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Former names | Manhattan Laboratory Museum (1979–1985) |
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| Established | October 16, 1979[1] |
| Location | 212 West 83rd Street Manhattan,New York, United States |
| Director | Dava Schub |
| Public transit access | Subway: at86th StreetBus:M7,M11,M86,M104 |
| Website | cmom.org |
TheChildren’s Museum of Manhattan is located on West 83rd street on theUpper West Side ofManhattan inNew York City. It was founded by Bette Korman, under the name GAME (Growth Through Art and Museum Experience), in 1973. The museum adopted its current name on May 2, 1985, and moved to its current location on West 83rd Street in 1989. In 2018, the museum announced a plan to relocate to a larger space on 96th Street and Central Park West.
Subsequent to its founding as GAME in 1973,[2] withNew York City in a deep fiscal crisis, and school art, music, and cultural programs eliminated, a loosely organized, group of artists and educators set up a basement storefront to serveHarlem and theUpper West Side. With achallenge grant from theNational Endowment for the Arts, a city-owned courthouse at 314 West 54th Street was renovated into a small exhibition, studio, and workshop and renamed the Manhattan Laboratory Museum.
The museum expanded exhibit and programming space adding a media center, an outdoor environmental center and an early childhood center. CMOM's visibility and audience grew with the World of Pooh exhibit, created through a partnership with Disney. Wordplay, CMOM's first exhibit designed specifically for children 4 and younger opened in 1998. CMOM's Executive Director, Andy Ackerman, served as president of the Association of Children’s Museums and hosted the 1999 ACM annual conference. In 2000, CMOM completed construction to add a new entrance, lobby, and supplement exhibit space.
In 2005, it was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from theCarnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayorMichael Bloomberg.[3][4]
In 2019, Andrew Ackerman, the museum's director for nearly thirty years stepped down. Aileen Hefferren is Director as of 2021.[5]
As of 2021, it reaches approximately 350,000 visitors a year at the museum, an increase of 25,000 over the prior decade.[6][7] It was also one of the founding organizations of theNew York City Museum School, part of its outreach efforts that date back to its founding as a community organization.[8]
In January 2018, the Children's Museum of Manhattan announced that it had acquired the formerFirst Church of Christ, Scientist building at 96th Street andCentral Park West, and planned to move to the new facility after making renovations.[9][10] The church building cost $45 million, and the city provided $5.5 million for a renovation of the church.[10]FXCollaborative was hired to renovate the church.[11] The original plan for the church was controversial, as residents opposed the addition of a penthouse on the roof and the removal of windows,[12] but FXCollaborative's proposal was ultimately approved in June 2020.[13][14] The museum publicly presented renderings of the renovated church building in 2020, in which it planned 41,300 square feet (3,840 m2) for galleries and exhibitions.[15][16]
In conjunction with the relocation, the Children's Museum of Manhattan began raising $300 million as part of acapital campaign. By 2024, the museum had raised $200 million and was planning to relocate in 2028.[17]
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40°47′9.1″N73°58′38″W / 40.785861°N 73.97722°W /40.785861; -73.97722
