The 5 most intimate museums in New York

This intimate historic house museum in Corona, Queens, is the house that Louis Armstrong and his wife Lucille Wilson lived in from 1943 until his death in 1971. Lucille gave ownership to New York after his passing. Since 1978, it is a National Historic Landmark that hosts concerts and educational programs.

Take a guided tour and meet the residents (played by actors). This building, where more than 7000 immigrants passed through, was built in 1863. The house is staged to look exactly the way it did when the immigrants lived there. People are encouraged to share their own stories to preserve the history of NYC’s early immigration.

The museum presents work of underrecognized and emerging international artists before they receive widespread attention – with works that are often considered out-of-the-ordinary. It is where gallery-owner Barbara Gladstone established the Stuart Regen Fund to support lecture series by leading international thinkers in the fields of art, architecture, design. The building itself, makes a cool statement on Bowery.

The place for turn-of-the-century German and Austrian art and design. There are stunning tabletop items by Josef Hoffman and others, drawings and paintings by Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Egon Schiele – all tucked inside a Beaux-Arts mansion. An authentic, lovely Viennese cafe sits inside, which also hosts live European music of the 1890s-1930s on Thursday nights.

The artist purchased this building in 1968 and turned it into his playground for creating. In homage, his home and studio have been made to look exactly the way they did in 1994 – leaving everything in place (200 pieces of art and furniture plus 1800 household items). Only groups of 8 at a time can tour, book in advance.