Morgan Library & Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum – formerly the Pierpont Morgan Library – is a museum  that began as the private library of famous American financier J.P. Morgan, who has left a legacy as one of the United State’s most established collectors.

The structure was built in 1906 adjacent to Morgan’s New York residence at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Designed by Charles McKim in a lavish Italian Renaissance style, the building consisted of three elegant rooms that housed and displayed Morgan’s various treasures. McKim died just a few years after the museum was completed, and the final product is today recognized as his greatest masterpiece.

In 1924, 11 years after Morgan’s death, his son of the same name recognized the educational merit of his father’s collection and transformed the museum into a public institution.

In 1928, an additional museum building was constructed over the site of Pierpont Morgan’s residence and the original McKim library was connected to it via a gallery. The Morgan Library has continued to accumulate rare materials and cultural artifacts from across the U.S. Today, its complex continues to serve the public as a museum and scholarly research center.