Nassau County Museum of Art

Nestled within 145 rolling acres on Long Island’s Gold Coast, the Nassau County Museum of Art is a cultural haven steeped in American history, nature, and artistic heritage. The land once belonged to William Cullen Bryant, a towering figure in 19th-century literature and civic life. Bryant, known for his poetry and editorial leadership at the New York Evening Post, transformed his Roslyn estate into a gathering place for influential artists and thinkers of his time. His Gothic Revival guesthouse, built in 1862 and named for his friend Jerusha Dewey, still stands today as a link to this storied past.

In 1900, Lloyd Stephens Bryce acquired the property and constructed a grand neo-Georgian mansion, now the centerpiece of the museum. Bryce, a former editor of *The North American Review*, helped elevate the estate’s profile as a cultural landmark. In 1919, steel magnate Henry Clay Frick gifted the estate to his son Childs Frick and his wife Frances. Under their stewardship, the grounds of “Clayton,” as they renamed it, became a showcase of refined architecture, horticulture, and scientific curiosity. A devoted paleontologist, Childs Frick filled the estate with specimens and established a dedicated laboratory, while Frances transformed the gardens into formal displays of seasonal beauty.

The estate was acquired by Nassau County in 1969 and repurposed as the Nassau County Museum of Fine Art. It became a private nonprofit institution in 1989 and was later renamed the Arnold and Joan Saltzman Fine Arts Building following major restoration efforts. That same year, the museum inaugurated its renowned sculpture park, now one of the largest of its kind in the Northeast.

Today, the Nassau County Museum of Art continues to blend history, science, and creativity, inviting visitors of all ages to explore its exhibitions, gardens, and expansive sculpture-filled grounds.