Brooklyn Children's Museum

1899 - present

In 1899 in the residential neighborhood of Crown Heights - an unusual choice for the time period - the Brooklyn Children's Museum was founded to ignite curiosity and ignite joyful learning in children. The museum's first curator, Anna Billings Gallup, hosted daily free lectures at 4 PM after school hours, underscoring the institution's commitment to accessibility. A Progressive educator, Gallup described the museum as "a paradise for scientifically minded city children: a research lab, library, and clubhouse, packaged in an enchanting old Victorian mansion" - an environment which would naturally incline children towards productive modes of inquiry. The museum operated under the direction of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, which also operated the Brooklyn (Central) Museum - both of which were initially allocated $70,000 per year to supplement donations. The original building was a the William Newton Adams house and had a prior use as a storehouse for exhibits off-view from the Central Museum before being refurbished into an interactive presentation space. Due to high patronage, a new edifice was completed in 1977 which added underground levels, office space, a cafeteria, gift shop and an outdoor theater. Brooklyn Museum gained recognition as the first LEED-certified "green" museum in 2008 when it again renovated, expanded, and reopened its space. The museum is situated among the gardens of Brower Park on Brooklyn Avenue and Saint Marks Avenue.

Outer facade of the Brooklyn Children's Museum on the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and St. Marks Avenue
View Gallery

Details

Category
Museum
Audience
Children
Founder(s)
Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences
Corporate Body
Brooklyn Museum
Tags
publicfunding, childdevelopment, womensleadership, coeducational, philanthropy, informaleducation, arts

Location

  • 145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213, USA
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References

  1. History & mission. Brooklyn Children's Museum. (2022, April 28). Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www.brooklynkids.org/about/
  2. The brooklyn children's museum does its work. (1905, Nov 12). New York Times (1857-1922) Retrieved from http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/brooklyn-childrens-museum-does-work/docview/96548543/se-2?accountid=10226
  3. Yarrow, A. L. (1989, Oct 13). New Children's Museum Joins 2 Old Favorites. New York Times http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/new-childrens-museum-joins-2-old-favorites/docview/427401391/se-2?accountid=10226
  4. Spellen, S. (2011, August 27). Past and present: Brooklyn Children's museum. Brownstoner. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.brownstoner.com/history/past-and-present-brooklyn-children%E2%80%99s-museum/
  5. Rebecca Onion. (2016). Innocent Experiments : Childhood and the Culture of Popular Science in the United States. The University of North Carolina Press.