what is museumlab?

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has grown along with your family, creating MuseumLab as a place where kids 10+ can have cutting-edge experiences in art, tech and making. It’s just the thing for their inquiring minds, increasing skills and independent inclinations.

It all takes place in a “beautiful ruin” located right next door to the Children’s Museum, the former Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny. In creating MuseumLab, we renovated the building to reveal much of its original 1890 archways, columns and mosaic floors, and designed a unique space that honors the past while welcoming the future.

It’s also about experimenting and learning alongside our partner organizations that are helping us create programs for MuseumLab, including Entertainment Technology Center, SLB Radio and Manchester Academic Charter School.

And with the creation of MuseumLab, we’ve created the largest cultural campus for children in the country. Right here in Pittsburgh.

It all began in 1983 when Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh opened in the Old Post Office building.

In 2004, we reaffirmed our commitment to the neighborhood by expanding into the Buhl Planetarium — dedicating 80,000 square feet of space to learning and play in two of the region’s most beloved buildings.

From there, we led the establishment of the nearby New Hazlett Theater in partnership with the Warhol Museum, and created the Charm Bracelet Project to bring together Northside cultural institutions.

Then we raised $6 million in 2012 to revitalize Buhl Community Park, a dilapidated park right outside the Museum’s doors. And the neighborhood hasn’t looked back.

With the opening of MuseumLab in the historic Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny building, we are continuing our goal of revitalizing what was once the core of Allegheny City. It also completes our vision to create the largest cultural campus for children in the country.

At least for now. But is a vision ever complete?

MuseumLab received the Dezeen Award 2020 for Civic and Cultural Interior of the Year.