On the 50th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s icon, “not much is made of the fact that [it] almost went unbuilt.” Not only did Robert Moses have to ram the project through New York City’s permit process, but “[a]fter seeing the blueprints, 21 prominent artists signed a petition protesting that the building, especially its curved walls and continuous ramps, would be unsuitable for displaying paintings.” (For the first couple years, they were right.)