American Academy of Arts and Letters

The American Academy of Arts and Letters was founded to honor American artists, composers, writers, architects and those chosen elite selected from the fine arts. The institute is part of a complex of Classical Revival structures on the estate of John James Audubon, who is buried in the nearby Trinity Cemetery. The Academy is not open to the public, but scholars with credentials can peruse original work and first editions in the library by appointment. Some notable members from the Academy have included Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Andrew Wyeth and Aaron Copeland. The same complex also houses the Hispanic Society of America and the American Numismatic Society.