The Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden

Visit the Arthur Ross Terrace and garden

The Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden is open and free to all. Tickets are not required to visit the garden. There is an accessible garden entrance on 90th street between 5th Ave and Madison Ave.

One of the most notable features of the original Carnegie Mansion property is the enclosed garden named the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden in 1991. For Cooper Hewitt’s mammoth renovation, Hood Design Studio, led by 2009 National Design Award winner Walter Hood, redesigned the garden in collaboration with RAFT Landscape Architecture and 2005 National Design Award winner Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The reopening of the garden in 2015 marked the final phase of Cooper Hewitt’s renovation of the museum campus.

Reimagining the Carnegie family’s gardeN

Since Cooper Hewitt first occupied the Carnegie Mansion, the garden has been the site of events, classes, and exhibitions. Its recent renovation activated new areas and added new features, including:

  • A reimagined rockery referencing the geology of Carnegie Hill.
  • New plantings of cherry trees and rhododendrons to provide a link to Central Park’s landscape and color palette.
  • A new sloped walkway to bring visitors into the northwest garden, which offers tables and chairs, a Ping-Pong table, and greenery.
  • Durable materials and plantings that can withstand high traffic and climate fluctuations.
  • Visitor entry through the museum’s 90th Street entrance featuring a striking canopy designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

The garden accommodates groups of various sizes, from an intimate conversation among friends to large gatherings for celebrations and programming.  Host a special event in the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden. 

Special thanks

The Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden redesign was made possible by major capital funding from The City of New York. Generous support provided by Nancy Marks. Additional funding provided by Enid and Lester Morse, Leslie and Charlotte Moore Foundation, Madeleine K. Rudin, and the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden Endowment Fund.

GARDEN HOURS

10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

Thanksgiving Day, closed.
Christmas Day, closed.

Tarallucci e Vino Cafe

Cafe hours:
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily

Tickets are not required to visit the cafe.

dutch clouds (2009) by Karel Martens (Dutch, b. 1939)

Installed to cover scaffolding during renovations to Cooper Hewitt’s historic Miller-Fox Townhouses—home to administrative offices and the Design Library—Dutch Clouds takes an unusual approach to traditional scenic wallpapers and murals.

Thousands of multicolored icons, developed by the artist as a language to express color combinations, are arranged in rows. Viewed from a distance, the icons merge to form an image of white clouds against a blue sky. 

Dutch Clouds is in Cooper Hewitt’s world-famous wallcovering collection. The installation was produced by Maharam Digital Projects for Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.