Hispanic Society of America
Hispanic Society of America
4.5
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Friday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
Museum filled with paintings by El Greco and Velazquez, as well as many other Hispanic cultural artifacts.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Hispanic Society of America and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Washington Heights
How to get there
- 157th St • 3 min walk
- 155th St • 7 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
2,838 within 5 kms
Attractions
1,437 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
99 reviews
Excellent
64
Very good
26
Average
7
Poor
2
Terrible
0
Kristy B
2 contributions
Dec 2019
Sorolla's commissioned Vision of Spain is a must see if you are a fan of Spanish masters or Spanish culture. It is currently undergoing a major renovation, but the murals are on exhibit on a limited basis. Our visit was overseen by a knowledgable young scholar and he provided much insight about the paintings. Highly recommend! The location is right at a subway stop, so don't let the distance persuade you not to visit.
Written 9 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kthall
Chicago4 contributions
Jul 2011 • Friends
Although this museum is a bit of a subway ride (155th & Broadway) it is so worth the trip. The Sorolla murals are huge and truly remarkable. They are floor to ceiling and depict everyday life in Spain. A NYT article said that in each painting there is one face on each of the murals that looks you right in the eye - quite true. Standing in that room is an artistic experience. There are more Sorolla's upstairs as well, along with other well known Spanish painters.
The museum is in a beautiful building on the Audubon Terrace, built in 1908 and designed by Charles Pratt Huntington. The building is not air conditioned, and needs better upkeep, but the art is luminescent and remarkable. I went on a very hot day and still left with a sense of awe, Don't miss this if you love the art of Joaquin Sorolla!
The museum is in a beautiful building on the Audubon Terrace, built in 1908 and designed by Charles Pratt Huntington. The building is not air conditioned, and needs better upkeep, but the art is luminescent and remarkable. I went on a very hot day and still left with a sense of awe, Don't miss this if you love the art of Joaquin Sorolla!
Written 28 July 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NYCBookMark
NYC44 contributions
Jul 2014 • Solo
New Yorkers and visitors need to get over not going above 82nd Street for cultural experiences. The Hispanic Society uptown has a fabulous collection, including paintings by Goya and Velazquez, a monumental set of paintings by Sorolla depicting regions of Spain, and a tiled room that makes you feel like you are in Valencia.
Written 7 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Farwriter
London, UK134 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
I happened to be nearby so I popped in. It looks like a huge building from the outside but only the main hall and two side rooms were open - I think there might be an upstairs gallery and another exhibition room but these were not open when I visited. However, it is free and passed about 45 minutes very pleasantly. The terracotta main hall was finished in 1908 but resembles a Spanish 16th century courtyard - very beautiful. Also impressive is the room containing the 14 huge Vision of Spain paintings by Joaquin Sorolla, which were commissioned for the museum. Worth it if you are in the area or particularly interested in Spanish art.
Written 17 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jkkstrjr
Jacksonville, FL1 contribution
Jun 2014 • Couples
As an artist and repeat visitor from out-of-state, I cannot praise this collection too highly. Anyone with any interest in art will be immensely well-rewarded by a visit. I am sorry that words simply are not enough. Just come see it.
Kenneth Koster
Kenneth Koster
Written 19 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
carly5
New York City, NY85 contributions
Nov 2013 • Friends
A lifelong New Yorker, I'd never been to Audubon Plaza and had to idea what to expect at the Hispanic Society. The building is very impressive, even though showing its age. I assumed I'd find works by Goya, Velasquez, El Greco and other great, famous Spanish artists. Seeing their original paintings is definitely worth the trip. After the large main gallery, I wandered into the side salon, and was suddenly surrounded by 360 degrees of jaw-dropping large murals. Having never heard of Sorolla, I was thrilled with the exuberant, colorful, richly varied scenes of life in Spain by an artist completely new to me. (I later learned his works were commissioned by the museum's founder, Archer Huntington). Discovering a painter with such irresistible appeal is an unforgettable highlight of any museum visit. Finding two more Sorollas upstairs was a delightful bonus for me.
Much of the collection is religious art -- not my favorite -- and a huge array of artifacts, some from the 14th century. It's probably something-for-everyone for the curious visitor; I especially enjoyed the tile collection depicting different occupations from a few centuries back. We arrived at 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon, and the guard told us a 45-minute tour would begin at 2:30. As we'd estimated, we'd pretty much seen everything by then. The website lists Saturday tours; if we'd known about the Sunday tour, we'd have timed our visit to take advantage of it. If you're going on a Sunday, it may be worth a phone call to check on tour possibility.
Although the museum's brochure has a great deal of information, I was surprised to find almost none about the building itself or about the museum's founder. There's very little on the website, either. I did some research later, and found that Huntington, who had inherited a railroad tycoon's fortune, purchased an uptown farm owned by John James Audubon and developed it into Audubon Terrace, with several cultural institutions including the Hispanic Society, in its 1908 neo-Renaissance building, to house his Iberian collections.
I learned that NYC designated an Audubon Terrace Historic District in 1979. The property originally included Audubon's house, where his friend Samuel Morse had transmitted the first long-distance telegraph message. (The Historic Commission report had other interesting info. If you're curious after your visit, check out www.nyc.gov/.../AUDUBON_TERRACE_HISTORIC_DISTRICT.pdf • PDF file)
The museum is just across 155 Street from Trinity Cemetery, on the National Historic Register. The fierce Battle of Washington Heights in the Revolutionary War was fought there. It's open to the public, and contains the graves of Audubon, John Jacob Astor, Clement Clark Moore, and other famous New Yorkers.
I'm glad I've finally discovered the Hispanic Society, and have been telling others about it. As others have suggested, it seems like a good investment to make a contribution at the entrance.
Much of the collection is religious art -- not my favorite -- and a huge array of artifacts, some from the 14th century. It's probably something-for-everyone for the curious visitor; I especially enjoyed the tile collection depicting different occupations from a few centuries back. We arrived at 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon, and the guard told us a 45-minute tour would begin at 2:30. As we'd estimated, we'd pretty much seen everything by then. The website lists Saturday tours; if we'd known about the Sunday tour, we'd have timed our visit to take advantage of it. If you're going on a Sunday, it may be worth a phone call to check on tour possibility.
Although the museum's brochure has a great deal of information, I was surprised to find almost none about the building itself or about the museum's founder. There's very little on the website, either. I did some research later, and found that Huntington, who had inherited a railroad tycoon's fortune, purchased an uptown farm owned by John James Audubon and developed it into Audubon Terrace, with several cultural institutions including the Hispanic Society, in its 1908 neo-Renaissance building, to house his Iberian collections.
I learned that NYC designated an Audubon Terrace Historic District in 1979. The property originally included Audubon's house, where his friend Samuel Morse had transmitted the first long-distance telegraph message. (The Historic Commission report had other interesting info. If you're curious after your visit, check out www.nyc.gov/.../AUDUBON_TERRACE_HISTORIC_DISTRICT.pdf • PDF file)
The museum is just across 155 Street from Trinity Cemetery, on the National Historic Register. The fierce Battle of Washington Heights in the Revolutionary War was fought there. It's open to the public, and contains the graves of Audubon, John Jacob Astor, Clement Clark Moore, and other famous New Yorkers.
I'm glad I've finally discovered the Hispanic Society, and have been telling others about it. As others have suggested, it seems like a good investment to make a contribution at the entrance.
Written 27 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zodreb
New York City, NY188 contributions
Jan 2016 • Couples
This place is relatively small in comparison to other museums. However, it still packs a punch with the high quality of "big time" museum pieces they seem to have on hand. The rooms are big and the art is great. Imagine, if you will, going into the Met or MOMA but instead of it being gigantic with 50 rooms, it is instead only about 7 or 8 rooms. But the rooms are still high ceiling, large, packed with great stuff. The building is a tad bit run down but that isn't really an issue.
The huge, HUGE problem with this museum is the lighting is terrible. This is by far the worst lighting I've ever seen in a museum. I am not a lighting expert, so I know nothing about how that works. So if you do something so bad that a layman can see that you've done something wrong, then something is really wrong. The lights are somehow done that sometimes you literally can't see paintings even if you are straight on looking at them. Add to that problem that there is limited room to maneuver (for example, upstairs on the balcony level). It's one of those things where you look at something and the glare is so bad so you move over to a side to see it, that's the problem plaguing about 50% of the art here.
Otherwise, for free it is a great way to spend 30 to 60 minutes. Highly recommended for the locals.
The huge, HUGE problem with this museum is the lighting is terrible. This is by far the worst lighting I've ever seen in a museum. I am not a lighting expert, so I know nothing about how that works. So if you do something so bad that a layman can see that you've done something wrong, then something is really wrong. The lights are somehow done that sometimes you literally can't see paintings even if you are straight on looking at them. Add to that problem that there is limited room to maneuver (for example, upstairs on the balcony level). It's one of those things where you look at something and the glare is so bad so you move over to a side to see it, that's the problem plaguing about 50% of the art here.
Otherwise, for free it is a great way to spend 30 to 60 minutes. Highly recommended for the locals.
Written 4 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Acorn256730
Dayton, OH3 contributions
Apr 2015 • Friends
Went down memory lane and visited my old neighborhood in NYC. My siblings and I lived at 780 Riverside Drive from 1945-1965 for me when I married and moved to Ohio, Audubon Terrace at 155 th Street and Broadway at that time housed the American Indian Museum, the numismatic Society, the Hispanic Society the National Geographic Society and the Academy of Arts and Letters. I always knew how fortunate we were to have this complex as our playground! The Hispanic Museum does NOT disappoint! The Fabulous paintings of Goya!El Greco, Velazquez and Sorolla are a tour de force , as fine as those in Madrid at the Prado. There was a special exhibit entitled Minnie's Land at the Academy of Arts with the works of several artists who had won a competition. But most of all I always enjoy the plaza with Amazing sculptures of El CID et al. This complex was made possible by the philanthropist Archer Huntington, and the El CID sculpture is by Anna Hyatt Huntington Simply AMAZING! a new director has just been selected to head up the Hispanic Society, (formerly Director at the Met, ) and hopefully he can breathe new life into this great assemblage of a Beaux Arts Buildings built in 1909 !
Written 22 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnRegoPark
Rego Park, NY1,242 contributions
Feb 2012 • Friends
There is a spectacular Goya painting in the lobby that is worth the journey, but be forewarned that this is very out of the way in upper Manhattan, near nothing else, and containing a very dowdy display area. The museum is essentially two big rooms, one focusing on the works of Sorolla, the other a rather comprehensive collection of El Greco's, Goya's, Velazquez's and other great Spanish painters. If you are in New York for an extended stay it will reward you, if here on a quick visit, you might as well skip it.
Written 12 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EasyTraveller12345
Bronxville, NY206 contributions
Oct 2011 • Solo
Known for its big-deal museums such as the Metropolitan, the Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim, Whitney, and Frick, Manhattan is also home to the little-visited Hispanic Society of America located on Broadway at 155th Street. You'll very likely be alone viewing works by Goya, Velasquez, and El Greco as well as a stunning collection of Spanish earthenware from the 16th through the 19th centuries. There is no admission charge, but call ahead to confirm the viewing hours.
Written 8 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Quería saber si se pueden ver todas las colecciones de hispánic soc de América, he leído que estaban reformando y estaba cerrado
Written 17 November 2019
Hay cuadros de toros de ruano yopis en la Hispanic Society of Américas ?
Written 30 September 2018
ARe there guides? We are a group of 4o people. What is the phone number and the address? How much are the tickets for
seniors?
Written 1 June 2016
The Hispanic Society of America is a museum and reference library for the study of the arts and cultures of Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. Wikipedia
Located in: Boricua College
Address: 613 W 155th St, New York, NY 10032
Hours: Open today · 10AM–4:30PM
Phone: (212) 926-2234
When we were there recently, there was a museum guide for a large class of students; we two were taken around with no prior notification by a staff member who showed us many particulars about the paintings and other art work and took us to several rooms to look at less obvious art work.
Written 1 June 2016
Did J Sorrola paint the murals when museum built or were they bought in Spain for the collection?
Written 2 July 2015
I asked. The Provinces of Spain paintings were commissioned by Huntington (the founder) for the museum.
They're actually large canvases, not murals. The museum's brochure says they were painted from 1911 to 1919.
By the way, the floor tiles were by Mercer's Moravian Tile Works in Doylestown, PA. Check out the quirky. Mercer Museum if you're ever in the area.
Written 26 May 2016
Showing results 1-4 of 4
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing