Museum of the city of New York

1923 - present

The Museum of the City of New York was started by Henry Collins Brown in 1923. Brown was a Scottish immigrant who came to America at 13, a place he grew to love. His wonder for the city is felt in his writing, in which he dedicated several pieces to it. Brown, a renowned historian and important populist figure, wanted to preserve and dedicate a museum to the most important piece of New York history, its people. It first started out in the Gracie Mansion, the future governor's mansion. Finding home wherever there was space, in the large and busy building. In 1926, under the guidance of Harding Scholle, it looked for a new place to call home, as it was growing larger and larger with permanent collections being added like the infamous “Old New York” and two fully furnished rooms from the Rockefeller home. Eventually they settled for a brand new building being built by architect Joseph H. Freedland. Freedland was known for his dedication to making public spaces such as schools and places people wanted to visit. He dedicated this building to Georgian-Colonial Revival design. This project started in 1929 and was completed in 1932. The museum today offers many educational exhibits, such as the “hidden voices of NYC” which speaks about LGBTQIA, black, and brown people who are typically silenced in the media.