Museum of the City of New York

The collections in Museum of the City of New York explore the vibrant past, present and future of New York

Museum of the City of New York
Museum of the City of New York

Housed in a 1930s American Colonial brick mansion on the northern end of Museum Mile, the Museum of the City of New York celebrates the history and panache of the Big Apple. The exhibitions explore all things New York from the urban landscape to the cultural diversity of its 8 million residents that define the city's distinct personality.

Collections of paintings, artefacts and photographs bring the sights, sounds and styles of the Empire City to life and provide tourists an essential introduction to the vibrant past, present and future of New York.

The comprehensive collection of the Museum of the City of New York is estimated to contain upwards of 1.5 million objects related to the five boroughs from their beginnings as a Dutch settlement and as a major port in the New World to modern day. The permanent collections include galleries dedicated to Broadway memorabilia and the history of nightlife and theatre, the history and evolution of police and fire fighting techniques and the influence of the fashion and textile industries. A large anthology of toys illustrate a social history of childhood in the city and an impressive decorative arts collection chronicles the trendsetting style of New Yorkers.

The museum has recently undergone a major renovation and they are also very active in introducing new exhibitions all the time, so even if you have visited in the past, you will find plenty of new things to discover.

Nearby attractions include Central Park, Whitney Museum of American Art, The Frick Collection and the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Facts For Your Visit

Fee: Yes

Museum of the City of New York Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays

  • Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Tuesday: Closed
  • Wednesday: Closed
  • Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Saturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Sunday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Address: 1220 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029, USA

Phone: (212) 534-1672

Official Website: Museum of the City of New York

Museum of the City of New York Reviews

Rated 4.5 out of 5 Star Rating

5 Star Rating I was led to the museum through the great Gingerbread Bake Off. In the holiday season I love to enjoy the festivities that Christmas brings. Gingerbread appealed and I liked that they were iconic NY places. This was a fun exhibit to see. The museum overall has some really interesting exhibits especially if you are a history buff. Its challenging to capture some 400 years of NY history in a few rooms but the museum presents a great birds eye view. Its a place where you will want to take your time and read for sure. NY at Its Core has interesting exhibits and the Activist NY exhibit did a fantastic job of presenting easy to follow timelines of controversial topics that have rocked the city at its foundation. All were very well presented. Give yourself time to take it all in!
Ingrid Hill - 2 months ago

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5 Star Rating We came on a Sunday just after lunch with a sleeping baby and a 6 years old. There is an entrance without step on the side. We went to see the New York movie right away and that was really interesting. We loved the story telling installation and we listened to many story about New York with my kids. We watched the movie installation entirely too. It was so well done that we almost watched it twice. If you have time they do a tour that goes more in depth about the history of New York. It is really cool museum.
Delphine Ettinger (Ashes57) - 3 weeks ago

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4 Star Rating Lots of stories from the city. I particularly Lives the room that shows movies filmed in NY, film runs for about 15-20min and its so good. Make sure to scan QR to get full lost of books, films and music. There is a ginger bread house temporary Expo and it's just so cute. Entrance is 20usd but up to you if you want to pay less. Store is nice too to grab souvenirs.
Pil G - a month ago

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5 Star Rating I was passing this museum at around 4 pm on the way to the park with a friend. I’m a native New Yorker and have been to almost every museum but this one. We decided to stop in and it was so interesting. There are many floors and we were not expecting it to take so long to see everything. The main floor had a few gingerbread houses which was fun. They close at 5 on a Sunday so allow enough time. There are educational short films and film collages about activism in the city, and human rightss. Period clothing on the third floor was enjoyable.
Shelley P. - 2 months ago

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Directions

Subway Line Nearest Station Walking Time
6103 Street7 minutes
2 or 3110 Street11 Minutes

How to get to Museum of the City of New York by Subway

Take the 6 train to 103rd Street, and follow it west for 3 blocks (use the pedistrian path to get between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue) then go right on 5th Avenue to the entrance; or take the 2 or 3 train to 110th Street, walk one block east to Fifth Avenue, then left (south) to 103rd Street.

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