6. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (1896)

The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum was founded in 1896 by The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Originally located on the fourth floor of Cooper Union’s Foundation Building in the East Village, the museum provided a place where students and teachers could study decorative arts. Due to financial reasons, Cooper Union transferred ownership of the Museum to the Smithsonian Institution. In 1970, the Museum moved to its present location, the Andrew Carnegie Mansion at 2 East 91st Street, shown above circa 1930.

Step inside the renovation of the Cooper Hewitt with this video from Treasures of New York.