If you love architecture and exploring great museums, you will be happy to know that there are many great museums throughout the city that combine the two things beautifully. The following is the first of a two-part series on the beautiful museums in New York City.
New Museum
Designed by Japanese architecture firm SANAA, the New Museum of Contemporary Art’s Lower East Side was meant to offer an elegant and urban look. This was achieved with a minimalist approach that also took the building’s narrow footprint into account. Some of the design elements include an exterior made from aluminum mesh and floor-to-ceiling windows at the ground level.
The Frick Collection
One of the most powerful industrialists from the early 20th century, Henry Clay Frick commissioned Thomas Hastings of Carrere and Hastings to design his private residence on Manhattan’s Gold Coast. Today, the Gilded Age mansion can still be toured while enjoying the art that rests inside. With an emphasis on European painting and sculpture, The Frick Collection serves as a serene oasis within the city.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitican Museum of Arts represents the architectural styling of a number of architects, including Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould, Richard Morris Hunt, McKin, Mead & White and Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates. Yet, despite the fact that each of these architects designed a specific portion of the building, the building as a whole does not feel disjointed.
The Noguchi Museum
The exterior of The Noguchi Museum isn’t particularly eye-catching, but the interior offers stunning design as well as a peaceful garden. Designed by Isamu Noguchi before he passed away in 1988, the museum houses Noguchi’s artwork within its galleries and sculptures in the sculpture garden.
Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
Situated just two blocks from the Guggenheim, the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum is considered to be the pinnacle of modernism. Housed in a building that was once the home of Andrew Carnegie, the museum is an exemplary example of ornate, turn-of-the-20th-century architecture. Designed by Babb, Cook & Willard, the building boasts an old-world feel with many innovative design touches. As the first private residence in the United States to have a structural steel frame and one of the first in New York to have a residential Otis passenger elevator, the building has a long and interesting history. The building was recently restored by a team of architects who brought it back to its former glory while simultaneously updating it for the 21st century.
Whitney Museum of American Art
Debuted in 2015, the Whitney Museum of American Art was not well-received at first. Over time, however, the building has come to be an important part of the city’s cultural landscape. The unique design also served to significantly expand the museum’s space, with the building now accommodating more visitors than ever before.