New York City and its people. It was started in 1923 by Henry Collins Brown. His goal was to save and share the amazing story of New York City.
You can find the museum at 1220–1227 Fifth Avenue, right across from Central Park. It's part of a famous area called Museum Mile. The building itself is made of red brick with marble details. It was built in 1929–30 and designed in a style called neo-Georgian. Look closely, and you'll see statues of important figures like Alexander Hamilton and DeWitt Clinton on the front!
The MCNY is a private organization that doesn't aim to make a profit. It gets some help from the New York City government. It also gets money from donations, ticket sales, and special funds.
Contents
Exploring the Museum's History
The Museum of the City of New York has a long and interesting past. It started in a much smaller place before moving to its current grand building.
Early Beginnings: Gracie Mansion
When the museum first opened, it was located in Gracie Mansion. This historic house is now the official home of New York City's mayor. There wasn't much space there, so the museum quickly needed a bigger home.
In 1926, the museum held a big exhibit called "Old New York." It was a huge success! This showed everyone that a larger, permanent museum was needed.
Building a New Home: Fifth Avenue
After the success of "Old New York," a competition was held to design a new museum building. The design by Joseph H. Freedlander was chosen. The city gave the museum a piece of land on Fifth Avenue. People donated money to help build the new museum.
Even though there was a big economic downturn in 1929 (the Wall Street Crash of 1929), the building was still finished. It officially opened on January 11, 1932. Years later, in 1967, the museum building was recognized as a special New York City landmark. In 1982, the museum received a special award for its great contributions to New York City.
Plans for a New Location
Around the year 2000, there was talk about moving the museum to a different historic building. This building was the Tweed Courthouse in Lower Manhattan. However, these plans changed, and the museum stayed in its Fifth Avenue home. There were also ideas to combine the museum with another historical society, but that didn't happen either.
Growing and Expanding
Instead of moving, the museum decided to make its current home even better! In 2006, work began on an expansion project. This included updating the existing museum spaces and adding a brand-new section.
The new part, called the pavilion gallery, is a modern glass addition. It has two levels for showing off amazing historical items. The original 1932 building was also carefully restored. New areas were added, like a special vault for the museum's silver collection and a research room. This big project helped the museum display even more of its treasures.
Amazing Collections at MCNY
The Museum of the City of New York has a huge collection of over 1.5 million items! These items help tell the story of New York City, especially from the 1800s and early 1900s.
What You Can See
- Art and Photos: The museum has many paintings, drawings, and prints that show New York City and its people. It also has over 3,000 prints by Currier and Ives and a large collection of photographs. These photos include works by famous photographers like Jacob Riis and Berenice Abbott. Even film director Stanley Kubrick's early photographs are here!
- Everyday Life: You can see old costumes, decorative objects, and furniture.
- Toys: MCNY was the first museum in the United States to have a special department just for antique toys!
- Special Collections: There are ship models, rare books, and items related to the city's police and fire departments.
- Theater: The museum has a fantastic collection that shows the "golden age" of Broadway theater.
- Dioramas: These are 3D models that show scenes from the city's history and how it looked.
- Silver: The museum has a collection of beautiful silver pieces from the early 1800s.
One very rare item is a chair that belonged to Sarah Rapelje. She was said to be the first child of European parents born in New York State!
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"The Bay and Harbor of New York" by Samuel Waugh (1814–1885), showing the arrival of the Junk Keying in New York harbor in July 1847.
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A beautiful stained glass window from the Henry Gurdon Marquand House (around 1883–1884).
Exciting Exhibitions to Explore
The museum often has special exhibitions that focus on different parts of New York City's history and culture.
Past Popular Shows
- Perform: From 2004 to 2009, this was the only permanent exhibit in New York City about theater. It had everything from Bill "Bojangles" Robinson's tap shoes to items from the musical Avenue Q.
- In the Dugout with Jackie Robinson: This exhibit, which ended in September 2019, celebrated the famous baseball legend Jackie Robinson. It showed memorabilia and rare videos of his family.
- City/Game: Basketball in New York: This exhibit opened in February 2020. It explored the history of basketball in New York City, featuring players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de la Ciudad de Nueva York para niños
