Museum of Modern Art wheelchair accessibility
22 dollars admission for disabled visitors; free for one care partner. Power-assist doors on 53rd and 54th Streets. Free wheelchairs and rollators at all entrances. Skip the queue on request.
MoMA charges 22 dollars admission for disabled visitors and entry is free for one care partner. Every gallery, entrance and facility is wheelchair-accessible, with power-assist doors on 53rd and 54th streets. Wheelchairs and rollators are loaned free at every entrance. The collection covers six floors, all connected by elevators. Skip the standby queue on arrival.
Accessibility at a glance
| What | Details | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Step-free entrance | Entrances with power-assist doors are on 53rd and 54th streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues. The 53rd Street main entrance opens onto the ground-floor lobby with the ticket desk and security screening. The 54th Street entrance leads in via the Sculpture Garden, also step-free from the street. | Confirmed accessible |
| Vertical access | Elevators serve every floor of the museum, from the lower-level theater and education spaces through the ground-floor lobby, the Sculpture Garden, and the six floors of galleries above. The main passenger lifts are wide enough for two wheelchairs side by side. There are no stairs-only galleries in the public exhibition spaces. | Partially confirmed |
| Accessible toilets | All MoMA restrooms are wheelchair-accessible. Restrooms are on the lower level, the ground floor, and the second, fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the gallery wings. | Confirmed accessible |
| Companion entry | Visitors with disabilities receive discounted admission of 22 dollars, and admission is free for a care partner accompanying a visitor with a disability. Request the care-partner ticket at the admission desk on arrival. Adult, adult-wide, and child-size wheelchairs are available free of charge at all entrances on a first-come, first-served basis. | Confirmed accessible |
Getting there
MoMA is at 11 West 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in midtown Manhattan. The closest accessible subway is 47-50 Streets-Rockefeller Center (B, D, F, M) with elevators to the platform, a step-free walk of about five minutes north along Sixth Avenue, then east on 53rd Street.
Fifth Avenue (E, M) at 53rd Street is closer but not currently fully step-free. Yellow cabs and accessible-vehicle dispatch can drop directly on West 53rd Street outside the entrance, where the kerb cut is on the south side of the street.
At the entrance
The 53rd Street main entrance has power-assist doors and is step-free from the street. Tell the security officer in the lobby that you use a wheelchair or have limited mobility, and you will be moved to the front of the standby queue. The 54th Street entrance via the Sculpture Garden is also step-free and is the quieter option on busy days.
The ticket desk is on the ground-floor lobby. Ask for the disabled-visitor admission and the free care-partner ticket, both issued in person. The cashier does not require a specific document, though carrying any disability ID or doctor's letter avoids back-and-forth.
Wheelchair and rollator loans
Wheelchairs and rollators are loaned free of charge at every entrance on a first-come, first-served basis. Adult, adult-wide and child-size wheelchairs are stocked. Weekend afternoons are the busiest stretch for loans; arriving at opening (10:30 a.m.) gives the broadest choice.
Inside, the museum has cloakroom desks where you can leave bags, coats and shopping. The cloakrooms are level with the lobby and step-free from the loan desk.
On the gallery floors
The collection is laid out across six numbered floors connected by lifts at the centre of the building. The ground floor and second floor host the Sculpture Garden and the contemporary galleries. Floors four and five hold the permanent painting and sculpture collection, the Van Goghs, Picassos, Monets and Warhols. Floor six is reserved for major special exhibitions.
Galleries are flat, with wide doorways between rooms. Bench seating is provided in every major gallery so you can rest between rooms. Service dogs are welcome throughout.
Tips for visiting
Friday from 4 p.m. is free admission for all visitors (UNIQLO Free Friday Nights). The crowd is heaviest in this slot, but the front-of-line policy for wheelchair users still applies. Weekday mornings are the quietest time to visit; Wednesday is usually less busy than Tuesday or Thursday.
MoMA's restaurant The Modern and the casual Café 2 are both step-free with accessible tables. Café 2 on the second floor is the easier of the two for wheelchair seating during a busy lunch.
Quick facts
Address: 11 West 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Open: daily 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday until 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. Accessible entrances: 53rd Street and 54th Street, both with power-assist doors. Wheelchairs and rollators: free loans at every entrance. Disabled-visitor admission: 22 dollars. Care-partner admission: free (one). All restrooms wheelchair-accessible.
How we verified this page
Last verified .
Sources:
- MoMA accessibility (verified )
- MoMA visit info (verified )