It is mid-semester, and as a class (and even as smaller groups) we have already visited some of the larger venues Manhattan has to offer. However, if one truly wishes to immerse his/herself into a more comprehensive artistic culture, I suggest visiting the neglected, yet historical Hispanic Society of America situated in Washington Heights. Built over a century ago in 1904, the beautiful Beaux art building houses critical texts, ornamental artworks, and photographs. Furthermore, the museum boasts of such artists as Goya, Velázquez and El Greco.
Part of the problem of how this museum slipped under the radar these last few decades is simply due to its name. “Hispanic Society” scarcely sounds like a celebrator or grand showcase of Old World cultures such as Spain and Portugal. However, naming it after founder Archer Milton Huntington just might do the trick. In turn, this might place it parallel to such museums as the Frick.
Nevertheless, the society refuses to sacrifice its integrity for a few new faces. Huntington’s (to the left) ambition was to showcase the soul of Spain (the term Hispanic used to be connoted with the Iberian Peninsula), and the museum leaders intend to keep it that way.
So this dilemma brings up an important point for discussion. Why are many important outlets of culture so well hidden in our backyard? I conclude that over the years, non-touristic hotspots and sites with little media coverage are merely thrown by the wayside. Thus, once we have exhausted high profile places as the Met, MoMA, Guggenheim, and American Museum of Natural History, visiting lesser-known places would prove to be an indication of a TRUE Snob, and just not your average mere wannabe.
You might find some answers in the Gotham: the History of the New York City, by Edwin G. Burroughs and The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of 400 Years of New York City’s History by Eric Homberger and Alice Hudson. The first books only goes to 1898, so it might not have anything about the Hispanic Society of America, but you raise a very interesting point. The Hispanic Society building was built at a time when there might have been an expectation that the rest of the city would eventually grow around it and it would not be an isolated outpost far from the center of town. Unfortunately, that plan did not pan out. The Hispanic Society is right next to another important institution, The Academy of Arts and Letters.