Ukrainian Institute
of America
Fifth Avenue and 79th Street
Manhattan
(212) 288-8660
Not
many people know that the grand French
Renaisance-style chateau on the southeast
corner of Fifth Avenue and 79th Street is
actually open to the public. Built for a
businessman and art collector named Isaac
D. Fletcher in 1899, and later home to
oil millionaire and scandal-ridden Harry
F. Sinclair as well as Augustus Van Horn
Stuyvesant (descendant of Peter
Stuyvesant, the colonial director famous
for his $24 deal with Manhattan's Native
Americans), this mansion was purchased by
the Ukranian Institute in 1955.
The Institute hosts a
multitude of events each year including
art exhibitions, auctions, literary
evenings, theatrical performances,
lectures, concerts, forums and
symposiums, and other social gatherings,
both for members of Ukrainian
associations and the public at large.
Each of these events provides an
opportunity to glimpse the splendors of a
grand turn-of-the-century town house.
Note the magnificent carved woodwork on
the broad staircase and the many touches
of elegance throughout the three floors
that are generally open for view.
We especially enjoy art
exhibitions at the Ukrainian Institute,
because, like the Frick
Collection,
we believe that an intimate setting makes
the art more enjoyable.
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