New York City is home to hundreds of cultural institutions and historic sites, many of which are internationally known. This list contains the most famous or well-regarded organizations, based on their mission.
Also included are non-profit art galleries, arts centers and cultural centers with galleries.
Encyclopedic
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Borough
Type
Summary
Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum Mile Manhattan Art One of the world's largest, and most visited art museums; includes American art and decorative arts, European, African, Asian, Ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek art, Byzantine and Islamic art, modern art
Brooklyn Museum
Crown Heights
Brooklyn
Art
Collections include American art, Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Near Eastern art, feminist, European and art of the Pacific Islands.
Staten Island Museum West New Brighton Staten Island Multiple Natural history, art, history, science; located at Snug Harbor Cultural Center
Bronx Museum of the Arts
Concourse Village
Bronx
Art
Focuses on contemporary and 20th-century art
Queens Museum Corona Queens Art Formerly Queens Museum of Art ; includes a collection of Tiffany glass
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Region and tradition
African and African American
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Asian and Asian American
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Indigenous and African Caribbean in Latin America
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Borough
Type
Summary
Americas Society
Upper East Side
Manhattan
Art
Exhibits of historic and contemporary art from Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada
El Museo del Barrio
Museum Mile
Manhattan
Art
Latin American and Caribbean art, with an emphasis on works from Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican community in New York City.
The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center
Lower East Side
Manhattan
Art
Performance, visual arts, and community events that reflect the cultural diversity of the Lower East Side
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European Jewish and Jewish American
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American Sephardi Federation
Lower Manhattan
Manhattan
Ethnic – Jewish
Exhibits about the heritage of all Sephardim from the Iberian Peninsula and the Balkans, to the Jews of North Africa and Muslim lands including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Ethiopia and Bukharian Jews
Amud Aish Memorial Museum
Mill Basin
Brooklyn
Jewish
website , Living memorial to victims of the Holocaust
Anne Frank Center USA
History
website , uses the diary and spirit of Anne Frank to promote tolerance and human rights
Bernard Museum of Judaica
Upper East Side
Manhattan
Jewish
website , located in Temple Emanu-El , Jewish art, religious ornaments and temple memorabilia
Center for Jewish History
Lower Manhattan
Manhattan
Jewish
Jewish history and culture around the world
Derfner Judaica Museum
Riverdale
Bronx
Jewish
Includes the art collection at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale
Eldridge Street Synagogue
Lower East Side
Manhattan
Jewish
American Jewish history and culture in a restored historic synagogue
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
Greenwich Village
Manhattan
Jewish
website , part of Hebrew Union College ; art exploring Jewish identity, history, culture, and experience
Jewish Children's Museum
Crown Heights
Brooklyn
Children's / ethnic Jewish
Jewish heritage, fostering tolerance and understanding
Jewish Museum (New York)
Museum Mile
Manhattan
Jewish
Modern and contemporary Jewish art and history
Jewish Theological Seminary
Upper West Side
Manhattan
Jewish
website , free exhibitions from the library's collections of Jewish heritage
Living Torah Museum
Borough Park
Brooklyn
Jewish
Ancient artifacts mentioned in the Torah , items from the Biblical period
Museum of Jewish Heritage Battery Park City Manhattan Jewish Modern Jewish history and the Holocaust
Yeshiva University Museum Chelsea Manhattan Jewish Also an archaeology, history and art museum focused on Jewish subjects
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Western by era
Traditional European art
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Modern art
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Summary
Guggenheim Museum
Museum Mile
Manhattan
Art
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright , Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern and contemporary art
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Art Modern art including architecture and design, drawings, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books and artist's books, film and electronic media
Neue Galerie Museum Mile Manhattan Art Gallery of early-20th-century German and Austrian art and design
Whitney Museum of American Art Meatpacking District Manhattan Art 20th-century American art
Brant Foundation East Village Manhattan Art modern and contemporary art
Hill Art Foundation Chelsea Manhattan Art modern and contemporary art; Renaissance sculpture
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Other Western and Native American
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Austrian Cultural Forum New York
Midtown Manhattan
Manhattan
Culture
website , culture center with exhibition gallery
Instituto Cervantes New York
Midtown Manhattan
Manhattan
Culture
website , culture center, conferences, largest Spanish library in New York, exhibition gallery
Czech Centre New York
Upper East Side
Manhattan
Art
website , exhibits of Czech artists, located in Bohemian National Hall
Swiss Institute Lower Manhattan Manhattan Art website , contemporary art
Scandinavia House – The Nordic Center in America Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Cultural Art, design, and historical exhibitions of the Nordic countries
Ukrainian Museum East Village Manhattan Ethnic – Ukrainian-American Ukrainian heritage in America
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
Rosebank
Staten Island
Ethnic
Home of Italian politician Giuseppe Garibaldi and inventor Antonio Meucci , celebrates Italian American culture and heritage
American Folk Art Museum
Upper West Side
Manhattan
Art
American folk art
George Gustav Heye Center (National Museum of the American Indian)
Financial District
Manhattan
Native American
Part of the Smithsonian ; Native American history, culture and art
Goethe-Institut, New York
Lower East Side
Manhattan
German culture
Part of the Goethe-Institut worldwide association
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Artistic medium
Books, drawings, illustrations, prints
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Columbia University Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Upper West Side
Manhattan
Library
website , two galleries with free exhibitions from the collections
Grolier Club
Upper East Side
Manhattan
Literary
Public exhibitions from its book and literary collections
Drawing Center
SoHo
Manhattan
Art
Contemporary and historical drawings
Museum of American Illustration Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Art website , part of the Society of Illustrators ; American illustration
Print Center New York
Chelsea
Manhattan
Art
Exhibition and understanding of fine art prints
The Morgan Library & Museum Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Art Includes books and printed materials, prints, and drawings of European artists, material from ancient Egypt and medieval liturgical objects, ancient Near Eastern cylinder seals, music manuscripts
New York Public Library Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Multiple Exhibitions at the main branch about art, history, culture, photography from its collections
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Alice Austen House
Rosebank
Staten Island
Historic house
Home of photographer Alice Austen , also features photography exhibitions
BRIC
Fort Greene
Brooklyn
Art
website , contemporary art
Eyebeam Art and Technology Center
Chelsea
Manhattan
Art
Art and technology exhibitions, resident artistries
Aperture Foundation
Chelsea
Manhattan
Photography
Photography book and magazine publisher, photography exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, education programs
Hall des Lumieres
Lower Manhattan
Manhattan
Digital art space
Digital art space in the former Emigrant Savings Bank building
International Center of Photography
Chelsea
Manhattan
Photography
Photography exhibits
Paley Center for Media Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Media Cultural, creative and social significance of television, radio, the Internet and emerging media platforms
Museum of the Moving Image Astoria Queens Media Art, history, technique and technology of film, television, digital media, video games
Fotografiska New York Gramercy Park, Manhattan Manhattan Media Photography: emerging and established artists
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Sculpture
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Design, decorative arts, architecture
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Bard Graduate Center
Upper West Side
Manhattan
Art
Annually organizes two to three exhibitions related to decorative arts, architecture and design
AIGA National Design Center
Flatiron District
Manhattan
Art
website , public gallery of the AIGA dedicated to presenting examples of outstanding contemporary design
Center for Architecture
Greenwich Village
Manhattan
Art
Exhibits of architecture, urban planning, urban design and environmental planning
Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum
Museum Mile
Manhattan
Design
Part of the Smithsonian , decorative arts and design
Museum of Arts and Design Upper West Side Manhattan Art Features contemporary hand-made objects in a variety of media, including clay, glass, metal, fiber and wood; located at Columbus Circle
Museum at FIT Chelsea Manhattan Textile Fashion museum, part of Fashion Institute of Technology
National Academy of Design Museum Mile Manhattan Art Exhibits of art and architecture from its collections
New York School of Interior Design Gallery Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Art website , free gallery with exhibits about interior design
Parsons The New School for Design Sheila C. Johnson Design Center Greenwich Village Manhattan Art Contains two galleries: The Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery and the smaller Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries
Skyscraper Museum Battery Park City Manhattan Architecture Currently the only museum in the world dedicated to skyscrapers
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Entertainment
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Amusements
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Science
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History
American history, local history, historic monuments
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Ellis Island Museum
Ellis Island
Manhattan
History
Tours by boat from Battery Park in Manhattan or Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey ; immigration experience and history of the immigrants
Federal Hall National Memorial
Lower Manhattan
Manhattan
History
Site of first capitol of the United States and of George Washington's first inauguration in 1789
Fraunces Tavern
Lower Manhattan
Manhattan
History
Reconstruction of a tavern with a prominent role in pre-Revolution and American Revolution history
General Grant National Memorial
Upper West Side
Manhattan
Biographical
Mausoleum of General Ulysses Grant and his wife; displays about his life and Presidency
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Lower East Side
Manhattan
History
Immigrants' experience
Museum of Public Relations
Midtown
Manhattan
Media
website , a public relations museum and reference library, part of Baruch College ’s Newman Library Archives and Special Collections, open to the public by appointment for tours, guest lectures and research
Museum of the City of New York Museum Mile Manhattan Multiple Art and local history
National September 11 Memorial & Museum Financial District Manhattan Memorial Memorial and museum dedicated to victims of 9/11 attacks
New-York Historical Society Upper West Side Manhattan History History of New York and the United States
Statue of Liberty Liberty Island Manhattan History Accessible by boat from Battery Park in Manhattan and Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey
Trinity Church Lower Manhattan Manhattan History History of the church, changing art, religious and cultural exhibits
Center for Brooklyn History
Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn
Local history
History and culture of Brooklyn, formerly known as the Brooklyn Historical Society
City Reliquary Williamsburg Brooklyn Local history website , memorabilia and artifacts about New York City
Hall of Fame for Great Americans
University Heights
Bronx
Hall of fame
Part of Bronx Community College , National Landmark founded as a Pantheon honoring historically significant American men and women
Bayside Historical Society
Bayside
Queens
Local history
website , located in the Officer's Club in Fort Totten
Greater Astoria Historical Society
Astoria
Queens
Local history
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Military, police, fire
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Castle Clinton
Lower Manhattan
Manhattan
History
Fort that contains a museum which is administered by the National Park Service , and is a departure point for visitors to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Castle Williams
Governors Island
Manhattan
Military
Tours of the 1807 fort and prison
FDNY Fire Zone
Midtown
Manhattan
Firefighting
website , fire safety learning center, located in Rockefeller Center
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Hell's Kitchen
Manhattan
Military
Showcases the World War II aircraft carrier USS Intrepid , Space Shuttle Enterprise , submarine USS Growler , a Concorde supersonic airplane, helicopters and military aircraft
New York City Fire Museum SoHo Manhattan Firefighting Historical and modern firefighting vehicles, equipment, uniforms
New York City Police Museum Financial District Manhattan Law enforcement Closed in 2014, plans unclear
Harbor Defense Museum
Bay Ridge
Brooklyn
Military
Located in Fort Hamilton , 19th-century fort with exhibits of NY military history
Hall of Fame for Great Americans
University Heights
Bronx
Hall of fame
Part of Bronx Community College , National Landmark founded as a Pantheon honoring historically significant American men and women
Fort Totten
Bayside
Queens
Military
Tours of the Civil War-era fort
Fort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth
Staten Island
Military
Exhibits and tours of the mid-19th-century fort
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Transportation and maritime
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New York Transit Museum Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Transportation Subways, trolleys and buses
Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Transportation Subways, trolleys and buses; annex of main Brooklyn location, in Grand Central Terminal
City Island Nautical Museum
City Island
Bronx
Maritime
website , operated by the City Island Historical Society
Maritime Industry Museum
Throggs Neck
Bronx
Maritime
Located in Fort Schuyler , history of the US maritime industry including commercial shipping, the merchant marine, and the port of New York
Noble Maritime Collection West New Brighton Staten Island Maritime Part of Snug Harbor Cultural Center , houseboat and artist studio
South Street Seaport Museum Financial District Manhattan Maritime Includes exhibition galleries, a working 19th-century print shop, an archeology museum and several historic museum ships, including the four-masted Peking
Waterfront Museum Red Hook Brooklyn Maritime website , historic floating barge museum in Red Hook
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Financial
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Historic houses
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Bartow-Pell Mansion
Pelham Bay
Bronx
Historic house
Mid-19th-century period mansion and gardens
Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House
Old Town
Staten Island
Historic house
17th-century Dutch colonial house, operated by Historic Richmond Town
Bowne House Flushing Queens Historic house Oldest house in Queens, dates back to the mid-1600s
Conference House
Tottenville
Staten Island
Historic house
Only pre-Revolutionary manor house still surviving in New York City
Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
Inwood
Manhattan
Historic house
Late 18th-century farmhouse, the oldest remaining farmhouse on Manhattan island
Edgar Allan Poe Cottage
Fordham
Bronx
Historic house
1840s house where author Edgar Allan Poe lived
Gracie Mansion
Upper East Side
Manhattan
Historic house
Official residence of the Mayor of New York City
Hamilton Grange National Memorial
Hamilton Heights
Manhattan
Historic house
Relocated early 19th-century home of Alexander Hamilton
King Manor
Jamaica
Queens
Historic house
Early 19th-century period home of Rufus King , a signer of the United States Constitution
Kingsland Homestead
Flushing
Queens
Historic house
Member of the Historic House Trust , operated by the Queens Historical Society ; Victorian period house, local history exhibits
Lefferts Historic House
Park Slope
Brooklyn
Historic house
Located in Prospect Park , 1820s period house
Merchant's House Museum Greenwich Village Manhattan Historic house 19th-century family town home
Morris-Jumel Mansion Washington Heights Manhattan Historic house 18th-century period mansion used as headquarters for both sides in the American Revolution
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Historic house Early 19th period-century hotel
Seguine Mansion South Shore Staten Island Historic house Mid-19th-century mansion
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site Flatiron District Manhattan Historic house Recreated brownstone where Theodore Roosevelt lived as a child
Valentine-Varian House Norwood Bronx Historic house Houses the Museum of Bronx History, operated by the Bronx Historical Society
Van Cortlandt House Museum Riverdale Bronx Historic house 18th-century period manor house
Vander Ende-Onderdonk House Ridgewood Queens Historic house Oldest Dutch Colonial stone house in New York City, operated by the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society
Voelker Orth Museum Flushing Queens Historic house Family home dating back to 1891
Wyckoff House Canarsie Brooklyn Historic house Dutch saltbox frame house dating back to 1652
Queens County Farm Museum Glen Oaks Queens Farm Working farm dating back to 1697
Old Stone House Park Slope Brooklyn Historic house Reconstructed 1699 Dutch stone farmhouse with Revolutionary War ties, focuses on evolving histories of Brooklyn, New York and the United States
Historic Richmond Town
Richmondtown
Staten Island
Living
Over 30 historic buildings and sites dating from the late 17th to the early 20th century; includes the Lake-Tysen House and Voorlezer's House
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Children's
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Contemporary spaces
Contemporary museums
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Contemporary galleries
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Neighborhood art centers
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Miscellaneous
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AKC Museum of the Dog Park Avenue Manhattan History and Art The museum features exhibits that include: Dogs in film, dogs of presidents, war dogs, dogs in exploration.[2] The museum features one of the largest collections of dog-related art.[3] [4]
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Washington Heights
Manhattan
Art
Exhibitions in American literature, music, and art
Cooper Union Galleries
East Village
Manhattan
Art
Several galleries with works by students, faculty and guest artists in art, architecture, design, photography
Fordham Museum of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Art
Fordham
Bronx
Art
Collection of ancient antiquities in William D. Walsh Family Library of Fordham University
Front Room Gallery Lower East Side Manhattan Art Contemporary art gallery
Godwin-Ternbach Museum
Kew Gardens Hills
Queens
Art
Part of Queens College, City University of New York ; collection includes painting, sculpture and decorative arts, prints and drawings, and ethnographic arts
Grey Art Gallery
Greenwich Village
Manhattan
Art
website , part of New York University
House of Cannabis
SoHo
Manhattan
Art
Lehman College Art Gallery
Bronx
Bronx
Art
website
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art
SoHo
Manhattan
Art
Contemporary and historical gay-related art
Mercer Labs
Tribeca
Manhattan
Art
Digital art
Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery Upper West Side Manhattan Art website , part of Columbia University
Mmuseumm TriBeCa Manhattan History Curated display of artifacts housed in a freight elevator.
Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space East Village Manhattan History History of grassroots urban space activism
Museum of Sex Rose Hill Manhattan Sex History, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality
Poppenhusen Institute College Point Queens History Community cultural center with historic and cultural exhibits
Poster House Chelsea Manhattan Art Posters as art
Queens College Art CenterFlushing Queens Art website
Tibor de Nagy Gallery Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Art Contemporary painting, sculpture and photography; presents works from the gallery's rich history
THNK1994 Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn Feminist Pop Culture website , art inspired by and impact of the 1994 attack of Nancy Kerrigan by Tonya Harding
United Nations Headquarters Midtown Manhattan Manhattan Historic building Includes exhibits on such topics as peacekeeping operations, decolonization and disarmament, and the United Nations Art Collection
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Defunct museums
American Museum of Immigration , Liberty Island
Barnum's American Museum , Manhattan
Chelsea Art Museum , Manhattan, closed in 2011
Con Edison Energy Museum , Manhattan[5] [6]
Choco-Story New York , 2017-2019
Discovery Times Square Exposition , closed in 2016
Fisher Landau Center , Long Island City, closed in 2017
Forbes Galleries , closed in 2014
Ground Zero Museum Workshop , history of the September 11 attacks and the workers at the World Trade Center site . Status unknown after 2014
Guggenheim Soho , Manhattan[7]
Kurdish Library and Museum , Brooklyn , collections now owned by Binghamton University
Met Breuer , building turned over to the Frick for temporary use.
MICRO Museum , Brooklyn, closed exhibit space
Morbid Anatomy Museum , Brooklyn, closed in 2016
Museum of the American Piano, Manhattan, website
Museum of Biblical Art , closed in 2015
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art , closed in 2012, collections now part of the Society of Illustrators
Museum of Primitive Art , closed in 1976, collections now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
National Museum of Catholic Art and History , closed in 2010
New York Jazz Museum , Manhattan
New York Tattoo Museum
Onassis Cultural Center
Ripley's Believe It or Not! , Manhattan, closed in 2021.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex , opened in Soho in 2008, closed in 2010
Sony Wonder Technology Lab , closed in 2016
Sports Museum of America , Manhattan, opened in 2008, closed in 2009
9/11 Tribute Museum , Manhattan, opened in 2006. Closed its physical location in 2022.
The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center
Historic House Trust
Most of the following are Registered Historic Places covered in the county lists.