On the MUSEENYC M ListThe M List — one we'd cross the city for, and keep going back to. See the list →
Ford Foundation Atrium
A third of an acre of indoor jungle behind a glass wall on 43rd Street, free to visit.
- Where
- 320 E 43rd St, Midtown Open in Google Maps ↗
- Also called
- Ford Foundation Garden · Ford Foundation Atrium Garden
- Closed
- Sundays
- Cost
- Free
- Good with
- Solo · A date
- Go when
- Weekday late morning, when it is nearly empty
- Website
- www.fordfoundation.org
Kevin Roche put a full garden inside an office building in 1967 and the city has never really gotten over it. Twelve stories of glass on two sides, a terraced planting bed running down to a still pool, and mature trees growing indoors — an actual jungle, in Midtown, behind a wall.
What to know
Free, and open to the public 11am to 6pm on weekdays, plus Saturdays when the gallery has a show on. You have to register ahead: fill in the Ford Foundation’s pre-registration form by 5pm the day before, bring a photo ID, and go in through the main entrance at 320 East 43rd Street. Bags are checked, and large bags and suitcases aren’t allowed. Photos for personal use are fine, but no tripods. It is one of the best places in Midtown to be when it’s raining, and one of the very few where nobody is trying to sell you anything.