Matching the Colors of New York City Streets with ColorReader
New York City is full of color inspiration. So, when the Datacolor team heard about The Color Walk at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, we knew we had to check it out.

A partnership between the Cooper Hewitt and The Color Factory—a soon-to-launch interactive exhibit dedicated to all things color—The Color Walk features 265 painted stripes, each corresponding to a block in Manhattan, from 220th Street to Battery Park. It’s paired with a printed guide to each color:

We wanted to know the closest paint color match for each of these uniquely NYC sights, so we brought along a ColorReader and started scanning.

Whether you want to paint your living room the color of a pretzel cart, your kitchen the color of a dollar pizza slice sign, or you just want to appreciate the many colors of NYC, we chose some of our favorite paint color matches from The Color Walk, starting downtown and working our way uptown.
Street Cart Pretzels on South Street


Statue of Liberty Figurines on Rector Street


Taxi Cab at Lispenard Street


Dollar Pizza Slice Sign on 25th Street


Bulk Butterscotch at Economy Candy on Rivington Street


Bike Lane on 17th Street


Pigeons in Union Square on 14th Street


Trash Cans at Herald Square on 34th Street


Halal Food Cart on 40th Street


Steps to the New York Public Library on 41st Street


Coffee and Bagel Breakfast Cart on 69th Street


Traffic Barricades on 52nd Street


Newsstand for New York Times Newspapers on 85th Street


Plastic Dolls and Toys on 181st Street


If you’re feeling inspired to scan your own color inspiration, you can learn more about ColorReader and ColorReaderPRO here.
