The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is a history and art museum in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by Henry Collins Brown in 1923 to preserve and present the history of New York City and its people. It is located at 1220–1227 Fifth Avenue between East 103rd to 104th Streets, across from Central Park on Manhattan's Upper East Side, at the northern end of the Museum Mile section of Fifth Avenue.

The red brick with marble trim and was designed by Joseph H. Freedlander in the neo-Georgian style, with statues of Alexander Hamilton and DeWitt Clinton by sculptor Adolph Alexander Weinman facing Central Park from niches in the facade.

The museum is a private non-profit organization which receives government support as a member of New York City's Cultural Institutions Group. Its other sources of income are endowments, admission fees, and contributions.

History

thumb|left|[[Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence, was the museum's first location]]

The museum was originally located in Gracie Mansion, where available space was limited. The success of the project led to a search for a new, permanent headquarters for the museum. A design competition was held between five invited architects, The original plans for the museum's building were scaled back as a result of the Wall Street crash of 1929, nevertheless, the building was dedicated on January 11, 1932. El Museo del Barrio would then have moved across the street to occupy the current Museum of the City of New York building. This decision was overturned by the incoming administration of Michael Bloomberg, which decided to use the Courthouse as the headquarters for the new New York City Department of Education, causing MCNY's then-director Robert R. McDonald to resign; and it was completed in February 2008 with a ribbon cutting later that same year.

The pavilion gallery, designed by the Polshek Partnership,

In late 2011, the museum temporarily took over operation of the South Street Seaport Museum which reopened in January 2012.

Collection

The museum's collection of over 1.5 million items

Among the rare items in the museum's collection is a chair that once belonged to Sarah Rapelje, daughter of Joris Jansen Rapelje of Nieuw Amsterdam, and said to be the first child born in New York State of European parentage. The chair was donated by her Brinckerhoff descendants.

The museum is known for its comprehensive collection of photographic images, which includes works by noted photographers Percy Byron, Jacob Riis and Berenice Abbott, as well as many Depression-era Federal Art Project photographs. The collection also includes still photography by film director Stanley Kubrick.

MCNY was also the longtime home to recreations of two furnished rooms from the house of John D. Rockefeller, donated by the Rockefeller family. Notable as well is a model of New Amsterdam based on the Castello Plan of 1660.<!--

In June 2007, the museum opened its temporary "The Glory Days, 1947–1957" exhibition, an in-depth photographic look at the history of professional baseball in New York City. The exhibit included clips of Ed Sullivan, a pioneer of CBS television entertainment, interviewing many of the players of the era, including Mickey Mantle and Phil Rizzuto. A section was devoted to Jackie Robinson, who broke the color line in 1947 when he joined the former Brooklyn Dodgers and became an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement.

In May 2012, the museum opened a new space devoted to the Puffin Foundation and its collection. The inaugural exhibit focused on social activism and New York City's activist roots.

In November 2016 the museum opened New York At Its Core, a three-gallery exploration of New York City's 400-year history and the city's future. It features over 450 historic objects and images, many from the museum's collection, as well as contemporary video, photography, and interactive digital experiences.-->

Until September 15, 2019, the exhibition "In the Dugout with Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait of a Baseball Legend" was on display. In honor of the centennial of Robinson's birth, the exhibition featured memorabilia, rare footage, and published magazines of the Robinson family.

In February 2020, the exhibit "City/Game: Basketball in New York" opened. The exhibit explored the history of basketball in New York City, including players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Douglass.

In 2026, the museum hosted a handmade model of New York City made by truck driver Joe Macken, which had gone viral on TikTok.

See also

  • List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City
  • List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets

References

  • Puffin Foundation