By Gus Saltonstall
New information, renderings, and fundraising details were revealed this week for the new home of the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) on the Upper West Side.
On Tuesday, CMOM launched the final phase of its capital campaign, dubbed “96 & WOW,” for its new location at 361 Central Park West, on the corner of West 96th Street, in a landmarked century-old church.
The museum is expected to move from its longtime home at 212 West 83rd Street into the new, much larger space in 2028.
The former house of worship on West 96th Street was the home of First Church of Christ, Scientist, which closed in 2014 and was originally expected to be turned into condos. The city ended up rejecting the plan in 2016, though, and then in 2018 CMOM announced that it had purchased the building.
On Tuesday, CMOM announced that philanthropist Laurie M. Tisch has donated $50 million to the institution’s $300 million capital campaign. The new funding means the museum has raised $200 million, which includes the cost of construction and renovation of the building, along with the purchasing price, and enough added funds for an operating endowment and reserve.
Tisch’s most recent donation is joined by $46.1 million of funds allocated by the city for the project to date, and $30 million from the Bezos Family Foundation.
Once renovated, the new Central Park West space will be 80,000 square feet, with a barrel-vaulted sanctuary and large windows to admit light from all sides. The building will give CMOM more than twice the visitor capacity of its current home, and allow for extra exhibits.
“We know, from study after study, that the groundwork for a lifelong love of learning and the social, emotional, and cognitive development of a child is laid in the earliest years,” Tisch said during an event on Tuesday to announce the new funding. “The new CMOM will be committed to giving parents and caregivers tools to help set up children for success in school, in life, and in their communities.”
In terms of what the new museum will look like, each floor will offer a different experience for the children.
The ground-floor lobby will be a welcoming hub of activity and information for visitors, with a stroller check, cafe, and store. The second-floor will allow kids to “travel the globe through hands-on experience and immersive technologies.” The third floor, which will hold the museum’s great hall, will offer space for painting, writing, cooking, and a multi-level creativity lab.
The fourth floor will be lined with floor-to-ceiling circular windows designed to provide a space for children to sit and read, along with an area for music and instruments. There will be offices on the fifth floor, but on the sixth floor, there will be a permanent performance space designed with the youngest of audiences in mind.
At the top of the building, there will be a terrace that allows families to look out over Central Park and “experience the splendor of NYC as never before.”
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It is wonderful that my good friend Laurie Tisch has jumped in with her support. She’s going to need a lot of help with this new challenge of this move to its new location.
Great article! Thank you for the update. My kids have long since outgrown CMOM but we used to have a membership and go there often. Many complained that their kids inevitably got sick from all the germs but we never had any issues. The new spot looks great.
One important question: what happens to the old space? Did they own it? If so, one would assume that selling the old space would generate a lot of funds as well.
If I were more entrepreneurial, I would open a kid-friendly restaurant in close proximity to the new location, be it fast food or something else. It will be a very lucrative. Worst case people can walk over to the stores on Columbus (I think a Chik-Fil-A is opening there), but even closer would be better.
Great idea! I used to love taking the kids to the AMNH on the weekend and we alternated going to the cafeteria and the restaurant depending on their ages. I’d get a break and after a nice lunch they were ready to continue exploring. A kid friendly restaurant near the museum would be a great asset for everyone involved. I hope someone will make it happen! : )
great questions and points.
I had been wondering what was going on with the museum. And what is happening with the space on 82nd street?
Please don’t make a shelter on W 83rd when cmom moves out
Very nice. But as a small child, I was inspired by seeing great art by the great artists in the big museums. Having this museum is wonderful, but still take them to the Met and the Natural History museum, too. Forget MOMA.
It’s incredible to see what they could fit in your the 83rd Street building. Double the capacity, What a great addition to NYC
What about the children’s museum.in the Bronx.?
Mrs.Tisch..please send a nice big donation over there.
A newer museum for children that could really use your support.
The Bronx Children’s museum is new, or it was a couple of years ago and its fantastic.
What will happen to the present building???
Nice. Wish they’d keep the 83 st. site as a satellite.
The plans look delightful and it’s lovely that CMOM was able to attract that level of philanthropy. I wish some equally exciting use could be made of the deteriorating Park West Church building.
Cool! The kids I took to the CMOM are grown now, but there will always be more kids who can enjoy the space, and I am sure to find one to ‘borrow’ to go and check out the new space when it opens. 🙂 That corner has been forlorn for a long time. Good to put the building into good use!
This is great news. Looks beautiful.
What is going into the old CMOM space? It was right next to West Side Vet, which was nice.
It would make sense to have a cafe in the museum with child-friendly selections.