Viewing page 300 of 474

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design and Decorative Arts

The Cooper-Hewitt is devoted exclusively to collecting, studying, and exhibiting the contemporary and historical design, and decorative arts and crafts.  The Museum was founded in 1897 as a part of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York, established in 1859.  In 1963, because of lack of space and funds, the Trustees of Cooper Union closed the museum, and in 1965, the Smithsonian's Board of Regents authorized the Secretary to negotiate with the Trustees of Cooper Union for transfer of the collections of the Museum.  An agreement was signed on October 9, 1967, which official assumption of custody by the Smithsonian on July 1, 1968.  The Museum's collections were moved to the historic Andrew Carnegie Mansion in 1970 (donated along with adjacent five-story brownstone known as Miller House).  The 64-room mansion, built in 1901, then underwent renovation and restoration to preserve the building and adapt it to museum use.  The Museum reopened to the public on October 7, 1976.

[[5 column table]]
[[headings are underlined]]

LOCATION | ACQUISITION SIZE | ACQUISITION DATE | ACQUISITION TYPE | COST

Carnegie Mansion, 9 East 90th St., New York City | 61,000 gross sq. ft., 49,000 net usable sq. ft. | 1967 | Donation | None

Miller House, 2 East 91st St., New York City | 18,000 gross sq. ft., 14,500 net usable sq. ft. | 1967 | Donation | None

[[/5 column table]]

[[underlined]]Major Repairs, Renovations, or Improvements[[/underlined]]
Approximately $2,030,000 of donations and grants and $610,000 of nonappropriated trust funds were used to renovate and restore the Carnegie Mansion.  No work, other than security and fire detection installations (approximately $50,000), has been accomplished with appropriated funds at the Miller House to date.  The building is in need of total renovation and only out of necessity are the upper three floors now used for storage of some collections and the lower two floors for offices.  Unsuitable for further museum activities, it will be essential to renovate the building to acquire temporary exhibition galleries, and library, education and office space.  The Institution will seek donations and other means of nonappropriated support for this purpose over the next several years.

9