Upper West Side Museums Reopen This Week: What To Know

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Museums across New York City began reopening on Monday, more than a week after Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave them the green light to allow visitors to 25 percent occupancy.

Until Monday, Museums on the Upper West Side and throughout the city were closed for more than five months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The extended closure caused massive layoffs within the industry and significant financial losses for many museums.

Many major names on the Upper West Side, from the American Museum of Natural History to the New York Historical-Society, plan to reopen over the next several weeks.

Here's the breakdown for our neighborhood:

American Museum of Natural History

The famed museum will open for select members on Sept. 2 and to the public on Sept. 9. The American Museum of Natural History will open five days a week instead of seven, Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Additionally, the museum will offer exclusively timed-entry tickets that have to be reserved in advance online, as a means of limiting attendance at any one time.

The American Museum of Natural History is located between 78th and 79th Street on Central Park West.

American Folk Art Museum

The American Folk Art Museum will reopen to the public on Friday, with member preview days on Wednesday and Thursday. The museum's new hours of operation will be from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

You will need a ticket to enter the museum's galleries, which you can get here. Admission is free.

The Folk Art Museum is located at 2 Lincoln Square.

Children's Museum of Manhattan

The Children's Museum of Manhattan remains temporarily closed, according to its website.

The beloved children's museum is located at 212 West 83rd Street.

Museum of Arts and Design

The Museum of Arts and Design is reopening its doors on Sept. 17, according to its Facebook page. Details are still to come about the new hours, protocols, and ticketing for when the museum reopens on the 17th.

The Museum of Arts and Design is located at 2 Columbus Circle.

New York Historical-Society

The New York Historical-Society is reopening on Sept. 11; you can reserve your timed-entry tickets on the museum's website.

The museum's new hours are Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additionally, special member access will get offered every Friday 10 to 11 a.m., and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., seniors and immunocompromised visitors are also welcomed during those special member times.

The New York Historical-Society is located at West 77th Street and Central Park West.

Nicholas Roerich Museum

The Upper West Side museum dedicated to the life and work of Nicholas Roerich, a Russian born artist, is reopening to the public on Wednesday.

The museum will be open Wednesday through Sunday, and to secure a time slot, you should call the 212-864-7752.

The Nicholas Roerich Museum is located at 319 West 107th Street.

Patch reporter Nick Garber contributed to this report.