Step Inside SPYSCAPE, New York’s Only Spy Museum, Now Open in Midtown

If you ever thought you’d make a good spy, now is your chance to prove it. SPYSCAPE is New York’s only permanent museum dedicated to the art of espionage, surveillance, deception, and decoding. Through a series of playful challenges using premiere interactive technology, the museum aims to create a personalized experience for every user.

The moment visitors check into the “spy headquarters,” they are given a wrist band equipped with a digital profile that keeps track of their spy progress and challenges. From there, you can explore seven galleries throughout the two-story museum, dedicated to themes of deception, encryption, surveillance, hacking, intelligence, cyber warfare, and special ops. As a spy-in-training, you can expect to identify lies in an interrogation booth, dodge lasers through a laser tunnel, and observe security cameras in a 360° surveillance room.

Photo by Scott Frances courtesy SPYSCAPE

Photo by Scott Frances courtesy SPYSCAPE

Developed in collaboration with former intelligence agency directors and espionage experts, and designed by UK-architect David Adjaye’s firm, Adjaye Associates, SPYSPACE echoes the classified feeling of a real-life spy headquarters. Through stories of double agents, war heroes, and famous spies, visitors learn about the history of espionage as well as how it currently infiltrates our present-day lives.

The 60,000-square-foot space is decorated with dark concrete walls and floors, smoked glazed doors, varied LED lighting setups, and high-tech digital displays and projections. The museum is also home to a 350-square-foot elevator, reportedly one of the largest elevators in the world. Upon entry, visitors are briefed on their mission through a movie projected on all sides of the elevator. At the end of the experience, they then enter a debriefing room where they learn what role they would play in the spy world.

With its impressive architectural nature and design, SPYSCAPE adds itself to the list of other projects architect David Adjaye has earned accolades for, including his designs of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Nobel Peace Center, and the Moscow School of Management.

In addition to the interactive experiences provided throughout the museum, visitors can also visit the in-house cafe and bar, as well as the gift shop that offers a wide selection of gadgets, smart tech, games, and take-home security products. The museum is now open seven days a week from 10am – 8pm ($39 for adults and $32 for children). For more information, visit spyscape.com.

Next, check out Spy Shop Inc. in NYC’s West Village Helps You Live Out Your James Bond Fantasy and 14 Art Installations & Exhibits Not to Miss in NYC in March 2018.