New York Hall of Science

New York Hall of Science

Entrance with the original building in the background (2019)
Established	1964 (1964)
Location	47-01 111th Street Corona, New York
Coordinates	40°44′50″N 73°51′06″W / 40.7472°N 73.8517°W / 40.7472; -73.8517
Type	Science-technology museum
Accreditation	ASTC
Public transit access	Subway: train to 111th Street Bus: Q23, Q58 at 108th Street, Q48 at Roosevelt Avenue[1]
Nearest car park	On-site
Website	nysci.org

The New York Hall of Science, also known as NYSCI, is a science museum at 47-01 111th Street, within Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the Corona neighborhood of Queens in New York City, New York, U.S. It occupies one of the few remaining structures from the 1964 New York World's Fair, along with two annexes completed in 1996 and 2004. There are more than 400 hands-on exhibits, which focus on biology, chemistry, and physics. Wallace Harrison designed the original structure, a 80-foot-high (24 m) curving concrete structure called the Great Hall. It is adjoined by an entrance rotunda designed by Beyer Blinder Belle and a glass-and-metal north wing designed by Todd H. Schliemann. In addition to these buildings, there is a science playground, as well as Rocket Park, which contains a collection of spacecraft.

The museum includes both the Hall of Science pavilion and the adjacent Space Park, which were developed for the 1964 New York World's Fair. The Hall of Science opened as a fair attraction on June 16, 1964, and reopened as a museum on September 21, 1966. Following an attempt to renovate the museum in the 1980s, the museum was temporarily shuttered in January 1981 for a renovation. Due to financial issues, the museum was abandoned after the renovation was completed in 1983. Alan J. Friedman took over the museum, reopening it in 1986; he also oversaw the development of the two annexes. The original building was renovated between 2009 and 2015. The museum was temporarily closed during the early 2020s due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida.

The museum mainly focuses on children's education. The museum includes a large permanent collection as well as a range of traveling exhibitions. The Hall of Science has hosted numerous temporary exhibits over the years, although many of its exhibits in the 1960s and 1970s had only a tangential connection to science. The museum also has several programs for students, and it operates the Alan J. Friedman Center, a youth education center. The Hall of Science has held various events, such as the seasonal Queens Night Market and Maker Faire.