History museums and blackjack tables might not seem to cater to the same audience. But two developers bet that including cultural institutions in their proposals to open new casinos in New York City would entice community leaders to approve their bids. SL Green Realty, Manhattan’s largest commercial office landlord, wanted to convert a Times Square tower into a gaming resort. The venture would have financed the development of a civil rights museum, a long-standing dream of social justice advocate Reverend Al Sharpton. Further east, the Soloviev Group, one of the nation’s largest property owners, proposed the redevelopment of a vacant site on First Avenue into a $11.2 billion casino complex. The plan also included a museum dedicated to freedom and democracy, featuring works by international artists as well as pieces of the Berlin Wall. In the end, both gambits failed. To find out why, read the full story by Aaron Short at the link in bio. . . . Caravaggio, "The Cardsharps" (c. 1595),...