The architecture of the Met

The early years of the Met

The Met didn’t start out in the grand, sprawling grounds that it currently occupies. This episode of Hometown History, a podcast about lesser-known historical places and events, covers the early years of the venerable institution. Learn about how the vision and planning of a group of 19th century artists and philanthropists took the Met from a small collection in a humble brick building to the cultural powerhouse that it is today.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, explained

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, founded in 1870, houses 1.5 million works spanning centuries—from ancient Egyptian artifacts to impressionist masterpieces. Its iconic Fifth Avenue building, designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, and tranquil Cloisters location reflect its dedication to showcasing global creativity.

The history of the Met

From a single sarcophagus to a collection of more than a million artifacts that span nearly the entirety of human civilization, the Met and its importance have grown significantly over the last 150 years. This history of the museum hits all the highlights, including important acquisitions, new wings and galleries, and the importance of the buildings that hold and display all of the incredible artwork.

What to see at the Met

With hundreds of thousands of objects on display at any given time, how do you decide what to see at the Met? This video tour from Behind the Masterpiece walks through some of the museum’s most popular and interesting works, like the ancient Temple of Dendur and John Singer Sargent's 'Portrait of Madame X', explaining their cultural context and why they’ve captivated visitors for so many years.

The history of the Met Gala

Learn how the famed Met Gala went from a small fundraising dinner to a star-studded event that brings in millions of dollars in donations every year. The gala has always centered on fashion. It’s a fundraiser for the Costume Institute dreamed up by one of the founders of New York Fashion Week. Over the years, that relationship has grown even closer and more creative.

Tour the UN building in NYC with architect Michael Wyetzner

The modernist building was meant to stand out among the New York skyline. It’s three primary buildings are distinct and were supported by millions in donations from philanthropists families like the Rockefellers.

A look at the principles guiding the Met's collection practices

While there are serious questions about the provenance of pieces that the Met has acquired in the past, the museum says its collecting practices today are all guided by three principles: research, transparency, and collaboration. A particularly interesting facet of their approach to research is looking into how pieces might have changed hands during the Nazi occupation of Europe and to whom (and where) they truly belong.

Why the Met changed its free admission policy

Why does a museum with an endowment of over $3 billion need to charge admission? In 2018, the Met changed its longstanding policy of free admission to charge a mandatory entrance fee for non-New York State residents. This article looks into the reasoning behind the decision and explores the different economic and demographic factors at play, including the museum’s long-term plans and how similar policies have played out at other institutions.

The architectural evolution of New York City's Chinatown

Cityscapes continuously evolve, and each stage in their transformation tells a unique story. In Manhattan's Chinatown from the 1940s to today, the architecture has bloomed from an ethnic conclave for often mistreated migrants to a vibrant cultural hub today. See varying elevations and facades over time.

Bauhaus' biggest contributions to modern architecture

Walk around almost any major metropolitan area, and you'll see Bauhaus' influence in the glass facades, tubular steel, and windows offering ample natural light. This ArchDaily explainer illustrates those concepts through iconic Bauhaus buildings, such as the Gropius House, along with detailed diagrams of their design.

Go room by room in this deep look at the interior of the White House

Explore the White House's 132 rooms—from the Oval Office and East Room to the State Dining Room and Lincoln Bedroom—with this 3D video rendering that reveals the layout, design, and daily functions of the building before its 2025 renovations.

Watch a video that details the full history of Macy's

From the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to opening its flagship store in Herald Square, Macy's has a long and successful history despite its recent financial troubles.

The architect who made the most of a tiny New York apartment

This short documentary explores the 350-square-foot apartment of Ben Riskin, a New York resident looking to make the most of his new home through hidden storage and ingenious design.

The 1902 McMillan Plan reimagined the National Mall as a formal, open civic space

Drafted by the Senate Park Commission, the McMillan Plan called for the removal of railroads, markets, and industrial uses from the Mall; revived key elements of Pierre L'Enfant's original layout; and established the framework for the Mall's long lawns, museum placement, and monumental core.

Making an opera is expensive and requires many people to reach the stage

Bringing an opera to the stage is a detailed, demanding, and costly process. Following the lead ​​of Phillip Glass’s “Akhnaten” before its performance at the Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan, this Vox video displays the rehearsals, vocal lessons, intricate costumes, and even juggling involved in putting on a show.

Modern Marvels examines the Manhattan Project

This episode of the television program 'Modern Marvels' focuses on the Manhattan Project, combining archival footage and interviews with historians and scientists to shed light on one of the most ambitious military and scientific endeavors in human history.

A guided tour of Studio 8H, the home of ‘SNL’

Fans of “Saturday Night Live” might be familiar with Studio 8H, which has only changed slightly over the show’s five decades. This video tour from Architectural Digest provides access you won’t find on the weekly broadcast, with cast members Heidi Gardner, Chloe Fineman, and Ego Nwodim walking you through makeup, dressing rooms, and more.

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul's most famous and controversial landmark

A short video about the iconic Byzantine church. Still Istanbul’s most famous and, since its reconversion to a mosque, most controversial building. The recognizable dome has partially collapsed several times over the centuries, but remains a marvel of engineering. The mosaics, though fragmentary, are among the finest ever created and trace both the gradual evolution and the remarkable continuity of Byzantine art.

Get lost in these historical libraries

The internet has changed a lot about how we learn, explore new ideas, and conduct research, particularly when it comes to the spaces we learn in. While few of us would trade our smartphones for a walk in a historical library, a walk through some of the beautifully designed cathedrals of learning could remind us to put them down sometimes. Explore 10 of the world's magnificent libraries with this quick video survey.

Watch a guided video tour of the Museum of Malware Art

The site includes installations, sculptures, textiles, musical pieces, and galleries inspired by malicious software and related technologies, including the ILOVEYOU virus, encryption protocols from ransomware attacks, and the Industroyer malware framework used by Russia to cut power to Ukraine.

Why Americans keep buying McMansions

Some argue that McMansions—large, relatively newly built, amenity-filled, cookie-cutter homes—are ugly. Others say they're just not a good investment. And yet Americans continue buying them. This video explores why McMansions are still popular despite these criticisms, and how these homes got their start in the first place. Watch the video here.

The high-tech mechanisms of the Roman Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum is one of the most iconic amphitheaters in the world and still partially stands today. Aside from its sheer size, the arena was equipped with some of the most high-tech engineering from the classical world, including sophisticated lifts, a huge retractable awning, and an underground network of tunnels, elevators, and trapdoors.

What does the metaverse actually look like?

An emerging virtual world could change how we work, play, and do business. This five-minute video shows you what it looks like and the potential it holds.

The documentary 'Style Wars' captured graffiti at its height

The film explored the tension between graffiti's innovation and its illegality, following some of its most popular artists, such as Mare 139 and Futura, as well as its detractors, including Mayor Ed Koch. The documentary first appeared on PBS in 1983, introducing the movement to a national audience. You can watch it in its entirety below.

Richard Hamilton's iconic pop art collage inspired the set of 'Barbie' (2023)

Ken's Mojo Dojo Casa House in Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" was inspired by Hamilton's jumbled vision of a home in "Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?" Set designers cited the work as inspiring the mishmash of Americana imagery in the man cave.

Before the current East Wing ballroom project, only two White House renovations in the past 100 years cost more than $10M.

See photos of Meteora, a mountainous site in central Greece, home to 14th-century monasteries perched atop soaring outcroppings.

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

See the most iconic photos from four decades of LIFE magazine

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.

See how fireworks are made and learn how metals like magnesium and copper are responsible for different colors.

See a 3D reconstruction of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital that was home to an estimated population of 200,000 to 400,000.

The Mona Lisa's celebrity status and repeated restorations have obscured what made the painting so revolutionary for its time

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

After NASA's Voyager 1 captured Earth as a single pixel as it left the solar system in 1990, astronomer Carl Sagan used the image to reflect on humanity's fragility and the responsibility to protect 'the only world we've ever known.'

Visualize the path of every solar eclipse from 1900 to 2099 and see what each looks like when observed from different locations on Earth.

Explore the history, structure, and species of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with this interactive journey narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' a work by American painter Thomas Moran, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.

Dorothy's famous entrance into Oz in 'The Wizard of Oz' relied on analog tricks, including a body double and sepia-toned paint, as much as it did on technology

Watch a 1934 short film starring jazz legend Cab Calloway, a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance's music scene

Watch this video that uses Lego bricks to explain how venture capital works.

In its famous catalog, Sears sold $600 DIY house kits from 1908 through the 1940s, resulting in an estimated 100,000 'Sears and Roebuck homes.'

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by more than 1.5 million Muslims each year.

Long before Major League Baseball began allowing instant replay for balls and strikes, an umpire reluctantly used the technology to determine whether a hit was a home run, a move that inadvertently ushered in a new era for the sport.

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.

Watch how algorithms can be designed to train themselves and self-improve without human input, to the point where the optimized code is too complex for programmers to understand.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

The distributor behind 'Rocky Horror' pulled the film from its scheduled national release, believing it would be a failure, though it eventually amassed a dedicated fanbase through midnight showings, a trend that continues over 50 years later.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.