Founded in 1898 to promote public interest in the arts, the National Arts Club holds art exhibitions, with free admission to the public on weekdays; check the website for a schedule, including evening events and drawing classes. Calvert Vaux – co-creator of Central Park – designed the building itself, with a picture-lined front parlor adorned with a beautiful, vaulted stained-glass panel. The mansion was once home to Samuel J Tilden, a former New York governor and the failed 1876 presidential candidate.
A pantheon of famous names have walked those floors: past members include not only classic American writers Herman Melville and Mark Twain but also former US presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Dwight Eisenhower. Current members include Robert Redford, Martin Scorsese and Uma Thurman.
