- The Frick Collection reopened in April 2025 after a four-year renovation.
- The museum used to be the home of Gilded Age powerhouse Henry Clay Frick.
- For the first time ever, the second floor is open to the public.
Henry Clay Frick was one of the real titans of America's Gilded Age, a steel magnate whose fortune, ambition, and controversies would rival anything going on with the Russells on "The Gilded Age."
His family's Fifth Avenue mansion took up entire New York City block when it was completed in 1914. Today, it is home to the Frick Collection, which reopened in April 2025 after a four-year renovation that restored its Beaux-Arts splendor and allowed visitors to check out the second floor for the first time.
I toured the museum to see how it continues to uphold the jaw-dropping estate's beauty and dedication to art.
Here's what it was like.
I visited the Frick Collection, which reopened in April after a four-year renovation.
Originally, the Frick Collection was just the first floor of the former mansion, while offices were on the second floor.
However, after a four-year renovation and restoration, the new and improved Frick opened in April 2025, with the second floor open to the public.
The building was originally the home of Gilded Age figure Henry Clay Frick.
Frick was, let's say, a controversial man, even in his time. He was a robber baron who made his money from steel.
Most famously (or perhaps, most infamously), Frick was known for his union-busting tactics and his involvement in the 1892 Homestead strike, which culminated in workers battling guards, who Frick had hired, leaving 10 men dead and 60 wounded. It's a plot that might sound familiar to viewers of the second season of "The Gilded Age."
This was followed by an assassination attempt on Frick's life by anarchist Alexander Berkman. Frick survived, Berkman's crime led to poor public perception of the union, and the strike was unsuccessful, leading to the union's demise.
In 1905, Frick relocated from Pittsburgh to Manhattan's Upper East Side. He commissioned his mansion, which was designed by Thomas Hastings and finished in 1914. The land and the mansion he built atop it cost $5 million, roughly $184 million today.
After the death of his wife, the mansion officially became a museum in December 1935.
Frick began collecting artwork in his 40s, often cherry-picking pieces from the huge lots purchased by JP Morgan and other high-society figures.
Frick died in 1919 at the age of 69. In his will, he stated that his home and all the furniture and art inside it were to be turned into a museum after the death of his wife, Adelaide.
Adelaide died in 1931. After some extensive renovations, the museum opened to the public in 1935.
I visited twice: First when it was open to the public, and then again for a private tour.
I wanted to see what the Frick was like on a typical afternoon.
An adult ticket costs $30, with discounts for seniors, students, and visitors with disabilities. Entry for children from 10 to 18 and members is free.
However, no photos are allowed outside of an area known as the Garden Court, so I returned on a Tuesday, when it's closed to the public, and received a private tour.
From the lobby, I could spot one of the museum's courtyards. These aren't open to the public, but they are maintained beautifully.
There are two gardens at the Frick, though neither is open to the public. This is the 70th Street Garden, complete with a pond.
The first stop on anyone's visit should be the atrium, called the Garden Court.
It's the one area where photos are allowed.
This isn't original to the mansion — when Frick lived here, it was a driveway.
Not to be dramatic, but this room took my breath away.
The atrium was designed by John Russell Pope, the architect best known for designing the Jefferson Memorial, in the 1930s.
Pope was chosen to do the renovations on the eastern part of the house, and this area that used to be where carriages would pull up. I think it's better as an atrium, don't you?
When I visited on a Friday, a string quartet played for the many visitors who were sitting and enjoying the museum.
Past the Garden Court is the Oval Room, which, at one point, was Frick's office.
The East and West Galleries are connected by this room.
When the museum was originally built, live flowers were scattered throughout. To protect the art — but maintain the tradition — porcelain flowers are featured instead.
The flowers were painstakingly crafted by the artist Vladimir Kanevsky.
"I wanted my sculptures to be there as part of a whole symphony, to celebrate this grand museum's reopening," he told the Frick.
The largest room in the house is the West Gallery.
It's filled with paintings and sculptures.
The deep green of the walls and floor is especially striking in person.
The skylight was part of the recent restoration, to allow more light for patrons to see the art.
This is a painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. There are just 34 known works by him — The Frick has three.
This is "Mistress and Maid," completed by the artist around 1667.
This room also has paintings by Rembrandt and other iconic artists.
Even though the building has been refurbished many times, these original buttons made to summon servants have remained.
This room is almost 100 feet long, meaning that going from one end to another takes time enough as it is. Having buttons like these was typical in Gilded Age mansions.
At the end of the long hallway is the Enamels Room, which was also Frick's office at one point.
Now, it holds many more pieces of art.
Also on the west end of the house is the Portico Gallery, where a large statue depicting the Roman goddess, Diana, stands.
During the renovation, it was ruled that the statue was too large to move. Instead, a large crate was made to keep it safe from the construction. She even got to be "unboxed" earlier this year.
This is the garden Diana watches over.
This is the Fifth Avenue Garden, which, at one point, would have offered a lovely view of Central Park, too.
Like the other garden, this isn't open to the public, at least not for now.
After exiting the West Gallery, you can see the rest of Frick's original home.
Even in the hallways, art is everywhere you turn.
This was Frick's library.
There are many books still lining the walls.
A portrait of him still hangs above the fireplace.
After Henry and Adelaide Frick died, their daughter Helen was responsible for establishing the Frick Art Research Library. It's part of the museum complex, but it has a separate entrance around the block.
The attention to detail reaches every corner of the rooms.
I could've spent hours looking at all the mantels, moldings, and doorframes alone.
This room is the Living Hall. It contains "Portrait of Sir Thomas More," a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger, completed in 1527.
It's the portrait on the left side, right next to the door.
Another iconic painting in this room is "St. Francis in the Desert," which was completed in the 1400s.
My tour guide told me this was a favorite of many visitors.
And don't miss the porcelain plant right below it.
This is actually an artichoke plant, which the sculptor was quite proud of. "I do not know why this is such a great match, but it is," said Kanevsky.
Next up is the Fragonard Room, named for the 14 panels by Jean-Honoré Fragonard that were installed in the room.
He purchased the panels from JP Morgan, whose own personal collection is available to view at the Morgan Library, just 2 miles away.
Originally, four of these panels were made for Madame du Barry, a mistress of King Louis XV.
This was a sitting room when Frick lived here.
This room wouldn't be out of place on "Bridgerton."
The next room is the Dining Room.
Green, a fashionable choice during the Gilded Age, was apparently a big color for the Fricks.
This room holds more 18th-century paintings, and a ceramic lilac plant.
One of the most well-known paintings in this room is "The Hon. Frances Duncombe" by Thomas Gainsborough in the 1770s.
On the way to the staircase, my tour guide pointed out this cabinet, which was once owned by Marie Antoinette.
The Frick isn't just about the paintings — the furniture is historic as well.
The staircase is grand, with a large organ on the landing.
From here on out, this is all brand-new for visitors as of April 2025.
You can see the actual keyboard in a little alcove underneath the stairs.
I liked that this staircase felt very open, like it was the heart of the house.
There's art everywhere upstairs, even on the ceiling.
I'm glad that after almost 100 years, the artistry on the second floor is now open for everyone to view, not just the Frick's employees.
This was originally the breakfast room. When the museum was restoring this room, they worked off archival photos to recreate the decor.
The side tables in this room were used by the Fricks, who were able to take advantage of the rising sun with these east-facing windows.
I was blown away by the craftsmanship on the fireplace.
There are at least 15 fireplaces throughout the house.
This is the Boucher Room. It used to be Frick's wife Adelaide's boudoir, or sitting room.
If you visited the Frick before the renovation, you might think this room looks familiar, and you'd be right. Its art was moved downstairs so visitors could see it.
But now that the second floor has reopened, the art and furniture were painstakingly returned to their original home in Mrs. Frick's sitting room.
It's named for the artist whose work adorns the walls: François Boucher.
This is where "Bridgerton" crossed my mind for the second time during my visit.
Some of the paintings in this room were commissioned for Madame de Pompadour, the famed mistress of King Louis XV.
The final room to check out on the Frick's second floor is the Walnut Room, which used to be Frick's bedroom.
As you can imagine, it was named for its walnut paneling.
In it hangs "Comtesse d'Haussonville" by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. The comtesse has become something of a mascot for the Frick.
She can be seen on signs, merch, bookmarks, totes, and more.
As you continue walking through the new addition, you'll come across this Art Deco lounge, which leads to a café called Westmoreland.
Green once again makes an appearance.
Westmoreland takes its name from the private train car once owned by the Fricks.
Westmoreland's name is a nod to the county where Frick was born. His family purchased the train car in 1911. It was eventually dismantled in the 1950s.
Even the café's walls are adorned with art.
Westmoreland serves coffee, tea, cocktails, mocktails, both sweet and savory snacks, and desserts.
That was it for my tour of the Frick — however, there's one more hidden gem: a bowling alley in the basement.
Like a scene straight out of "There Will Be Blood," there is indeed a bowling alley in the basement of the Frick. However, due to accessibility issues (among other things), it's not open to the public.
The Frick is worth a visit for any art, history, or art history fan.
The Frick and its exhibits are always changing. From October 2 to January 5, a collection of pieces on loan from the Terra Sancta Museum will be displayed — and as someone who got a sneak peek at the exhibit, it shouldn't be missed.
And keep an eye out for Frick on season four of "The Gilded Age" — he was certainly hanging around with the George Russells of the time.
