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With 17 curatorial departments, 2.2 million square feet of space, and more than 2 million works in its permanent collections, the Metropolitan Museum of Art—colloquially known as The Met—contains more treasures than most visitors will ever be able to see in a lifetime. It’s impossible to summarize the New York City museum’s history, contents, and legacy in just one list, but here are 12 facts that might make you view the storied institution in a new light.
1. The Met wasn't always enormous.
The Met—which opened its doors on April 13, 1870—was founded by a group of businessmen, financiers, artists, and cultural enthusiasts. Today, it’s known for its swanky digs on Museum Mile, a swath of Fifth Avenue that borders Central Park, but the institution was originally located in a much smaller building at 681 Fifth Avenue, which housed a Roman stone sarcophagus and 174 European paintings. The Met’s collection quickly grew too large for the space, and in 1873, the museum was moved to an estate on West 14th Street known as the Douglas Mansion, where it remained until builders completed its permanent location in 1879.