Located in an imposing building on Central Park West at 77th Street the New York Historical Society has long been home to authentic treasures and familiar to lovers of American History. Recently the museum was totally redesigned in a way to share its valuables with a larger audience, and for the first time that includes children. The new DiMenna Children’s History Museum can be found in the lower level of this elegant building.
For One and All
I went to visit the Saturday after Thanksgiving with a 13-year-old, his mother, a 5 and a 1/2 half year old, his grandmother and my 27-year-old daughter who couldn’t resist the adventure. The museum drew us in from the very beginning. Waiting at the 77th Street entrance, next to a full-sized statue of Frederick Douglas, were two Hessian soldiers clad in red and blue uniforms with tall hats decorated with silver regimental symbols. The soldiers happily shared with us the details of their uniforms, from gunpowder bags to drinking canteens.
Passing through the bright and airy lobby we descended broad stairs to the DiMenna museum itself. I was a bit anxious because of the broad range of my guests ages, but I soon realized there was enough here to engage everyone.
Spacious and Inviting
The museum occupies 4,000 square feet, artfully divided into six pavilions and an inviting library with books youngsters can look at and read as part of their visit. Not surprisingly the exhibits focus on figures from New York history, some famous, others not. Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury, is introduced through in an interactive version of Facebook, intriguing to older kids, which allows you to have Thomas Jefferson or Aaron Burr “poke” him. On the other side of that wall is a low display of early American coins, a favorite of the 5-year-old who found it easy to manipulate and hold a magnifying bar to examine them.
Hands-On Learning
Adults can relax because in this museum-within-a-museum children are encouraged to touch, play and move freely about. There are kid-sized desks with writing material and an interactive baseball game. There are seats on an imaginary train, taking orphans to farms, complete with a conductor announcing stops and country scenes zipping by on screens. Children have the opportunity to imagine life as a 1890s New York “newsboy” selling papers to men and women who pay a penny per paper. The player chooses his street location and a sensational news headline. At the end of day, each player can decide how to spend the hard earned pennies for food and lodging.
It’s a visually rich environment, down to the carpet under foot, which has a scale grid of the streets in New York City. But if kids tire of the stimulation they can retire to the library with curved carpeted benches which they climb to take down and read books, ranging from picture books about familiar New York landmarks and events to histories of New Amsterdam appropriate for older readers.
History Detectives
The DiMenna logo shows a young boy in silhouette crouched down looking through a large magnifying class, a history detective, and if our group is any indication, that mission is a success. When we returned to the lobby we felt like a group of seasoned investigators. We looked at portals in the floor filled with New York City artifacts. We spotted beautifully crafted dueling pistols from the infamous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. We examined the primitive tools used by surgeons of the 1800s, including a miniature saw. And yes, there was a colonial soldier standing nearby, who talked to us about his uniform. Both boys especially “like the soldier guys.” It’s definitely a place for the whole family to enjoy and investigate history together.
Sydney Johnson lives in New York City and teaches English as a second language.
When You Go …
- The DiMenna Children’s History Museum. 170 Central Park West at West 77th Street, N.Y. 212-873-3400. www.nyhistory.org/childrens-museum.
- HOURS: Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 11a.m. to 5 p.m.
- ADMISSION: $15 adults, $5 children 7-13, free for those under 7. Friday nights from 6 to 8 p.m., the admission fee is voluntary.
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Special February Events:
- All Free with Admission
- Scavenger Hunt. Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. Families team up and head out with a list of clues that take them on a trip around the children’s museum. Prizes for participation!
- Sunday Story Hour. Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26. 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- History Days: President’s Vacation Week. Feb. 20 to 24. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Best for ages 4-14. Family quiz, art activities
