In honor of Chinese Lunar New Year, join us to talk about Poy Gum Lee, a Chinese-American architect who designed buildings in both China and New York’s Chinatown. We’ll learn about “Chinese Art Deco,” the style he popularized in the 1950s, and where we can see his influence in Chinatown today! Then, kids will build
Today, the once bustling, fragrant fish market in lower Manhattan's South Street Seaport is a rebuilt retail destination with a new kind of marketing – but from its founding in 1822, through its move to the Bronx in 2005, the Fulton Fish Market was an iconic New York institution. At first a neighborhood market for
Santa’s reindeers are tired and he needs to figure out a new way to get around the city before Christmas Eve! In this program, children will compare and contrast different modes of transportation in New York– buses, subways, and electric cars. Together we will learn about carbon footprint, environmental impact, and efficiency of each transportation
How has the Manhattan skyline changed over time? In the year 2000, the Twin Towers and the Empire State Building crowned the downtown and midtown skyline. But today many new skyscrapers add their dazzle. After a tour of our new exhibition Residential Rising, kids will learn about the evolution of New York’s tallest towers and
Cities are central to prosperity: they are hubs of innovation and growth. Yet the economic vitality of wealthy cities is marred by persistent and pervasive inequality. In his new book Unequal Cities, economist Richard McGahey argues that deeply entrenched anti-urban policies and politics limit cities’ options to address inequality. Many factors—structural racism, suburban subsidies, regional
Animals are skillful architects—from beehives to birds’ nests, animals create spaces best fit for their needs. But now, they’re moving into the big city! We will dive into the relationship between architects and their clients, as kids choose their favorite animal and design an apartment based on its needs! Does a giraffe need an apartment
How do supertall structures stand up to wind, rain, and even earthquakes? They’re also super strong! Architects spend years designing buildings that look beautiful and stand up to the elements. Together, we’ll learn about how skyscrapers are built to be stronger than the weather, then students will take on the role of an architect and
Bits and pieces of the lives led long before the age of skyscrapers are scattered throughout New York City, found in backyards, construction sites, street beds, and parks. Indigenous tools used thousands of years ago; wine jugs from a seventeenth-century tavern; a teapot from Seneca Village, the nineteenth-century Black settlement displaced by Central Park; raspberry
It’s almost Halloween! Let’s wear our favorite costumes and meet at our gallery to learn about the different parts of a castle. Then, we’ll stretch our bodies and imagination with yoga poses inspired by the spooky holiday! All ages welcome. RSVP Required. This is an in-person program that meets at the Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery
How do you get around your neighborhood? Together we’ll explore forms of transportation and New York City’s subway system through a read-aloud of Christoph Niemann’s picture book Subway. Then kids will create their own subway routes on a template of the five boroughs! Take on the role of a transportation planner and design new paths
Why are trees talented architects? Architects can spend years designing their buildings, but trees have been perfecting their own architecture in response to their environment for eons. On a guided walk in Battery Park City, we will observe and draw the trees around us to understand how they are like skyscrapers! We will learn about
In Freedomland, Annemarie Sammartino tells Co-op City's story from the perspectives of those who built it and of the ordinary people who made their homes in this monument to imperfect liberal ideals of economic and social justice. Located on the grounds of the former Freedomland amusement park on the northeastern edge of the Bronx, Co-op
