The city’s oldest museum re-opens its doors Friday, November 11, after a $70 million renovation. Formerly a vault-like institution, the museum now has an inviting glass facade and an entirely new ethos with interactive touchscreen computer stations, motion-sensitive “live paintings,” and a brand new children’s history museum.
In addition to the psychedelic Keith Haring ceiling in the main hall, there is a roomier Great Hall and an Italian restaurant that stays open after museum hours. From large scale sociopolitical events (the NYHS has the largest known collection of September 11, 2001 events) to touchingly intimate glimpses into New York life (a pair of child’s boots recovered from the 1904 General Slocum passenger ship fire), the New York Historical Society has always been a rich depository of New York artifacts but now it invites New Yorkers to participate in their own history.
