Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute

One of the most important regional art museums in the northeast, housing a substantial collection of American art from the 18th century to the present. The Philip Johnson building from 1960 is a landmark of mid-century architecture — a severe granite and glass cube set in a formal landscape. Inside, the permanent collection includes major works by Thomas Cole, Winslow Homer, and Jackson Pollock.

Admission is free, which is remarkable for the collection's quality. Allow two to three hours for a proper visit. The museum also runs a performing arts program and a school of art.

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Philip Johnson designed the museum building in 1960 — a severe modernist block of dark granite and glass that makes a deliberate visual contrast with the Victorian Fountain Elms mansion next door. Johnson later called it one of his favorite works, though critics were divided. The pairing of the two buildings side by side remains one of the more striking architectural arguments in upstate New York.

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