Museum of American Financial History

28 Broadway at Beaver St.

This small affiliate of the Smithsonian Insti­tution occupies a street-level office suite in John D. Rockefeller's historic Standard Oil Building (1928, Carrere and Hastings). Note how gracefully the sweeping curve of its Broadway facade complements the Cunard Building across Bowling Green. Interestingly, its 480ft-high pyramidal tower is aligned with the uptown grid, not with the street below—a siting done supposedly to keep the city's skyline geometrical. Previously, Alexander Hamilton's law offices stood here.

Visit
The museum is accessible through the 28 Broadway entrance on weekdays and the 26 Broadway entrance (the main lobby) on weekends. Exhibits draw from the museum's 10,000-piece collection of financial artifacts, and display Smithsonian-style curatorial intelligence. Recent shows have examined the life of financier J.P. Morgan, the history of financial journalism, the artistry of African currency and the golden age of air travel.

Open year-round Tue-Sat 10am-4pm. Closed major and stock-market holidays.

Cost: $2.

212-908-4110.
www.financialhistory.org.