Frieda Warburg had a specific vision for the museum she donated in 1944. She didn't want a place to wallow in the misery of the past. She wanted to celebrate culture, history, and tradition. The result is a collection of approximately 30,000 objects housed in a building that was originally designed in the châteauesque style.
The building is the former Felix M. Warburg house on Fifth Avenue. Architect C.P.H. Gilbert designed it, and it eventually became the home of the museum which opened to the public in 1947. The collection includes 350 objects sent from Poland in 1939 to New York to preserve them from the outbreak of World War II.
The museum has staged major shows for modern art heavyweights like Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. The New York Times published an article in 1965 discussing the tension between the museum's Judaica collection and its modern art commitment.
Today, the building retains its châteauesque style, though Kevin Roche completed a major renovation in 1993 that added 11,000 square feet. If you visit on a Saturday, the place follows the rules of Shabbat. You can get in for free because no money can be exchanged, but the cafe and shop stay locked. They even installed a Shabbat elevator.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Kyle McLonely
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