Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn
Museum
‘Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power’ (2019) was an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum | © Jonathan Dorado / Brooklyn Museum
As the third-largest museum in New York City, the Brooklyn Museum is one of the most diverse art centers in the world. Opened in 1897 and designed in the Beaux-Arts style by the architectural firm McKim, Mead and White, the museum once had a monumental staircase in the front of the building, but it fell into disrepair in the early 20th century. Some thought that the grand staircase wasn’t a ‘democratic’ entrance for the museum, and in 1934, when the principal architects were out of the country, the Municipal Art Commission approved the demolition of the staircase. In 1977, the Brooklyn Museum was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The exterior features sculptures designed by Daniel Chester French, and the interior highlight is a magnificent Beaux-Arts court that was renovated in 2001 and features a skylight dome.Food and drink: Tooker Alley (a craft cocktail bar with a speakeasy feel); Lincoln Station (a laid-back local café with lunch and dinner fare).