{"nrhp_refnum":"76001235","name":"American Museum of Natural History","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Central Park West and 77th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.78136262350006,"lon":-73.97388891119854,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-06-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Science","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A museum complex of nineteen interconnected buildings on a twenty-three acre quadrangle at Central Park West and 77th Street in Manhattan, built in stages from 1877 to 1933 with later additions through 1975, by multiple architects.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as one of the world's most outstanding cultural repositories and a center for scientific study of worldwide concern. It was founded in 1874 by Albert S. Bickmore with backing from prominent New York figures. The complex also reflects several architectural styles by a succession of noted designers.","narrative":"Nineteen interconnected buildings on a twenty-three acre quadrangle overlooking Central Park make up the American Museum of Natural History. Construction began with a red brick Gothic Revival building by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould, finished in 1877, and continued in stages through 1933, with alterations as recent as 1975. Cady, Berg and See added the grey stone Romanesque Revival facade along 77th Street, while Trowbridge and Livingston and John Russell Pope contributed later wings and Roosevelt Memorial Hall, in the Roman Eclectic style. A planned ten-story central tower was never built. The museum was founded in 1874 through the efforts of Albert S. Bickmore, who wanted an institution in New York that would be accessible to scientists and the public. Backers included Theodore Roosevelt's father, Morris K. Jesup and J.P. Morgan. Its collections, expeditions and habitat-style exhibitions led to its recognition as a major center of scientific study and public education.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Calvert Vaux; Jacob Wrey Mould; Cady, Berg and See; Charles Volz; Trowbridge and Livingston; John Russell Pope; Embury and Lukas; Burns and Roe; William F. Pedersen and Associates; Raymond Rice","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival, Roman Eclectic, and modern","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in use as a museum; condition marked good, with the site original and the buildings altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.054306-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/76001235.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001235/da0127dc5a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001235/da0127dc5a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Gigi alt","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Museum_of_Natural_History_02.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Gigi alt</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Museum_of_Natural_History_02.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"82001189","name":"Central Park West Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/central-park-west-historic-district-82001189/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319249","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Museum_of_Natural_History","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q217717"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/american-museum-of-natural-history-76001235/"}