New York Historical Society changes name, unveils plans for $175 million new wing

The New York Historical Society is finally getting rid of the pesky hyphen in its name, rebranding to New York Historical (NYH). A new $175 million wing of the museum dedicated to American democracy is set to open in 2026, just in time for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Financier Oscar Tang and his wife, archaeologist and art historian Agnes Hsu-Tang, committed $20 million to a 70,000-square-foot expansion project to be called the Tang Wing for American Democracy. (New York City committed $57 million to the project.) Hsu-Tang is chairman of the NYH board; the couple previously funded a number of initiatives at the museum and also gave away millions The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Philharmonic. The Frances Young Tan Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, was founded by Tan and named after his first wife, who died in 1992.

The Tang Wing at NYU, designed by Robert AM Stern Architects, will house the Academy for American Democracy, an educational program for local high school students. It will also house the American LGBTQ+ Museum, as well as NYU’s master’s program in museum studies, established in 2019 in conjunction with the School of Professional Studies of the City University of New York. The wing will add new classrooms, galleries, a conservation studio, library storage, a courtyard and a rooftop terrace overlooking Central Park.

“This fall brings several important milestones for New York’s first museum,” said Louise Mirror, president and chief executive officer of NYH. “Agnes and Oscar’s most generous gift allows us to greatly expand the teaching and celebration of democracy here in New York, our nation’s first capital and the site of George Washington’s inauguration. With our new name and look, we take responsibility not just as stewards and storytellers, but through our educational programs, reaching 30,000 students each year, as a modern leader in securing the future of democracy.”