After-Hours Tour of the Morgan Library and Garden

About the event:

Morgan Library & Museum began as the personal library of financier, collector, and cultural benefactor Pierpont Morgan. Mr. Morgan’s library, as it was known in his lifetime, was built between 1902 and 1906 adjacent to his New York residence at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Designed by Charles McKim of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, the library was intended as something more than a repository of rare materials. Majestic in appearance yet intimate in scale, the structure was to reflect the nature and stature of its holdings.

In 1924, eleven years after Pierpont Morgan’s death, his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr. (1867–1943), known as Jack, realized that the library had become too important to remain in private hands. In what constituted one of the most momentous cultural gifts in U.S. history, he fulfilled his father’s dream of making the library and its treasures available to scholars and the public alike by transforming it into a public institution.

Over the years—through purchases and generous gifts—The Morgan Library & Museum has continued to acquire rare materials as well as important music manuscripts, early children’s books, Americana, and materials from the twentieth century. Without losing its decidedly domestic feeling, the Morgan also has expanded its physical space considerably.

On this docent-led tour, you’ll get a sweeping introduction to J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library and the Morgan campus. Inside, guests will see highlights from the permanent collection, learn about the hidden symbols on the ceiling, hear of a secret passageway, and more! Outside, your guide will walk you through the newly renovated garden space. The 1991 garden court was constructed as a means to unite the various elements of the Morgan campus. After a multi-year restoration project, the garden was opened to the public in 2022.