Welcome to the Historic Cast Hall at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art!

Tucked away on the 6th floor of The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen, the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art Cast Hall displays a collection of historical plaster casts of Classical and Renaissance architecture and sculpture. The plaster casts were made in the second half of the 19th century expressly for The Metropolitan Museum of Art. They had been carefully selected by a committee of New York’s leading architects, art historians, and art patrons in order to make the visual history of architecture and sculpture accessible to the citizens of the growing metropolis. At the time it was believed that plaster casts were not inferior “copies” of the originals, but instead were unique tools for encountering great works of art up close, in three dimensions, and in the scale of the originals.

Today the casts continue to serve this purpose by allowing students, practitioners, and enthusiasts of classical architecture and art to understand and learn from famous works that are still accessible only through trans-Atlantic travel. For this special virtual Open House New York, explore all our collection has to offer- educational articles, digital exhibitions, and art activities for students.