The Museum of the City of New York has never launched a permanent exhibition in its entire 94-year history...until now. Built over the course of a 3 year renovation on a budget of $10.5 million, New York at Its Core covers three galleries, 10,000 square feet, and the entire first floor of the museum.

It represents a massive leap forward for the MCNY, both technologically and in terms of establishing a bigger presence in New York City's competitive museum market.

New York at Its Core offers a unified consideration of the themes that have shaped New York City’s past, present, and future. The exhibition’s three galleries are organized around the themes of money, density, diversity, and creativity. Each gallery uses technology to create an immersive environment, providing hands-on learning and interpretive depth for visitors.

The galleries span the city's entire 400-year history, the first to synthesize New York City's storied past into an easily-digestible experience. We achieved that by centering the narrative around individuals and stories that shaped NYC, reminding visitors and natives alike that one person can have a massive impact on a city of 8 million.

From introducing visitors to historical figures as they walk past in full-scale, to the in-depth monolith kiosks that offer stories with multiple levels of detail, embracing school children and Ph. D carrying history-buffs alike.

Ten years ago, we built the Timescapes introductory film for the Museum of the City of New York. Over time, this multi-panel documentary film became one of the most popular exhibits in the museum, using the evolving cartography of the city to imagine NYC as a character rather than a faceless mass. With New York at Its Core, we were able