There are some places you step into and you’re instantly whisked into a bygone time. The National Arts Club in Gramercy Park is one of those, and it’s not surprising that it’s been used as a film location for Boardwalk Empire. Located next to the similarly stately The Players Club, The National Arts Club is housed in the former Samuel Tilden Mansion. Tilden was the 25th Governor of New York and had access to the best architects and designers of the era. He hired names like Calvert Vaux, of Central Park fame, and John LaFarge to transform and combine two simpler brownstones into the more opulent place you see today. Vaux took the original facade, reclad it in sandstone and added bay windows and floral ornamentation. LaFarge added stained glass windows inside and Donald McDonald created an impressive stained glass dome. The building is both a city and federal landmark. In 1906,… Read More