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Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum—Smithsonian Institution
Special Notice
The museum's exhibition galleries are currently closed for a two-year renovation that began on July 4, 2011. During this time, exhibitions, events and education programs are staged at various off-site locations, while the museum’s terrace, garden and shop remain open without an admission fee.
Children under 12 free
Sat: 10 am – 6 pm
Sun: 11 am – 6 pm
A branch of the Smithsonian Institution, this is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design. Through its collections, programs and exhibitions, the museum explores design in daily life. Although its exhibits are for the general public, it also serves as an important working resource for architects, designers, studio artists, artisans and scholars.
Four curatorial departments—Drawings and Prints, Decorative Arts, Textiles and Wallcoverings—maintain collections on which the excellent program of exhibitions draw.
The museum possesses one of the largest design collections in the world, with 250,000 objects that include rare books, furniture, ceramics, glassware, architectural drawings, metalwork and jewelry. The collections are international in scope, embracing both historic and contemporary design and range from one-of-a-kind to mass-produced items. Curatorial emphasis is placed on the process of design, from initial sketches, through working drawings, models and prototypes, to finished products.
The museum was founded by Sarah, Eleanor and Amy Hewitt, granddaughters of Peter Cooper, as the Cooper Union Museum for the Arts of Decoration in 1897. The collections were displayed at Cooper Union until 1967, when they were transferred to the Smithsonian Institution. In 1976, the museum opened at its present site in the landmark Andrew Carnegie Mansion. Completed in 1902, the 64-room house was donated to the Smithsonian by the Carnegie Corporation in 1972. It was designed by the architectural firm of Babb, Cook & Willard.
$40
Seniors (62 and older) pay $50 for membership.
- Directions: Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th Street. Garden entrance on East 90th Street open May-September (weather permitting).
- Disability Access: Fully accessible. Wheelchairs available on first come, first served basis.
- Disability Assistance:
Hearing: Upon request, simultaneous sign language translation of programs, including lectures and tours. For some programs, simultaneous closed captioning.
Vision: Upon request, verbal imagining tours for the blind and partially sighted. Large-print versions of labels available for all exhibitions. - Gift Shops: Books, collectibles and other items related to exhibitions.
- On-Site Parking: On streets or in commercial lots nearby
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