Nestled in Northern Manhattan’s Fort Tryon Park, overlooking the Hudson River, is The Met Cloisters. This exquisite New York City museum houses medieval fine art, decorative art, and architectural fragments. Constructed from 1933 to 1938, its harmonious amalgamation of ecclesiastical medieval architecture with modern-built structures evokes an immersive atmosphere. Its galleries contain approximately 2,000 Western European artworks dating predominately from the 12th through 15th centuries, including the famous “Unicorn Tapestries.”
Medieval monastic life centered around a cloister: A large open courtyard bordered by covered walkways and with access to all other buildings. The core of The Met Cloisters’ collection, from which the museum takes its name, consists of architectural elements from four French cloisters. These were the foundation for an Upper Manhattan museum founded by George Grey Barnard. In 1925, it was bought by John D. Rockefeller Jr. for The Met. Two years later, Rockefeller hired the Olmsted Brothers to landscape a nearby tract of land. Named Fort Tryon Park, Rockefeller donated it to the city on the condition that four acres would be set aside for a reimagining of The Met’s new medieval branch. Charles Collens, engaged as architect, collaborated with Met curators, taking European study trips to plan how to design a building that incorporated Barnard’s original architectural features and new medieval museum acquisitions in a manner that harkened to authentic historic architecture.
