Brooklyn Icons

The largest object in the Brooklyn Museum’s collection is the building itself! In 1891, the Brooklyn Institute, a precursor of the Museum, announced plans for a new building on Eastern Parkway. The iconic New York architecture firm McKim, Mead & White won the bid with a design for what would have then been the largest museum in the world. Construction began in 1895 and was planned in phases; only three phases were completed, about a quarter of the initial plan. The building has since undergone numerous renovations, but many elements of the firm’s signature, European-influenced Beaux-Arts style are still visible today. Examples include the classical arches and columns, figurative sculptures in the pediment, and the lightness of building construction and materials.

Inside, the most spectacular gallery space is the Beaux-Arts Court on the third floor. Notice the skylight and the clever use of glass flooring, which allow natural light to pass to the floors below. In other galleries you can find original mosaic borders on the floors, especially on the third and fifth stories.

Outside, the upper levels of the facade are adorned with sculptures meant to personify intellectual traditions, such as Persian Literature, Greek Philosophy, and Chinese Law. A triangular pediment at the center is dedicated to art and science; the peacock at the left represents beauty, and the sphinx at the right represents knowledge.