5. Society of Illustrators

bar at the Society of Illustrators

The Society of Illustrators is located at 128 East 63rd Street in an 1875 carriage house built for William P. Read, J. P. Morgan’s personal secretary. The dining room is located in the Hall of Fame gallery, on the building’s third floor. Situated behind the bar is Norman Rockwell’s Dover Coach, which was gifted to the Society by the illustrator himself. Its location is fitting because in 1959, Rockwell became the first member to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

As Kate Kelly wrote in a previous Untapped New York article, “In a modern context, the Society acts as a gathering place for industry folks and fans, celebrating the best in contemporary illustration through various gallery and award shows. Scholarships are given to students (they also hold an impressive show annually), there is a weekly sketch and jazz night, one can regularly attend lectures and screenings, and the bar and dining room upstairs, complete with an impressive original Rockwell, is surely one of the most elegant in the city.”