Located in New York City, the world's first and foremost vertical metropolis, The Skyscraper Museum celebrates the City's rich architectural heritage and examines the historical forces and individuals that have shaped its successive skylines. Through exhibitions, programs and publications, the Museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence.
Scholars, including our Director, Carol Willis, entered the fray of the Fallacy of the First Skyscraper this Halloween at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) conference. Pictured from left to right: Carol Willis, Gerald Larson, Gail Fenske, Thomas Leslie, and Donald Friedman.
Check out the article below to see why our Director, Carol Willis, and other scholars at the recent CTBUH conference agree that Chicago's Home Insurance Building should NOT be considered the first skyscraper.
It's a commonly shared fact that the first skyscraper was built in Chicago.
But at a recent event, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat — the same group that stripped Willis Tower of its status as the tallest building in the world or even in the U.S. — called that claim into question.
The Skyscraper Museum and our Gallery Manager, Josh Vogel, were recently featured on NBC's "Must-Visit Museums" segment!
🎥 Watch the clip here: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Must-Visit-Museums_New-York-563855972.html
New York is home to hundreds of museums; it can be hard to figure out where to go! Oneika Raymond is exploring two unique ones- The Skyscraper Museum and the New York Transit Museum.
Beautiful fall day in Battery Park City and The Skyscraper Museum is FREE today only for Open House New York! #ohny #ohnyweekend #ohnyweekend2019
Our Founder and Director, Carol Willis, was interviewed for CBS This Morning's special report on the Empire State Building's new observation deck, talking about the importance of the original 86th floor observation deck to the building's survival. The view from the 102nd floor looks amazing--we can't wait to go!
The Empire State Building is set to open its newly renovated 102nd floor observatory this weekend, complete with 360-degree views of New York City and beyond. It's just one part of the Empire State Building's massive four-year renovation.
Today is #SkyscraperDay! But every day is SKYSCRAPER DAY at The Skyscraper Museum!
Our History of Height explores skyscraper transformation from pyramids to the present and the factors that shaped them: https://www.skyscraper.org/hoh/
!["[American Gargoyles] is a raucous call-out to a vision of New York City that is, alas, fading fast, but clearly still h...](https://img.gluseum.com/1/v/t31.0-1/p200x200/413378_324921814244046_502979054_o.jpg?_nc_ohc=CIYEkQpTDzcAX8iv4VY&_nc_ht=scontent.xx&oh=c80123f19e177ecf0bb60a819ecae4d2&oe=5ECC0F47)
"[American Gargoyles] is a raucous call-out to a vision of New York City that is, alas, fading fast, but clearly still has some mischievous life in it."
Anyone recognize this face? Last month, author and illustrator Neil Cohen came to read his book, "American Gargoyles," for a special family story time, followed by a coloring activity. The family program was a blast, and "American Gargoyles" has now been featured in the NYT Book Review!
You can read the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/01/books/review/great-picture-books-summer.html
And find out about more can't-miss upcoming family programs on our website: https://www.skyscraper.org/WHAT'S_UP/family_programs.htm
The Skyscraper Museum stands tall among the greats in
Fodor's Travel "Don't Miss New York City's 25 Most Incredible Museums" article!
https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/new-york/new-york-city/experiences/news/dont-miss-new-york-citys-25-most-incredible-museums
Stretching from 14th to 20th streets and from First Avenue to Avenue C, Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village is the largest and most significant housing development in Manhattan (1942-1948). #Stuytown followed a pattern of open space and isolated towers that emerged in the postwar years as middle-class suburban neighborhoods altered public expectations of density in New York and across America. Housing developments, such as Stuyvesant Town were successful in finding a middle ground between high-rise living and single-family, dramatically reducing density of both built area and of people per acre. The Stuyvesant town section covered only 26% of the 80-acre site yet had a larger housing density of 302 pp/acre due to the 8,757 apartments stacked in 15-story buildings. The emphasis of the master plan, which de-mapped five city streets, across 15 city blocks, was on tree-filled lawns between the identical towers and central community areas of parks and playgrounds, introducing the ample green space of Levittown backyards into the city.
Learn more about Stuyvesant Town and how it contributed to the shift in housing density in our newest exhibit, Housing Density: Tenements to Towers. Visit our Lower Manhattan gallery or website to view the entire exhibit online at https://www.skyscraper.org/housingdensity/ #HousingDensity #TenementstoTowers
Queensbridge Houses, the country's largest public housing development, is nearly 50 acres of former industrial land just north of the #QueensboroBridge that was a radical scheme in housing development. Purchased for only $1 per sq. ft, the size and repetitive design allowed for standardization, economies of scale, and efficient use of costly foundations in 6-story elevator buildings. #NYCHA’s architects were able to both lower density to 209 pp/acre and realize lot coverage of just 18.1%, creating acres of open space for courtyards and play areas. Contributing to the pattern of density reduction, #Queensbridge produced smaller apartment units and limited commercial or community facilities that pinched the quality of life of many families despite the grand open spaces as a result of cost-cutting by federal funding.
Learn more about Queensbridge and how it contributed to the shift in housing density in our newest exhibit, Housing Density: Tenements to Towers. Visit our Lower Manhattan gallery or view the entire exhibit online at https://www.skyscraper.org/housingdensity/
Already sweating thinking about the 100° heat this Saturday? Come cool down at The Skyscraper Museum with family story time on Saturday morning!
Beat the heat and come listen to author and illustrator Neil Cohen read his new book "American Gargoyles," about the bickering gargoyles on a once-celebrated art deco NYC skyscraper who have to work together to find a way to save their home from demolition.
Following the reading, kids can use pencils, markers, brushes, and stamps to create their own one-of-a-kind "American Gargoyle" coloring sheets to take home!
Recommended for ages 3-11. RSVP required to [email protected] or 212-945-6324.
Find out more information about this and other upcoming family programs at skyscraper.org/WHAT'S_UP/family_programs.htm
+ You can read more about "American Gargoyles" and the process in this recent interview: https://whatchareading.com/american-gargoyles-book-tour-madness-continues/
Join us next Saturday, July 17, for an extra special family program!
Author and illustrator Neil Cohen will be reading his new book "American Gargoyles," about the bickering gargoyles on a once-celebrated but now-forgotten art deco NYC skyscraper who have to find a way to save their home from demolition.
Following the reading, kids can use pencils, markers, and brushes, and stamps to create their own one-of-a-kind "American Gargoyle" coloring books to take home, like the ones below! 🎨🖍
Recommended for ages 3-11. RSVP required to [email protected] or 212-945-6324.
Find out more information about this and other upcoming family programs at skyscraper.org/WHAT'S_UP/family_programs.htm
Join us this Saturday for a fun Family Program exploring the density of cities! 🏙️
Why are some places more crowded than others? Kids will learn how buildings and open space can balance density and how people live, work, and play throughout the city. Using block, the young architects will explore how New York City got so dense through a series of activities where they build their own neighborhoods. Ages 6-8. RSVP required to [email protected]
Family Programs are $5 per family, members free.
Read more about this and other upcoming Saturday Family Programs at https://www.skyscraper.org/WHAT'S_UP/family_programs.htm
Join us TOMORROW at 6:30 pm for a free talk by Kara Schlichting on her new book "New York Recentered: Building the Metropolis from the Shore."
The history of New York City’s urban development often centers on powerful municipal figures such as Andrew Haswell Green and on prominent inner Manhattan sites like Central Park. "New York Recentered" offers a new model for understanding the invention of metropolitan New York. By broadening the definition of planning, and paying close attention to the levels of governance on which it occurred, this book sees a regional history, not just a history of the city’s influence on its periphery. Schlichting recognizes the influence of diverse local actors in conjunction with the work of well-known power brokers such as Robert Moses. The rise of greater New York between 1840-1940 reveals how residential and industrial decentralization, recreation, and public works tied the urban core and periphery together and gave shape to the region.
Kara Murphy Schlichting is an Assistant Professor of History at Queens College. She earned her PhD from Rutgers University in 2014. Her work in late-19th and 20th-century American History sits at the intersection of urban, environmental, and political history, with a particular focus on property regimes and regional planning in greater New York City.
Reservations are required, and priority is given to Members and Corporate Member firms and their employees. All guests MUST RSVP to [email protected] to assure admittance to the event.
Can't make it to this book talk? Check out https://www.skyscraper.org/PROGRAMS/upcoming_programs.htm to see what other upcoming programs you might be interested in!
On Tuesday 4/16, join us as author Nicholas Dagen Bloom discusses his new book, 'How States Shaped Postwar America.' RSVP to [email protected] https://www.skyscraper.org/PROGRAMS/upcoming_programs.htm?fbclid=IwAR2NgnIm57j4pMeInUDECcbW2AYMlayzczAo0AW9Zl5K-Iqwk10qWcaVU2c#bloom
In How States Shaped Postwar America, historian Nicholas Bloom reveals the enduring impact of activist states in an era of unsteady federal power. Anchoring the story on the example set by New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, Bloom shows how Rockefeller took the lead on a number of aggressive initi...
#KevinRoche (1922–2019) passed away on Friday at age 96. Among Roche's many significant designs in NYC were the twin skyscrapers UN Plaza Towers (1975) and the post-modern #60WallStreet, completed in 1987.
"The glory of the Chrysler Building resides in its sumptuous Art Deco ornament and giddy romance" Carol Willis, Director of the Skyscraper Museum is quoted in Curbed NY article: What Should Be Done With the Chrysler Building?https://ny.curbed.com/2019/1/30/18202562/chrysler-building-new-york-redevelopment
The Art Deco icon is for sale—could redevelopment be in the cards?
Join us this Saturday from 10:30 - 11:45 for our Architecture Valentines family program! Love is in the air! Make homemade Valentines featuring Skyscrapers. You can share them with family, friends, or your secret crush! 🥰 All Ages. RSVP to [email protected].
For details visit: https://www.skyscraper.org/WHAT'S_UP/family_programs.htm
The Skyscraper Museum is devoted to the study of high-rise building, past, present, and future. The Museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence. This site will look better in a browse...
https://nypost.com/2019/01/23/the-super-tall-towers-transforming-nycs-skyline/
The future of New York is one tall tale. A rendering created for the Skyscraper Museum by intern Jose Hernandez shows Central Park South and Midtown Manhattan as seen from the Metropolitan Museum o…
Join us this Saturday at 10:30AM for our Postcards and New York family program!
Kids will learn the history of picture postcards, how they relate to the history of the New York Skyline and how they helped make the New York City skyline famous. Then, kids will design their own postcards.
Send RSVPs for this event to [email protected]
On Tuesday 12/4, join us as author Alice Sparberg Alexiou discusses her recent book, 'Devil's Mile: The Rich Gritty History of the Bowery.' RSVP to [email protected] http://bit.ly/2P7XHbJ
The Skyscraper Museum is devoted to the study of high-rise building, past, present, and future. The Museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence. This site will look better in a browse...
Join us this Saturday to learn about different materials architects use to construct buildings. Then, using stacking blocks, kids will construct the sturdiest tower and recreate famous New York Skyscrapers! Ages 4-8. RSVP required.
https://www.skyscraper.org/WHAT'S_UP/family_programs.htm
Do not let the chilly weather deter you! Today, enjoy open access to the Museum from 12- 6PM as part of Open House New York weekend! #OHNYwknd
https://www.skyscraper.org/PROGRAMS/upcoming_programs.htm#ohny
How do engineers "confuse the wind"? Join us this Saturday, and kids will be introduced to ideas of aerodynamics and how a building’s shape determines the way wind resistance affects the structure. Kids will build their own skyscrapers and perform a wind tunnel test on them. Ages 6+. RSVP required.
Join us this Saturday for our family program, Patterns and Facades. Kids will explore patterns on skyscrapers and learn about decorative facades from different cultures, and design their own buildings.
The Architect's Newspaper
A new show at The Skyscraper Museum charts the dizzying rise of NYC's skyline in incredible detail
Ever wonder if buildings could move and change form? Join us for a workshop this Saturday. Kids will be introduced to different architectural designs that can twist and transform. They will explore, through a hands-on activity, different methods of kinetic design in the construction of their own tower!
The Wagner Hotel
The only thing more remarkable than an aerial view of the city is an up-close encounter with its most iconic skyscrapers. This season, we invite families to book our Sky's the Limit experience, which features entrance to The Skyscraper Museum: http://fal.cn/yn4d #MeetTheWagner
Join us this Saturday for a Mother's Day Card Workshop. Children will create their own fun, architecture inspired Mother’s Day cards. All ages.
Get RSVP information here:
http://skyscraper.org/WHAT'S_UP/family_programs.htm
This Saturday, don't miss out and join us for our family program to learn how builders reduce waste by reusing materials from older buildings to create new ones.
Kids will then make their very own Trash Towers from recycled materials that they can tear down and rebuild over and over again. Ages 5+
For RSVP and more information, please visit:
https://bit.ly/1qk7PSO
The Skyscraper Museum is devoted to the study of high-rise building, past, present, and future. The Museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence. This site will look better in a browse...
Join us tomorrow for a reading of the book “This is New York,” by M. Sasek. Children will learn about the history of New York’s different neighborhoods, then draw their own neighborhood or create a new one from their imagination. Ages 7+
RSVP information here http://skyscraper.org/WHAT'S_UP/family_programs.htm
Join us this Thursday (4/12) at 6:30 for a free discussion event with Charles Waldheim on "The New Heliomorphism."
Recent projects by a number of leading architects and urbanists have suggested new forms of urban order through solar orientation. At the 2017 Chicago Biennial, Waldheim and a team from the Harvard GSD Office for Urbanization, with Siena Sharff Design, presented the installation Heliomorphic Chicago, which re-imagined the Loop's buildings adjusted to a complex and contradictory economy of solar performance. In this talk, Waldheim will discuss a hypothetical Heliomorphic Manhattan, formulated on ideas of revising and extending the ecological urbanism agenda by returning to values of solar performance.
RSVP to [email protected] and reserve a seat
http://skyscraper.org/PROGRAMS/upcoming_programs.htm#wald
The Skyscraper Museum is devoted to the study of high-rise building, past, present, and future. The Museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence. This site will look better in a browse...
39 Battery Pl
New York, NY
10280
Subway: Take the 4/5 to Bowling Green, the 1 or R to Rector St, or the R to Whitehall St.
| Wednesday | 12:00 - 18:00 |
| Thursday | 12:00 - 18:00 |
| Friday | 12:00 - 18:00 |
| Saturday | 12:00 - 18:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00 - 18:00 |
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Skyscraper Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to The Skyscraper Museum:
Join Judith Dupre next Wednesday, June 8 at 6:30 as she presents her new book One WTC: Biography of the Building.
Lipper Internship for Holocaust Education
36 Battery PlMuseum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial
36 Battery PlYoung Friends of the Museum of Jewish Heritag
Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery PlThe Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
17 Battery Pl, Ste 210Castle Clinton National Monument
1 Bowling GrnAlexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
1 Bowling Grn
Saving Antiquities for Everyone
PO Box 231172, Ansonia Station
