Century-old church transformed into Magic Castle, New York Children’s Museum will have a new home_2

In a thrilling development, the Children’s Museum in Manhattan is gearing up for a major relocation to a sprawling 80,000-square-foot former church on the Upper West Side of Central Park. This captivating transformation will result in a seven-story “magic castle” tailored specifically for children’s exploration and creativity, perfectly blending the essence of imagination with reality.

The new museum, highlighted by Time Out, will be situated at 361 Central Park West, the historical site of the First Church of Christ. With an anticipated opening in 2028, the design plans reveal an impressive lineup of features, including performance spaces, a teaching kitchen, a café, multi-purpose rooms for diverse activities, a rooftop terrace, and much more.

According to a recent report by The New York Times, Laurie M. Tisch, the chair of the museum’s founding board, has generously donated $50 million to drive the project forward. She particularly expressed enthusiasm for an initiative that will enable prisoners from Rikers Island to spend quality time with their children at the museum. This new location is expected to accommodate double the visitors and will expand programming to cater to children up to 10 years old, offering an even broader array of activities for various age groups.

Time Out also pointed out that even those without kids can appreciate the cool concept of transforming an abandoned church in Manhattan into a vast playground for children.

Currently, the Children’s Museum is operating at 212 West 83rd Street, welcoming visitors from Tuesday to Sunday, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. For further details, you can check out their website at https://cmom.org.