Historic Building sights in New York City
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Morris-Jumel Mansion Museum
Built in 1765 as a country retreat for Roger and Mary Morris, this columned mansion is the oldest house in Manhattan. It is also famous for having served as George Washington’s headquarters after it was seized by the Continental Army in 1776. The mansion’s rooms contain many original furnishings, including a bed that reputedly belonged to Napoleon.
reviewed
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B
Hamilton Grange
This Federal-style retreat belonged to US founding father Alexander Hamilton, who owned a country estate here in the early 1800s. The home was recently moved from Convent Ave to its present location (and is now bizarrely situated on the side of a hill). But it’s beautifully refurbished – of interest to history and architecture buffs as well as really grange people.
reviewed
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C
Apollo Theater
The Apollo has been Harlem’s leading space for concerts and political rallies since 1914 and, with its gleaming marquee, is one of the neighborhood’s most visible icons. Virtually every major black artist in the 1930s and ’40s performed here, including Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday. And to this day it hosts regular concerts by high-profile entertainers. Everyone from Tony Bennett to Usher has played here.
The theatre is most famous, however, for its long-running Amateur Night – ‘where stars are born and legends are made’ – which takes place every Wednesday night. The wild and ruthless crowd is as fun to watch as the performers.
Tours of the interior are…
reviewed
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D
Gracie Mansion
This Federal-style home served as the country residence of merchant Archibald Gracie in 1799. Since 1942, it has been where New York’s mayors have lived – with the exception of megabillionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who prefers his own plush, Upper East Side digs. The house has been added to and renovated over the years. Reservations required.
The home is bordered by the pleasant, riverside Carl Schurz Park.
reviewed
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E
Arsenal
Built between 1847 and 1851 as a munitions supply depot for the New York State National Guard, the landmark brick building was designed to look like a medieval castle, and its construction predates the actual park. Today the building houses the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and the Central Park Wildlife Center. There is also a small gallery.
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F
Wyckoff House
Built in 1652, the Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House is New York City’s oldest structure. A working farm until 1901, this Dutch Colonial H-frame house has shingled walls and split Dutch doors. It’s located in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Reservations required.
To get here take the A train to Utica Ave, then switch to the B46 bus headed south (in the direction of King’s Highway). It’s a 30-minute ride to Clarendon Rd. (If you pass King’s Highway, you’ve gone too far.) Once you get off, it’s a nine-block walk east to the home.
reviewed
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G
Chelsea Hotel
It’s probably not any great shakes as far as hotels go – and besides, it mainly houses long-term residents – but as a place of mythical proportions, the Chelsea Hotel is top of the line. The red-brick hotel, featuring ornate iron balconies and no fewer than seven plaques declaring its literary landmark status, has played a major role in pop-culture history. It’s where the likes of Mark Twain, Thomas Wolfe, Dylan Thomas and Arthur Miller hung out; Jack Kerouac allegedly crafted On the Road during one marathon session here, and it’s where Arthur C Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey. Dylan Thomas died of alcohol poisoning while staying here in 1953, and Nancy…
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