The Cooper-Hewitt Museum was founded in 1896. It was originally named Cooper Union Museum for the Arts of Decoration and it fell under the wing of theCooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. In 1895, the granddaughters of Peter Cooper, Sarah Cooper Hewitt, Eleanor Garnier Hewitt and Amy Hewitt Green, asked the Cooper Union for a space to create a Museum for the Arts of Decoration. The museum would take its inspiration from theMusée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. The museum would serve as a place for Cooper Union students and professional designers to study decorative artscollections. Cooper Union trustees provided the fourth floor of the Foundation Building. It opened in 1897.[2] It was free and open three days a week