The Visionary Creation and Restoration of The Frick Collection

Visitors can now tour the refurbished second-floor gallery, curated with antique furniture, textiles, and artistic masterpieces.

East 70th Street entrance with new access ramp at The Frick Collection in New York City. Nicholas Venezia/The Frick Collection

The magnolias are in bloom again at The Frick Collection in New York City. The spring rebirth of these beloved trees, among the largest in the city, coincided with the April 17 reopening of the museum after a comprehensive five-year renovation to the tune of $220 million. This substantial sum facilitated 27,000 square feet of new construction, the repurposing of an existing 60,000 square feet, façade refurbishment and extension, excavated space for an auditorium, the first-ever café, and restored gardens.

These sympathetic enhancements merge seamlessly with the original structure, the 1914 home of Gilded Age industrialist Henry Clay Frick (1849–1919) and his family. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by architectural firm Carrère and Hastings.

A Lifetime of Art

By working with the leading advisers, decorators, and dealers of his era, Frick amassed one of the most spectacular private art collections in America. It is resplendent with works by the leading artists of Western civilization from the Renaissance through the late 19th century.