Frequently Asked Questions for Rights & Reproductions
We receive many inquiries at the Museum of the City of New York regarding rights and reproductions for objects in our collections. Below are some frequently asked questions and responses. … Continue reading
Frequently Asked Questions for the Collections Department
We receive many reference inquiries here at the Museum of the City of New York, primarily through our research email (research@mcny.org). The Museum makes every effort to answer questions directly … Continue reading
Ringing in the New Year with the Second Avenue Subway
The Museum connects the past, present, and future of New York City, by documenting, celebrating, and interpreting its distinctive character through exhibitions, programs, and collections. However, now and then, the … Continue reading
A View of Melrose
In November, 2016, the Museum of the City of New York will launch New York at Its Core, the first museum exhibition that comprehensively interprets and presents the story of … Continue reading
The Crown Jewel of Brooklyn – Prospect Park
What is it I associate so keenly with the summer smell and sensual keenness of Prospect Park? – Alfred Kazin[1] The construction of Central Park prompted the city of Brooklyn … Continue reading
John Bute Holmes, surveyor and polygamist.
To quote my colleague Susannah in her fascinating post from a few weeks ago, “Hints about long vanished and forgotten aspects of New York surround us if we know where … Continue reading
Forgotten villages and neighborhoods of Manhattan
Hints about long vanished and forgotten aspects of New York surround us if we know where to look. The etymology of neighborhood names reveal long lost geographical quirks and the … Continue reading
What lies beneath New York- the Minetta Brook
It is difficult to view this image of Manhattan from 1953 and imagine it as the idyllic island of Mannahatta that Henry Hudson first stepped onto in September 1609, but … Continue reading
Conservation of the J. Clarence Davies Map Collection
The Museum is nearing the completion of the two-year National Endowment for the Humanities grant-funded project “Conserving, Digitizing, and Creating Access to the J. Clarence Davies Collection of Art.” Begun … Continue reading
The Contentious History of Supplying Water to Manhattan
“What made New York a prosperous port – its deep saltwater rivers – made its drinking water lousy. By the middle of the eighteenth century, Manhattan’s water was already infamous: … Continue reading
The Prospect Park Concert Grove
As mentioned in May 22nd’s post, Saving the Interior of the Plaza Hotel, New York City isn’t known just for its landmarked buildings, but also its scenic historical sites, as … Continue reading
Mott Haven Historic District
The neighborhood of Mott Haven is located in the South Bronx, and is situated on a portion of land historically referred to as Morrisania, named after the powerful Morris family … Continue reading
The Abolitionist Riots of 1834
Not too long ago, I was looking through our map collection with Andrea Renner, one of the Museum’s Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellows, who assisted curator Hilary Ballon on … Continue reading
