of the regents of the State University. The museum was located in the State Education Building from 1912 until 1976, when it was moved to the Cultural Education Center upon the Empire State Plaza's completion. The current location opened on July 4, 1976, and 15,000 people took part in the ceremony which included a performance by Don Mclean.

In June 2015, the museum announced the largest renovation in its history. Over three to four years, 35,000 sqft of exhibition space was to be modernized. The NYSM