Housed in an imposing Neoclassical building fronting Central Park, the New-York Historical society houses antique treasures, Hudson River School paintings, watercolors by John James Audubon, and various objects of Americana. It also has amassed a comprehensive collection of artifacts related to the 2001 terrorist attacks. It may be New York's oldest museum, but curators at the historical society approach its rich trove of material with a keenly modern eye. The society was founded in 1804 to preserve the history of the US.