NEWSLETTER
Dedicated to the Nation’s Founding Principles, New Facility Will Open as the United States Celebrates Its 250th Anniversary
New York, NY (December 9, 2025) — Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical, today announced that the institution will open its new Tang Wing for American Democracy on June 18, 2026, greatly expanding both the landmark building and The Historical’s wide-ranging schedule of exhibitions, educational initiatives, and public programs. Dedicated to the history and future of the nation’s founding principles, the 71,000-square-foot Tang Wing will open as the United States launches the celebration of its 250th anniversary.
The Tang Wing will enable a tenfold increase in participation in The Historical’s award-winning Academy for American Democracy. Developed to address critical gaps in the teaching of American history and civics, the Academy’s four-day intensive program will now serve 30,000 sixth-grade students each year in new classrooms in the wing. Other facilities housed in the Tang Wing will include:
- a new exhibition hall, the Klingenstein Family Gallery, showcasing The Historical’s renowned collection of American art and exciting new exhibitions
- the Stuart and Jane Weitzman Shoe Museum, documenting three centuries of American women’s lives through an extraordinary collection of historical footwear
- crucial new on-site storage for The Historical’s invaluable Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, which holds the Robert A. Caro Archive, Time Inc. Archive, and Billie Jean King Archive as well as millions of manuscripts, maps, photographs, and prints documenting American history
- a state-of-the-art facility for conserving The Historical’s renowned collection of paintings and historical objects
- and (opening in late 2027) the new home of the American LGBTQ+ Museum.
“This transformative new wing embodies The Historical’s mission of illuminating the complexities of the American story and inspiring engagement with the ideas and principles that define it,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer. “As we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary, the Tang Wing will serve as both a beacon for civic learning and a space for reflection on the values that continue to shape our democracy. We are deeply grateful to Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang for their extraordinary vision and generosity in making the Tang Wing for American Democracy possible.”
“The New York Historical’s origin story began with the American Revolution, and after 221 years we have achieved an institutional legacy as a steadfast witness to the history that shaped this nation. On the occasion of America’s semiquincentennial, this new wing shall rise as a self-evident embodiment of the American evolution—from its beginning as the world’s first modern democracy to the world’s longest continuing democracy,” said Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang, chair of the Board of Trustees of The Historical.
250th US Anniversary Exhibitions
In addition to exhibitions already on view—Declaring the Revolution: America’s Printed Path to Independence and Stirring the Melting Pot: Photographs from The New York Historical Collections—The New York Historical will present a slate of special exhibitions throughout the anniversary year:
- House Made of Dawn: Art by Native Americans, 1880-Now, opening April 12, 2026
Drawing from a collection of more than 100 promised gifts of art, artifacts, and rare books created by Native American artists to The New York Historical by Board Chair Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and her husband Oscar Tang in celebration of the nation’s semiquincentennial, this exhibition presents distinct artistic expressions and practices of modernism by more than 85 artists of diverse Indigenous heritage.
- Old Masters, New Amsterdam, opening May 1, 2026
Who were the people of the Dutch Golden Age who founded the colony that would become New York? What drove them to set sail and colonize? A dazzling array of Old Master paintings from the Leiden Collection, featuring works by such artists as Rembrandt and Hals, provides viewers with clues into Dutch society, its attraction to faraway places, and the colonization and exploitation that resulted. Scenes depicting streetscapes, taverns, people at work and play, and other portraits help connect the world of Amsterdam with that of New Amsterdam.
- Revolutionary Women, opening May 29, 2026
The Center for Women’s History foregrounds the women of New York City whose contributions to the Revolutionary War effort have been little recognized—but whose experiences highlight the material realities of living in the war-torn city as well as the divergent, contested meanings of revolutionary liberty itself and its unfinished promise.
- Democracy Matters, opening June 19, 2026
When the Tang Wing opens, its Klingenstein Family Gallery will present the major exhibition Democracy Matters. Bringing together objects from The New York Historical’s collections, the exhibition explores how the concept of democracy has stretched, contracted, and shifted through key moments in the history of the nation; how competing understandings of it have come into conflict; and how those conflicts have reshaped its boundaries.
- You Should be Dancing: New York, 1976, opening October 2, 2026
You Should Be Dancing transports the visitor to a year of contradictions, when New York City was the main stage for America’s 200th birthday celebration with days of parades, festivals, and performances but also faced near-bankruptcy, a soaring crime rate, and housing and drug crises. Out of this moment emerged musical genres driven by the city’s youth—including disco, punk, and hip hop—that changed the culture of America and the world.
The Architecture of the Tang Wing
Designed by RAMSA (Robert A.M. Stern Architects), the Tang Wing introduces a striking new architectural presence that seamlessly integrates contemporary design with The New York Historical’s historic campus. Courtesy of a generous gift from Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar L. Tang, the wing will feature light-filled classrooms, expansive exhibition galleries, a state-of-the-art conservation lab, a landscaped courtyard, and a rooftop garden terrace with panoramic views of Central Park. The facade of the new wing will be constructed of granite from Deer Isle, Maine—excavated from the same quarry that provided the stone for The New York Historical’s landmark building nearly 120 years ago—creating an integrated and expanded campus that encompasses the existing landmarked building.
“Designing the new Tang Wing and related renovations for The New York Historical has been an extraordinary opportunity to engage with one of New York’s most important cultural institutions and historic landmarks,” said Graham Wyatt, partner, RAMSA (Robert A.M. Stern Architects). “Our design completes a plan first contemplated almost a century ago and enters into dialogue with The New York Historical’s existing building and with the craftsmanship and materials of the original structure, while introducing new interior spaces that meet the Museum’s evolving mission and programs.
At its summit, the Tang Wing will provide the first permanent home for the American LGBTQ+ Museum—a collaborative institution that will join The New York Historical’s Center for Women’s History in advancing the narrative of civil rights for all Americans, opening in late 2027. A collaboration between New York’s newest museum of history and its first, the facility will include two galleries. The entry hall opening onto the American LGBTQ+ Museum space will be named in honor of trustee Michael Hormel’s late spouse—LGBTQ+ rights advocate, philanthropist, and the first openly gay US Ambassador, the Honorable James C. Hormel.
Construction for The New York Historical’s new Democracy Wing began in Fall 2023, with The Historical raising $10 million to support exhibitions and programming for the Tang Wing, with additional fundraising for the $175 million wing coming from a partnership between government and private sources: $75 million in city, state, and federal support; and $100 million in private philanthropy.
About The New York Historical
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.