3. The Childs Frick Estate (Clayton)

The Nassau County Museum of Art, one of the nation’s largest suburban art museums, is situated inside the former Gold Coast Childs Frick Estate. The land on which the museum grounds currently sits was previously a part of poet William Cullen Bryant’s retreat from his life in the city. In the 1890s the land — save seven acres — was sold by his family to former Congressman Lloyd Bryce. He constructed a Georgian Revival mansion, perched on the high ground of the estate and overlooking Hempstead Harbor. In 1919, the estate was bought by Henry Clay Frick, the co-founder of U.S Steel, as a wedding gift for his son, Childs. The architect Sir Charles Carrick Allorn was employed to redesign the facade and interior.

Childs Frick and his wife lived at Clayton until his death in 1965. Afterward, the county bought the estate four years later and converted it into the Nassau County Museum of Art. In addition to the various art exhibits, the museum also features a sculpture garden, an educational institution, and garden/walking trails.