The Met holds over one and a half million objects spanning five thousand years of human history. It is the largest art museum in the Americas and one of the most visited museums in the world. You could spend a week here and still miss entire wings.
The building has been expanding since it opened in eighteen seventy on the edge of Central Park. The original Gothic Revival structure is now buried behind a Beaux-Arts facade that stretches the length of four city blocks along Fifth Avenue. The Egyptian Temple of Dendur — a complete two-thousand-year-old sandstone temple gifted by Egypt to the United States in nineteen sixty-five — sits in a glass-walled gallery overlooking Central Park. It was given in gratitude for American help in relocating Nubian monuments threatened by the construction of the Aswan High Dam.
The rooftop garden, open seasonally, offers one of the best views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline. It typically features a commissioned sculpture installation. The admission price is technically a "suggested amount" — you can pay what you wish if you are a New York State resident, though out-of-state visitors pay a fixed price.
Verified Facts
Holds over 1.5 million objects spanning 5,000 years; largest art museum in the Americas
The Temple of Dendur is a complete 2,000-year-old Egyptian sandstone temple gifted to the US in 1965
The temple was given in gratitude for American help relocating Nubian monuments threatened by the Aswan High Dam
First opened in 1870; the building has been continuously expanded since
Get walking directions
1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
