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Did You Know?
…that a yacht built on City Island in 1930 won a major race in December 2017 as the oldest boat in a fleet of 87? click for more
This is a great place to tell your story and give people more insight into who you are, what you do, and why it’s all about you.
2021 Zoom Webinar Series
The Museum’s popular Zoom Webinar Series held earlier this year is now available on YouTube.
We regret to announce that considerable damage was done to some areas in the Nautical Museum over the weekend of January 15–17, when pipes froze and burst in the apartment above the museum. We are grateful that very few pieces in the collection were damaged, but the lobby, the museum shop, the hallway, and the Gallery were seriously affected and are in need of water-damage restoration and reconstruction.
The board of trustees is hard at work trying to resolve various issues so that we can begin to do the repair work without delay. We will take this opportunity to prepare new exhibits for the hallway and to replace damaged items in the museum shop. It is unlikely that we will be able to reopen this summer. In the meantime, if anyone has questions, please send an email to
info@cityislandmuseum.org or call 718-885-0507. If you are doing research and would like access to museum records or archives, you can certainly arrange a visit by email, as our library is intact.
Thank you for your support.
We have posted a brief Illustrated history of City Island based on a webinar that was presented on June 15.
Visit Facebook for a look at hundreds of photographs of City Island Then and Now, posted by Tom Nye, the museum’s president.
City Island’s Boat-Building History Exhibit
At the turn of the 20th century, City Island was a major center for wooden boat building with a worldwide reputation for the highest quality. This exhibition of photographs and commentary focuses on the extraordinary period in City Island’s history when yacht and shipbuilding were at their peak. Here are all the old yards, the brilliant craftsmen who worked there, the methods of construction they used, and the famous sailing and motor yachts they produced. Also highlighted are the military vessels that were built here during the war years and the brilliant 12-meter sloops that successfully defended the America’s Cup seven times.
The next time (and every time) you shop at Amazon, go to
select the City Island Historical Society as your charity of choice, and 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases will be made to the Nautical Museum.
The City Island Nautical Museum is proud to be a Distinctive Destination of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. We welcome all all National Trust members to receive half-price
admission ($2.50) when visiting our site. Visit distinctive-destinations for more information.
The museum's programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, thanks to Council Member Mark Gjonaj, and by the Bronx Council on the Arts through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Greater New York Arts Development Fund Regrants Program, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and the Bronx Delegation of the City Council. The City Island Nautical Museum was granted a permanent charter by the Board of Regents of the New York State Board of Education on January 11, 2012. And, on the basis of a careful consideration of the history and the architecture of the building at 190 Fordham Street in which the museum is housed, the Landmarks Preservation Commissioned Public School 102 (later Public School 17, The City Island School) a landmark because of its “special character and a special historical and aesthetic interest and value as part of the development, heritage and cultural characteristics of New York City.
The City Island Nautical Museum wishes to thank the following City Island businesses that have become Corporate Members.
AARP
A-Quality Glass
The Black Whale
CI Construction
City Island Diner
Consolidated Yachts, Inc.
D & D Bowne Realty
Fordham Marine Service
John Douglas Forrest
KEE Electric
Leonard Hawkins American
Legion Post 156
Maria Caruso Travel, Inc.
Morris Yacht Club
Seafood City
Tered Realty LLC