The Hispanic Society of America ca. 1919

Founded in 1904 by Archer Huntington, the son of a wealthy railroad tycoon, the Hispanic Society of America stands as a testament to Washington Heights' opulent past at the turn of the twentieth century. Huntington developed Audubon Terrace, the block between 155th and 156th Streets west of Broadway, on land that was originally part of the farm of painter and naturalist John James Audubon. Huntington invited other cultural institutions to locate there, and today Audubon Terrace also houses the American Numismatic Society, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and Boricua College. The Hispanic Society building is a sprawling, Beaux Arts style structure that contains one of the largest collections of Spanish art in the United States, including works by El Greco, Diego Velázquez, Francisco Goya, and Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida. The sculptures on the plaza in front of the building were created by Huntington’s wife, the prominent sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington.

Huntington created the society as an elite academic institution with limited access. In recent years the Society has loosened its stringent regulations and has reached out to both scholars and members of the Washington Heights community, in an attempt to increase its visibility.