Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
A 21st-century museum housed in New York City’s landmark Carnegie Mansion, Cooper Hewitt offers four floors of galleries dedicated to all disciplines of design, a permanent collection of more than 210,000 design objects fully digitized and available online, and a world-class design library.
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Combining quiet residential neighbourhoods that have easy access to Central Park with world-famous cultural institutions, the Upper East Side is one of the most livable places in the city. Along beautiful Fifth Avenue, you’ll find Museum Mile, which houses many of the nation's most famous attractions in a single stretch, like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum. Walk a few blocks into the neighbourhood, and you’ll come to Park Avenue, the poshest address in the city, lined with grand apartment buildings as far as the eye can see. Even if you can’t afford the luxury goods along Madison Avenue, it’s still a great spot to window shop an afternoon away.
How to get there
  • 86th St • 8 min walk
  • 96th St • 8 min walk
Reach out directly
See what travelers are saying
  • operalover939
    Toronto, Canada3,008 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interesting museum in an impressive mansion
    There were two interesting exhibitions at the time we visited, one focusing on W.E.B. Du Bois at the 1900 World Fair in Paris, outlining the condition of the Black population of Georgia, and the other on the work and ideas of Hector Guimard, the famous French architect and designer who was active from the late 19th century onwards. The third floor was devoted to international cooperation and peacekeeping, a rather different subject but also worth a visit.
    Visited April 2023
    Written April 18, 2023
  • RoadtripMommy
    172 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful museum in a stunning mansion
    This unassuming museum is beautifully curated with fun activities for the entire family. I particularly loved the Language of Symbols and Dorothy Liebes exhibits. The Carnegie Mansion is the perfect location. Unfortunately, when we went, the cafe and garden were not open but we still had a great time. It was very quiet when we went so it was a nice break. We were able to take our time and enjoy reading everything.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written November 4, 2023
  • jam5421
    Monroe, Connecticut10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Visit the Cooper Hewitt Museum. It’s worth the trip
    Amazing small museum convenient to Museum Mile housed in a gorgeous Beaux-Arts mansion. We were impressed by the exhibit of the works of Es Devlin. From paper models of her ideas to full blown stage sets showing the depth of her creativity and talent. So unique and interesting and a treat for the senses,
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written February 18, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles595 reviews
Excellent
352
Very good
145
Average
50
Poor
35
Terrible
13

Farwriter
London, UK113 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Solo
I visited here many years ago and the stunning wood-panelled hallway has always stuck in my mind so I was keen to go back. I paid $19 which I think is slightly reduced from the usual entry fee because the second floor is currently closed. I'm not sure when or if it will reopen but I think this is where a lot of the period rooms are so these are currently not accessible. The entrance hall and grand staircase are impressive but it is a shame not to see more of the building. There is nothing from the permanent collection on display and no sense of it really being a museum of design, although both of the current temporary exhibitions were design related and interesting - a small one about the design of symbols as used on road signs etc, and on the top floor a stunning exhibition of the work of artist/designer Es Devlin, which I really enjoyed. But since the setting is a beautiful house, I would have liked to see more of the history of domestic design on display. The website is not user-friendly and I couldn't find any information about when any of the permanent collection might be on display again.
Written February 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jam5421
Monroe, CT10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Friends
Amazing small museum convenient to Museum Mile housed in a gorgeous Beaux-Arts mansion. We were impressed by the exhibit of the works of Es Devlin. From paper models of her ideas to full blown stage sets showing the depth of her creativity and talent. So unique and interesting and a treat for the senses,
Written February 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RoadtripMommy
California172 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
This unassuming museum is beautifully curated with fun activities for the entire family. I particularly loved the Language of Symbols and Dorothy Liebes exhibits. The Carnegie Mansion is the perfect location. Unfortunately, when we went, the cafe and garden were not open but we still had a great time. It was very quiet when we went so it was a nice break. We were able to take our time and enjoy reading everything.
Written November 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Annette K
34 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Friends
So disappointing!
I visited with my daughter who’s studying graphic design and loves all things design related.We were totally underwhelmed by the lack of information, creativity and items on display.Even the website has articles that are no longer there… they were pre covid!
As such a total waste of our precious time and money!
Written June 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ArtsyGalBaltimore
Maryland831 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
It's really about an impressive building with incredible wood work. There are a few scanty exhibits, the main one was the W. E.B. DuBois exhibit on deconstructing power tying the past to current data visualization trends and the Language of Symbol, mildly interesting with somewhat of a focus on Olympic sport symbols. The immersion room allows for experimentation for a person or two. There was a admission fee which is not characteristic of the Smithsonian Washington practice and certainly not delivering the same quality. I guess it's NYC. There is small cafe and outdoor tables. I found the Cooper Hewitt to be a very disappointing experience.
Written May 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MeganMunro
Toronto, Canada1,319 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023
Arriving right at ten, I wanted to beat the crowds and try to see most of it before the Guggenheim (next door opened).
I had a bite to eat in their pretty little cafe and explored.
The museum is small, but I loved the exhibitions.
One was on 'what if we lived in a time of peace'. Very thought provoking.
The other was what I came for - the Hector Guimard 'How Paris got its curves'. I loved this! Fascinating and great collection show.
The price is high for the amount to view, but the building itself is also something to see - it is so gorgeous and gives you a glimpse into the guilded age of NYC.
Written May 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

operalover939
Toronto, Canada3,008 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023
There were two interesting exhibitions at the time we visited, one focusing on W.E.B. Du Bois at the 1900 World Fair in Paris, outlining the condition of the Black population of Georgia, and the other on the work and ideas of Hector Guimard, the famous French architect and designer who was active from the late 19th century onwards. The third floor was devoted to international cooperation and peacekeeping, a rather different subject but also worth a visit.
Written April 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ek1974
Hartland, WI233 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022
I went to Cooper Hewitt after visiting Neue Galerie. It is short walking distance from Neue Galerie. Its building and garden is amazing, but the display is really disappointing. To the honest, I think it is total waste of space of this great building.
Written December 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tanya P
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022 • Family
First of all, the exhibits were not at all impressive, memorable (except in a bad way), or beautiful, something I would expect in a design museum. Secondly, the subject matter of the exhibits was trendy and tiresome—“peace,”“childcare equality,” “immigration,” “Covid,” “healthcare,” etc. I wish I could say the museum was inspiring, but instead the exhibits were discombobulated, all held together, I suppose, by a sort of “progressive” agenda. I came away feeling tired and down. Finally, to put icing on the cake, the design shop, process lab, and any other interactive exhibits were closed, making my family feel swindled. Even the outdoor garden was unimpressive. I had heard good things about this museum in the past. Seems like it is not the museum it used to be. So disappointing! Save your money and time and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge or along the High Line to experience some compelling design.
Written September 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robert N
Brooklyn, NY62 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Friends
I visited this museum numerous times in the past and it had featured extensive exhibits on the history of design of furniture, dining pieces, doll houses and fabrics. With the exception of dining pieces. All that is gone and has been replaced with trendy “peace architecture” and Covid field hospital history. I did not come for such nichy one-off and frankly, boring exhibits. I’m on their mailing list so I hope they let me know when they return to their roots of furniture and appliance design history. A major disappointment for myself and my picky out of town guest. It’s no longer what’s advertised unfortunately.
Written August 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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COOPER HEWITT, SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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