Queens Museum of Art
Queens Museum is worth visiting just to see the incredible scale model of all five boroughs of New York City
Founded in 1972, the Queens Museum, formerly called the Queens Museum of Art, is best known for the Panorama of New York City, an amazing scale model covering all five boroughs of New York modelling every single building as of 1992. More new models and updates continue to be added to the map on a regular basis.
The museum is housed in the former New York City Building which was originally built for the 1939 World's Fair. The building was home to the United Nations General Assembly between the year 1946 and 1950. Today the museum has a permanent collection of about 10,000 exhibits, the majority of which pertain to the two World Fairs held in 1939 and in 1964. The museum also houses a large collection of Tiffany Glass including lamps and windows. Tiffany Studios and Furnaces were once located in the same area as the museum.
The crown jewel of the museum is the massive architectural scale map and model of all of New York City known as the Panorama of New York City. This amazing model was commissioned and built for the 1964 World's Fair. It took a team of about 250 modellers a total of three years to complete the 9335 square foot map. From 1970 to 1992 there were no updates, but in 1992 the map was updated with 85,000 new building models. The scale model now represents every building, as of 1992, in all five boroughs for an incredible total of 895,000 buildings. In 2009 a program was started to continue updating the map with more new models. You will never get to see the entire city of New York in person during your vacation, so be sure to see it here at the museum.
In addition to the giant map of New York and the permanent collections, the Queens Museum hosts a wide variety of temporary exhibits and educational programs with a focus on quality and that reflect the diverse and contemporary urban life of New Yorker's and especially residents of Queens.
It is well worth it to take the subway to Queens to visit this enjoyable museum and to also see the world's largest globe, the Unisphere, located right in front of the museum.
Facts For Your Visit
Fee: Yes. Visit the official website for details.Queens Museum of Art Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday: 12:00 – 5:00 PM
- Thursday: 12:00 – 5:00 PM
- Friday: 12:00 – 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Address: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Building, Queens, NY 11368, USA
Phone: (718) 592-9700
Official Website: Queens Museum of Art
Queens Museum of Art Reviews
Rated out of 5
Was pleasantly surprised that this museum had an art station for my girls (age 3 and 4) to make their own piece of art inspired by the artist on exhibit. Very nice spot to spend a couple hours, with nearby park and surroundings that are also scenic and historical if you want to get your culture on.
Michelle Mascioli - a month ago
The Queens museum is a wonderful free museum that has one of the best kept secrets in NYC. The panorama of the entire city of New York is absolutely stunning and unbelievably massive. The temporomandibular exhibits were very interesting but we spent more time in the panorama than anywhere. The weather did not cooperate for us to explore the park around the museum much but the Unosphere outside is also FAR larger than I was expecting which makes it far more interesting! Highly recommend checking it out! It is a bit difficult to get to via public transit so I'd recommend using some form of ride-sharing service or driving your personal vehicle.
Spencer Owen - 3 months ago
This was a wonderfully emotional experience for me as I attended the 1964 World's Fair as a one-year-old child (at least my parents tell me I did and I've seen photos of me in a stroller at the fair!). The NYC diorama was especially dear to me since I vividly recall riding the tram that circled the original site during a school trip to Flushing Meadows Park when I was about six or seven years old. I particularly remember the airplanes that would appear to land and take off at LaGuardia Airport and was so thrilled that this functioning feature has actually been preserved m in the current diorama.
The museum though not extensive, has many souvenirs and other artifacts from the 1964 World's Fair on the second floor as we as a topographical model of the NYC watershed that's also from the original Fair.
Admission is free but I put a few dollars in the donation box on the way out. It was well worth all of the nostalgia and warm emotions that this visit evoked in me!
Steve Levy - 4 months ago
As a free museum, expectations are low. But Queens Museum goes above and beyond. Their collection is fascinating! I’m so happy I visited this gem in NYC. I’d never heard of this place, and I’ll definitely tell people to check it out!
David Clarke - 3 months ago
Great museum, learn about the world’s fair, see a scale replica of NYC, and view a rotating collection of art! Very spacious and there was plenty of parking when I went on a winter weekend
David Zhang - 3 months ago
Directions
| Subway Line | Nearest Station | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Mets-Willets Point | 12 Minutes |
How to get to Queens Museum of Art by Subway
Take the 7 Train to Mets-Willets Point. Follow the signs, walking through the park to the museum which is located just west of the giant stainless steel globe (Unisphere).
Map & Instant Route Finder
Click&Go Map and Route Finder with public transit, walking, driving or cycling directions. Get up-to-the-minute transit times for your route.
Accommodations near Queens Museum of Art:
Photo Gallery
-
Panorama of New York City at the Queens Museum of Art cc licensed photo by aveoree
Video
Please provide consent and/or disable ad blocker to view the video.
