Brooklyn Museum. Archives.

The Brooklyn Museum building embodies various architectural styles, which reflect the different phases of its construction and renovations over the years. In the early 1890s, McKim, Mead & White created the original Beaux-Arts plan for the design of the building. The first section of the building to be constructed was the West Wing, which commenced in 1895 and was completed in 1897. The Central Pavilion was completed in 1905; the staircase and approach of the Central Pavilion opened in 1906; the East Wing was finished in 1907; and the long protracted construction of sections F and G ended in 1925. The completed building reflected only one-fifth of McKim, Mead & White's original plan, which envisioned a much larger structure. The Museum's Service Extension, which was not a part of the original plan, was planned and built during the period between 1976 to 1982. The new wing provided mechanical facilities and office space for the Education Division and other administrative departments.

Over the years, the building has undergone several reconstructive and rehabilitative efforts. These renovations included the removal of the staircase and construction of a new entrance from 1934 to 1935; roof and skylight reconstruction from 1939 to 1940; and a major rehabilitation phase from 1951 to 1970, which included renovations to the center section, various floors, back of the building, and other sections of the building. In addition, other notable aspects of the building's exterior are the allegorical figural statues and pediment sculpture designed by Daniel Chester French, which decorate the facade of the Museum and were installed in 1909 and 1912 respectively. In 1964, Daniel Chester French's figures of Brooklyn and Manhattan were moved from the entrance of the Manhattan Bridge and placed in front of the Museum's entrance.

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