8. Nicholas Roerich Museum

Riverside Drive and 107th Street, former location of the Roerich Museum.

Nicolas Roerich was a prolific Russian artist whose worked ranged from paintings to costumes and set designs for Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. In 1921, Roerich began a school called the Master Institute of United Arts, which was located, along with many of his paintings, in a mansion at 310 Riverside Drive. In 1928, Harvey Wiley Corbett (who influenced the look of mid-century skyscrapers) designed a 27-story building on the site of the old mansion for Roerich’s operations. Due to infighting, the Roerich Museum was relocated to to 107th Street and its former home is now apartments.

Next, check out vintage photos of NYC museums under construction and the Top 10 Secrets of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.