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(-3
Old Buildings
of
New York City
OLD BUILDINGS
OF
NEW YORK CITY
WITH SOME NOTES REGARDING
THEIR ORIGIN AND OCCUPANTS
NEW YORK
BRENTANO'S
M C M \ I I
Copijright, 1907, hif Brodnnos
THF. TIIOW PKKSS, XKW YORK
U%7
Subjects
BOROUGH OF IVIANHATTAN
NuMBEE Seven State Street
Fraunces's Tavern
Sub-Treasury and Assay Office
Bank of New York
St. Paul's Chapel .
City Hall .
AsTOR Library .
Langdon House
St. Mark's Church
Rutherfurd House
Keteltas House
Residence of Eugene Del.vno
First Presbyterian Church
FoRiiER Residence of the Late James Lenox
Former Residence of the Late Robert B. Minturn
Grace Church .
Society Library
Cruger House .
Abingdon Square
Gramercy Square
Residence of John Bigelow
Former Residence of the late Luther C. Clark
Former Residence of the Late James W. Gerard
" The Players " — Former Home of Edwin Booth
5
PAGE
19
23
27
29
33
39
43
45
49
53
57
59
61
63
65
67
69
73
77
81
83
85
87
91
Si/hji'cfs
CI^t,\M^l{^•■4 ><^\ \ni:—('<»iti until page
KoniuT KrsiiU'iKv of llu- Lafe Samuel J. Tilden .93
Kormor lU-iidiiue of the Late Rev. Dr. H. W. Bellows . . 97
ForiiuT He.sidence of the Late Dr. Valentine Mott ... 99
Reilory i»f Calvary Parish 101
Former Residence of the L<ite Stanford White . . 103
Former Residence of the Late Cyrus W. Field and the Late
David Dudley Field 105
FOHMKH RksIDKNCK OF THK LaTE PeTER CoOPEH ANH THE
Late Abh.vm S. Hewitt 107
General Theological Seminary Ill
Foumek Residence of the Late "Willi.^m C. Schermerhorn . 115
Chirch of the Transfiguration 117
Residence of J. Pierpont Morgan 121
Former Residence of the Late Theodore A. Havemeyer . 123
Former Residence of the Late Senator Edwin D. Morgan 125
The Old Arsenai 127
Claremont 129
Hamilton Gkan(;e 139
JuMEL House 143
Gracie House 151
BOROUGH OF THE BRONX
Golverneur Morris House 157
Van Cortlandt House 167
BOROUGH OF QUEENS
BowNE House 171
BOROUGH OF RICHMOND
BiLLOP House 175
6
Old Buildings
of
New York City
fi
Introductory
J E GENTLY a writer in a periodical stated that
" No one was ever born in New York." It
can be safely said that this is an exaggeration.
Nevertheless it showed the confidence of the writer that
the statement was not likely to startle his readers very
greatly.
Probably not one in a hundred of the men in the
street know or care anything about the town of fifty
or sixty years ago. Still the number of those who were
familiar with it then is large, however small in compari-
son with the whole number. In fact, the number of
those whose predecessors were living here when there
were not more than a thousand people in the whole place
is much greater than is generally supposed.
It was for people belonging to the two latter classes
that these pictures were taken. They may even interest
some wdio have known the town for only a generation.
When a man has traversed the streets of a city for
fifty years, certain buildings become familiar landmarks.
He first saw them perhaps on trudging to school with
his books, and has seen them nearly every (hiy since.
He experiences a slight shock whenever such buildings
are destroyed. There appears something wrong in the
general aspect of the town. Of late years these shocks
9
Old Iiiiil(!iii<^s of \c7c Yorlx Citi/
Ikivo followed oiif another so t'oiitimioiisly that he may
well wonder whether he is living in the same place.
It occurred to the writer that it would do no harm
to preserve the ])ietures of some of the landmarks still
standin*!;-. especially as they are <>etting fewer in num-
her all the time, and may shortly disappear altogether.
He regrets that he is unahle to show a photographic
])resentment of many huildings that have disappeared
in the last fifty years, or even during the life of the
present generation. Some buildings that had a certain
historical interest have been razed in the last twenty-five
years, as, e. g., the Kennedy house,* Xo. 1 Broadway,
taken down to make way for the Washington Building,
overlooking the Battery Park, or the old Walton house f
in Pearl Street near Franklin Square, removed in 1881,
or the Tombs prison, removed in 1899.
* Built some years before the Revolution by Captain Archibald
Kennedy, R.X. (later Earl of Casillis), who married Miss Watts.
It was the headquarters respectively of Generals Howe, Cornwallis,
and Carleton.
+ The property of William ^^'alton, brother of Admiral Walton,
built in 1752. It was one of the best, if not the best house in
town. The gardens extended to the river. This house was men-
tioned in the debates in Parliament to indicate the ability of the
colonists to pay more taxes. What might in some respects be called
the mate to this house, the Walter Franklin house, occupied by
Washington during his Presidency, stood at the north end of the
square. It was taken down in 1856, " and the only bit of it known
to exist is the President's chair of the N. Y. Historical Society,
which is made of wood taken from the old house " (" Historic New
York," p. 298).
10
Introductory
Among buildings that will be recalled to memory
by the older citizens it would have been a satisfaction
to have been able to show pictures of the Brick (Pres-
byterian) Church, that stood, with its yard, on Park
Row, taking in the block bounded by Spruce, Nassau,
and Beekman streets; or Burton's Theater in Chambers
Street ; the Irving House, later Delmonico's, on the cor-
ner of Broadway and the same street; of the old New
York Hospital on Broadway near Thomas Street, stand-
ing far back with its beautiful lawn and grand old trees ;
of the St. Nicholas Hotel near Spring Street; of the
old Coster mansion (later a Chinese museum), built of
granite in the style of the Astor House, near Prince
Street; and Tiffany's place across the way, with the
same Atlas upliolding the clock over the door; of the
Metropolitan Hotel on the next block with Niblo's Gar-
den ; of Bleecker Street with Depau Row ; * of Bond
Street with the large Ward (later Sampson) residence
on the corner; the Russell residence on the corner of
Great Jones Street; the famous old New York Hotel;
the Lorillard mansion at Tenth Street; the large
brownstone residence of Judge James Roosevelt, near
Thirteenth Street, famous for the hospitality of its
owners, and the red brick residence of Cornelius V. S,
Roosevelt, grandfather of the President, on the cor-
* Depau Row was an attempt to introduce the Parisian dwelling
or hotel. The houses were entered by driveways, running through
them to large interior courtyards. They were taken down to make
-wixy for tlie Mills Hotel for iiuri.
11
old Iiiiil(liii<:s of Xi':i' Vorh- Ciii/
iH-v ol' riiioii Sciuart'. lia\iiin' tlic tiilrance on Hi'oad-
w ay.
'VUc older irsidt'iit can recall Union Scjiiare when the
huildiniis were nearly all ])rivate residences, conspicuous
aniony- which were the Parish house on the north side
and till' Penninian (later the Maison Doree) on the
south, lie can recall the stately appearance of Four-
teenth Street westward of Union Stjuare: the Haight
residence on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifteenth
Street, with its large winter garden;* the brownstone
house of Colonel Herman Thorn in Sixteenth Street^
west of the avenue, standing in its wide grounds (now
nearly filled hy the New \'ork Hospital) ; the residence
of Mr. and Mrs. August Ikdniont (so long leaders in
.society), on the avenue, at the corner of Eighteenth
Street, extending with its picture gallery a long distance
on the street; the Stuart residence, which shared the
l)lock above Twentieth Street with a church; and then
the Union Club house at Twenty-first Street. Perhaps
of all the landmarks taken down during the time of the
])resent generation, none was so well known as the Goe-
let house at Broadway and Nineteenth Street, with the
grounds extending eastward toward Fourth Avenue.
Thousands of people passed every day in the short
stretch between the two squares. jNIr. Peter Goelet's
penchant for rare and beautiful birds was a never-
ending delight to every passing child and adult, and
* It is a little remarkable that none of our multimillionaires
have added this feature to their new houses u))to\vn.
12
Introductory
a number were always standing gazing past the iron
railing. Peacocks white and blue, Chinese golden
pheasants, and many other varieties found a comfort-
able home in the grounds.
The appearance of the entire city now gives the
impression of life and bustle. With the exception of
Gramercy Square and Irving Place, there is hardly a
spot in the lower part of the city that now has any
appearance of repose. Thirty years ago the city pre-
sented a wholly different aspect. Fifth Avenue, from
Washington to JNIadison Square, was, in the opinion of
the writer, one of the finest residence streets anywhere.
At most hours of the day the people on the sidewalks
were comparatively few and there was a very small pro-
portion of business wagons and trucks that used the
roadway as compared with the numbers that do so to-
day. University Place was a street of nearly the same
character, as was also Second Avenue from Seventh
Street to Stuyvesant Square. This street had a charm
of its own. Lined as it was on either side with spacious
residences, it gave the impression of a street of homes.
The facades of the largest houses were simple and un-
pretentious, forming a marked contrast to some of the
houses uptown to-day.
As regards the matter of repose, it may be said that
twenty-five years ago the palm would clearly have been
given to Lafayette Place. This short street also had a
character of its own. From the Langdon house on the
east side near Astor Place to old St. Bartholomew's
13
Old liniJdiiiiis of \r:c York Cifi/
C'liuicli ;it (iiint Jones Street, niul from tlie Lano^don
(Wilks) liDiisf on the west side to the Sehermerhorn
lioiise opposite the eliureli, ahiiost every buildin(>" liad
its iiidivi(hiahty. Tlie street was marred by three or
four aneient hiiil(hii*i\s, wliieli for some reason were not
removed, siieh as the stable between the Langdon house
and the Astor Library, once the favorite Riding Acad-
emy. The r.ibrary still (1906) stands, as does a part
of the old C'olonnatie, but an earthquake could hardly
liave wrought greater changes than has the march of
trade.
The large mansion of the first John Jacob Astor
stood separated from the Library by a gateway and
broad alley reaching to the stables in the rear. Adjoin-
ing was a group of houses of the style of those in
Washington Square, broad and " high-stooped." Op-
posite, on the corner of Fourth Street, stood a church
whose portico of granite Ionic columns (each a monolith
brought with great trouble from Elaine) was one of the
wonders of the town. Almost adjoining was the Swan
residence, since converted into the Church House of the
diocese, and then the Colonnade with its long row of
granite Corinthian columns, considered a marvel in its
day. Xext to these was the " English basement " house
of the late Charles Astor Bristed, with arch and drive-
way leading to the rear, and on the corner the Langdon
(Wilks) house, when it was built, the finest in town.
Being a short street, blocked at one end and leading
only to Astor Place at the other, the drivers of very
14
Introductory
few vehicles ever took the trouble to turn into it, ex-
cept the driver of a private carriage, perhaps a closed
coach drawn by heavy horses ( for the cobble stones were
rough) ; the coachman on a vast haniniercloth embel-
lished with fringes and tassels, as was frequently seen
forty years ago, the footman sometimes standing behind,
his hands grasping two leather loops to hold himself in
place. So quiet was the street that on a pleasant after-
noon the youngsters who dwelt in the neighborhood car-
ried on their game of ball undisturbed. Perhaps it was
this feature of quiet repose which suggested the suita-
bility of establishing there the Library, the churches, the
Columbia College Law School, and the Church House.
The writer might go on and refer extensively to
other ancient streets and the changed aspect of other
places throughout the city, but that is not his present
purpose.
There are a few old landmarks that are likely to
stand, for example the City Hall, in the opinion of
some the most successful building, as to architectural
design, in the country.
Abandoned to materialism as the city is and lacking
sentiment, nevertheless any proposal to take down the
City Hall, or even to alter it ever so slightly, meets
with vigorous protests.*
* It seems ratlier strange that some architect has not taken this
fa9ade or some portion of it (as, e. g., the east or west end) as a
design for the front of one of the palaces tliat are now springing
u)) throughout the land.
15
Old liiiildifiiis of \nc Vorh' C/f//
Possibly |)(.()|)k' iniiiiit ohjtc-l if it were proposed to
diNti()\ St. Pniirs Clia})el, the oldest eluirch edifice in
the I'ity. and so with a few other huildini^s: liiit the
majority of the landmarks must *»() and hideous sky-
scrapers arise. " monuments to g-reed " as they have been
tirnud. iiair ruining- adjacent properties.
it was with a view of preservin«»' the appearance of
some of these landmarks that may be torn down any
<Iay that these pictures were taken. Kndeavor has been
made to ])resent those that have been in existence about
fifty years. A\^ith two exceptions the buildings repre-
sented are now (190G) standing.
Mistakes and errors no doubt appear in the text, and
these the writer would be glad to correct. The notes
in no sense profess to be thorough. They are, for the
most part, mere skeletons of what may be said upon the
subjects dealt with.
16
Number Seven State Street
"S^fe-^HIS house was built by Closes Rogers, a promi-
■ ^ J nent merchant of the latter part of the eight-
^^^ eenth and the first part of the nineteenth cen-
tury. He was a native of Connecticut, his mother being
a daughter of Governor Fitch of that State. He was
in business as early as 1785 at 26 Queen (Pearl) Street.
In 1793 the firm name was Rogers & Woolsey, his part-
ner being William Walter Woolsey, his brother-in-law,
JNIr. Rogers having married Sarah Woolsey, a sister of
the wife of President Dwight of Yale College. In that
year he was living at 272 Pearl Street, near Beekman,
" in a large house with hanging garden extending over
the yard and stable." *
jNIr. Rogers was a merchant of high character and
public spirit. In 1793 he was an active member of the
Society for the JNIanumission of Slaves. He was a gov-
ernor of the Xew York Hospital from 1792 to 1799,
and in 1797 treasurer of the City Dispensary. From
1787 until 1811 he was a vestryman of Trinity Church,
and in 1793 was a member of the Society for the Relief
of Distressed Prisoners.f
*"01d Merchants of New York City," vol. II, p. 318.
f Before and after the Revolution, the Hall of Records lately
removed vpas used as the debtors' prison. There were usually about
19
Old liiiildin^iis of Xctc York CiUj
111 Ilk' yi;ii- 1S()() he was living in the honse here
piisintc'd. 1 1 is sister had inai-ried the eelehrated mer-
t'haut and sliip owikt, Aivhihald (iracie. His children
More: ^1) Sarah K. Rogers, who married the Hon.
Samuel M. Hopkins; (2) Benjamin \\'oolsey Rogers,
who married Susan, daughter of William Bayard; (3)
^Vrehihald Rogers, who married Anna, daughter of
Judge Nathaniel Pendleton; and (4) Juha A. Rogers,
Mho mai-ried Franeis Bayard Winthrop.* In the y^ear
1S*J(> Iknjamin ^Voolsey Rogers w'as Uving in the next
house, Number Five State Street, but after his father's
death he moved to Number Seven and Hved there until
1830.t William P. Van Rensselaer, grandson of Gen-
eral Stephen Xan Rensselaer, married successively two
of the daughters of JNIr. Rogers. The house during the
ownership of the Rogers family was the scene of many
notable entertainments. These entertainments wxre fre-
quently referred to by older members of society who
have now passed away. In 1830 the house was occu-
pied by Gardiner G. Howland.
The queerly shaped front was to a certain extent a
necessity. State Street takes a sharp turn and the house
was built at the apex of an angle. The interior was
doubtless an improvement on other houses. The ceil-
one hundred and fifty prisoners. It is said that they were allowed
only bread and water by the State and depended largely on the
kindness of benevolent people to relieve their wants.
* " Lamb's History of the City of New York," II, p. 735.
t " The Old Merchants of New York," vol. II, p. 319.
20
Number Seven State Street
ings were high, and the staircase, instead of being in
the hall as in older houses, is at the side. It is winding,
of an oval design, with mahogany balustrade. The sky-
light was of stained glass, made in England, showing
the coat of arms.
During the Civil War, the house was taken by the
Government for military uses, and afterwards became
the office of the Pilot Commissioners.
It is now the house of the mission of Our Lady of
the Rosary.
21
II
I I
-.»R?5V-
Fraunces's Tavern
X:^ the year 1671 Col. Stephen Van Cortlandt
built a cottage on the corner of Broad and
Pearl (then Queen) streets, to which he brought
his bride, Gertrude Schuyler. The house overlooked the
waters of the river and bay. In the year 1700 he deeded
this property to his son-in-law, Etienne de Lancey, prob-
ably wishing to retire to his manor on the Hudson. De
Lancey was a French Huguenot of rank who had left
his native country on the revocation of the edict of
Nantes. He came to New York where he established
himself as a merchant. On these premises he built a
hip-roofed mansion several stories in height, of small
yellow bricks imported from Holland. In dimensions
and arrangement it ranked among the best in the col-
ony. The property descended through his son James
to his grandson Oliver. This part of the town having
by that time become the business quarter in 1757, the
house was abandoned as a residence and became the
warehouse of De Lancey, Robinson & Co. On Janu-
ary 17, 1762, the building was transferred to Samuel
Fraunces, who converted it into a tavern under the name
of the " Queen's Head," and announced that dinner
would be served daily at half -past one. In April, 1768,
23
Old liiiildiniis of Xt'w York ("it//
in tlu' loiii^- room, tlu- C'liaiiihii- of Commerce was in-
auiiiirntid with .loliii CVrii*>er as president.
On November 2.), 17H8, tlie day of the evacnation
of the Hritisli, a grand ban(|uet was given by Cxovernor
Clinton to General Washington and the French minis-
ter. Ln/.erne. and in tlie evening tiie "Queen's Head"
and tlie wliole town were ilhiminated. ]More than a
liundred generals, ofticers, and distinguished personages
attended the banquet and thirteen toasts were drunk
commemorative of tlie occasion. Ten days later Wash-
inaion here met his o'enerals for the last time. After
a .slight repast Washington filled his glass and addressed
his officers as follows: "With a heart full of love and
gratitude, I must now take my leaA'c of you. I most
devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosper-
ous and happy as your former ones ha\'e been glorious
and honorable." * In silence his former companions
then took a final farewell of their chief.
This is one of the oldest buildings in the city, as the
great fire of 1776 doubtless swept away most of those
of earlier date. During the last century the building
has gone through various vicissitudes, mostly on the de-
scending scale. A year or two ago the ground floor was
occupied by a saloon. Lately the building has been
completely restored by the Sons of the Revolution and
now jiresents very nearly its original appearance.
* New York Herald, May 6, 1906.
24
Sub-Treasury and Assay Office
"V^ -'HE Sub-Treasury is built on the site of the orig-
f ^ inal City Hall. In 1789 this was altered and
^^^ repaired for tlie use of the first Congress and
named the Federal Hall. The balcony of the Hall was
the scene of Washington's inauguration as President,
in commemoration of which the statue was erected.
In 1834 the building was demolished and the pres-
ent structure erected for the Custom House and was
used as such until 1862.
The Assay Office is the oldest building in Wall
Street, having been built in 1823, for the Xew York
branch of the Bank of the United States. It became
the Assay Office in 1853.
27
Bank of New York
^^^;:^IIE oldest bank in the country is the Bank of
€ J Xorth America in Philadelphia, incorporated
^^^ by act of Congress, December, 1781, and by
the State of Pennsylvania a few months afterwards.
Very great losses had occurred from the repudiation
of the Continental bills of credit. All the States had
issued bills of their own and kept on " making experi-
ments in finance which did not depend on specie as a
basis." Currency was expressed in pounds, shillings,
and pence and the currency in circulation was a motley
conglomeration of guineas, doubloons, pistoles, Johan-
nes pieces, moidores, and sequins. Thus arose the ne-
cessity of a bank that should both assist the Government
and benefit the people at large.
On February 26, 1784, a meeting of the principal
merchants and citizens was held at the INIerchants' Coffee
House. General Alexander JNIcDougal was chosen
chairman, and it was unanimously decided to establish
a bank. Subscription books were opened at the offices
of John Alsop, Broadway, Robert Bowne, Queen Street,
and Nicholas Low, Water Street, and the shares were
rapidly taken.
On March 15, 1784, the following officers were
chosen: General Alexander McDougal, president; Sam-
uel Franklin, Robert Bowne, Comfort Sands, Alexan-
Old liiiildiniis of \nc York Citfi
(III- I laiiiiltoiK .losliiKi Waddiiiotoii, Thomas Kandall,
William Maxwell. Xidiolas Low, Daniel JNIcCormick,
Isaac l{oosc'\c'lt, John \'an(k'i-hilt, and Thomas B.
Stonnhton, dircrtors; and William Scton. cashier.
'I'hc hank commenced husiness at what was formerly
the old AValton house in St. George's (now Franklin)
S(niai-e. It stood on the east side of Queen (now Pearl)
Street, almost opposite the present esta])lishment of
IIar])er Brothers, the ])u})lishers. The huilding (erected
IT.J-) will he rememhered l)y many people to-day as it
was only taken down in 1881, hut its appearance during
its declining years gave a faint idea of its original
dignity. In 1787 the husiness of the hank was moved
to Hanover Square, Isaac Roosevelt having been chosen
president in 1786.
In 1796 a lot was bought at the corner of Wall and
AVilliam streets from William Constable for eleven thou-
sand pounds (New York currency). Strange to say,
there is no record of the dimensions of the lot, but the
present building doubtless stands on part of it.
Early in 1797 steps were taken to remove the house
then standing and to put up a new building, and the
corner stone was laid by Gulian Verplanck, then presi-
dent, on June 27th. Mr. Verplanck died in 1799 and
Nicholas Gouverneur was chosen president. The cor-
ner stone of the present building was laid on September
10, 1856, and the building completed in 1858.*
* " Domett's History of the Bank of New York."
30
St. Paul's Chapel
'^^^*-^HIS chapel built in 1764-66 is the oldest church
M J edifice in the city. The first rector was the
^^^ Rev. Dr. Barclay, who was succeeded by the
Rev. Dr. Samuel Auchmuty. The steeple is in the style
of one of Wren's designs. After the burning of Trin-
ity in 1776, it was used as the parish church. The pews
that during the war held Howe, Andre, the officers of
the army of occu2)ation, and the young midshipman who
later became King William IV were, when peace was
concluded, occupied by the former " rebels " Washing-
ton, Clinton, and their followers. After his inaugin'a-
tion, in the Federal Hall in Wall Street, Washington
and the members of both houses came in solemn proces-
sion to St. Paul's, where services were conducted by
Bishop Provost, Chaplain of the Senate, and a Tc Deum
was sung.
The square pew on the left with the national arms
on the wall was the one used by Washington as long
as New York remained the capital. The corresponding
pew on the right, designated })y the arms of tlie State,
was that of Governor Clinton. On the chancel wall are
marble tablets to Sir John Temple, the first British
consul general, and to Colonel Thomas Barclay, the
eminent loyalist, son of the Rev. Dr. Barclay, rector
33
Old liuil(liii<:s of Xc-ic York' ('it if
of Ti-iiiity Parisli. C'oIoirI Harclay succeeded Teiuple
as consul ocneral of " His Hrittanick Majesty." Tliere
is also a tablet in memory of the wii'e of \Villiam Frank-
lin, Tory (lovernor of New Jersey, and several others.
'I'he only other I'eniinder of ))i-e-l{evoluti()nai-v days is
the oilded crest of the Prince of AVales over the pulpit
canopy. As everyone knows, at the east end of the
yard facing- Broadway are monuments to three eminent
Irishmen who rose to distinction in this country — Em-
met, Montg-omery, and ]MacXeven, one at the bar, an-
other in the army, and the third in medicine. Emmet
was tlie brother of the Irish martyr, Robert Emmet;*
Montgomery settled in New York before the Revolu-
tion, married a daughter of Chancellor Livingston and
fell at Quebec; t ]MacNeveii, like Emmet, had taken
* Robert Emmet, member of an old English family that settled
in Ireland during Cromwell's time, was one of the purest and most
disinterested of rebels. He is now believed by his family, and with
very good reason, to have been instigated to rebellion by a secret
emissary of Pitt in Paris, where he had resided since leaving col-
lege, as part of an evil scheme to withdraw attention from the
disordered condition of English politics at the time. {Vide " Ire-
land under English Rule, or A Plea for the Plaintiff," by Thomas
Addis Emmet, 1903.)
f Richard Montgomery, son of Thomas Montgomerj^ of Convoy
House, Donegal, had been a captain in the British army in the
French and Indian War. " On his return to England he is said
to have formed friendships with Fox. Burke, and Barre, and became
strongly imbued with their ideas about the rights of the colonies,
and when he was superseded and disappointed in the purchase of
a majority, he left England forever." When in America it had
34
St. Paul's Chapel
part in the Irish rebelhon of '98, acting with him as
one of the Directory of Three. Both were imprisoned
happened that on their way to a distant post, he had come on shore
with all the officers of his company at Clermont, the Livingston
place on the North River, and there met Janet Livingston for the
first time, and on his return, with the full approbation of her parents,
he married her in July, 1773. Soon after his arrival he bought a
farm at Kingsbridge, near New York, but after his marriage he
arranged to build a house at Barrytown-on-the-Hudson on the Liv-
ingston property.
The house, known as " Montgomery Place," was built from de-
signs of his nephew, an architect, son of his sister, the Viscountess
Ranelagh. Some relics of the general, including his sword, etc.,
are still preserved there. When war broke out, Congress appointed
him a brigadier general, and such was the confidence in him that
he was given carte hlanche as to all the officers under him. He
fell at the head of his troops in the assault on Quebec, December
31, 1775, at the age of thirty-seven. The estimation in which he
was held by his wife's family continued to the time of his death.
In July, 1818, when the State of New York had his remains brought
from Quebec, they were interred under the monument now seen at
the east end of St. Paul's Chapel. Forty-three years had elapsed
since Mrs. Montgomery had parted with her husband at Saratoga.
She was notified by Governor Clinton of the day on which the
steamer Richviond, carrying the remains, would pass down the river.
She was left alone upon the piazza of the house. The emotions with
which she saw the pageant were told in a letter written to her
niece :
" At length they came by with all that remained of a beloved
husband who left me in the bloom of manhood, a perfect being.
Alas ! how did he return ? However gratifying to my lieart, yet
to my feelings every pang I felt was renewed. The pomp with
which it was conducted added to my woe; when the steamboat
35
Old liiiildifiiis of Xnv York Citif
at Fort (k'or^c in Scotland. He later served in Napo-
leon's army as surgeon.
(ieoro'c ^V. P. Custis, who was one of Washington's
I'aniily. spoke of St. Paul's as being" " quite out of
town. ' No doubt the great fire of 177(>, which stopped
when it got to the Chapel yard, left the Chapel stand-
ing isolated from buildings below it; but Custis, to get
there from St. (xcorge's (Franklin) Square, must have
had to go some distance " down town." It tends to show
that the water front of the city was covered with build-
ings before the central ])art. The fact that the com-
missioners for making a \Asa\ of the future city early in
the last century arranged for so many streets running
to the water and for so few running north and south
would also seem to indicate that they thought easy access
to the rivers was of prime importance.
]Mr. Astor, with his wonderful foresight, was the
first man to realize that the " backbone " of the island
was, in after years, to show the greatest advance in the
value of real estate.
passed with slow and solemn movement, stopping before my house,
the troops under arms, the Dead March from the muffled drums,
the mournful music, the splendid coffin canopied with crepe and
crowned with plumes, you may conceive my anguish ! " After the
vessel had gone by it was found she had fainted.
36
The City Hall
'S^^^HE plans of the architect who designed the
■ ^ j City Hall, John ]McComb, were accepted in
^^^ the year 1803, but the building was not com-
pleted until nine years later.
It is not always 'an agreeable business to devote one's
time to destroying a myth A\hich has become lodged in
the affections of the people, but sometimes it rests on
so slight a foundation that there is nothing gained in
keeping it alive. We have lately seen how the tradi-
tion that Washington Irving used to live in the house
on the corner of Irving Place and Seventeenth Street
had no foundation in fact, except that he had a nephew
who lived next door. And so the story so often repeated
in newspapers and guide books that the City Hall was
finished in brownstone at the back because the city fa-
thers thought that nobody of any importance would ever
live to the north of it might, it seems, be set at rest,
although the attempt is not made for the first time.
The story reflects on the intelligence of the people of
the day. The reason was economy, but not joined to
deficiency of foresight.
The Common Council of that day, instead of being
obtuse on the subject were (luite the other way, and
show by their records that tliey took a highly optimistic
39
Old liiiildiiiiis of A'rti" Vork Cit/i
view of wliat llity call the city's " unrivaled " situation
and opulence. They state their hehef that in a very few
years the hall that they were ahout to huild would be
the cciittr ol' the wealth and ])0))ulation of the city. It
was at first arran^-ed to huild entirely of hrownstone,
and tlie contractors t>'ot their work done ixs far as the
basement, as can readily he seen to-day. Then the views
of the Common Council underwent a change. A lialt
wa*» made and McComb was requested to make an esti-
mate of the cost in marble.
From an interesting article appearing in the Century
Magazine for April, 1884. written by ]\Ir. Edward S.
Wilde, it seems that the committee's report states: " It
appears from this (the architect's) estimate that the
difference of expense between marble and brownstone
will not exceed the sum of $43,750, including every
contingent charge. When it is considered that the City
of New York from its inviting situation and increasing
opulence, stands unrivaled . . . we certainly ought, in
this pleasing state of things, to possess at least one pub-
lic edifice which shall vie with the many now erected in
Philadelphia and elsewhere ... in the course of a very
few years it is destined to be the center of the wealth
and population of the city. Under these impressions
the Building Committee strongly recommend that the
front and two end views of the new hall be built of
marble."
The corporation then authorized the use of marble
on three fronts. The brownstone of the rear received
40
The Citif Hall
its first coat of white paint only a few years ago, as
nearly anyone who reads this can testify. In 1858 the
cupola was destroyed by fire and was restored in a poor
manner, but ]Mr. Wilde says: "Notwithstanding this
change and the damage done less by time than by stu-
pidity, the hall stands to-day unsurpassed by any struc-
ture of the kind in the country."
41
, ^« '»-'»-« *- 1
Astor Library
"^^^-^HE Astor Library was founded in accordance
€ J with the terms of a codicil to the will of the
^^^ first John Jacob Astor. It was opened in
1854. His son William B. Astor added a wing to the
original building (the present central portion) and pre-
sented five hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the
library fund.
In 1881 another wing was added by his grandson,
John Jacob Astor.
43
The Langdon House
'^^^:;^HIS house was usually called the Langdon
■ ^ J house, although it was never occupied by the
^^^ family of that name. ]Mr. Walter Langdon's
house, directly oi^nosite, was built much later. About
1845 the first John Jacob Astor wished to j) resent his
daughter, INIrs. Walter Langdon, with a city residence
and built this house for her during her absence abroad.
He built merely the shell of the house, and on his daugh-
ter's return gave her the sum of thirty thousand dollars
for the 2^urpose of decorating it. Carte blanche was
given to a famous decorator of that day, and he pro-
ceeded to finish it in a style hitherto unknown in the city.
The result was that in the end the cost of the interior
had risen to sixty thousand dollars, considered a very
large sum at that time. A great deal of attention was
paid to plaster and stucco ornamentation and woodwork.
The most attractive feature of the liouse was the main
staircase, which was made in England especially for the
house. This staircase was rectangular and of a dai'k
rich colored wood, was beautifully carved and of a very
graceful design. It was lighted by a large stained-
glass window overlooking Astor Place. The reception
rooms were on the left of the main hall witli a conserva-
tory in the rear. At the I'ight were tlie library, stair-
45
Old Ji nil (lilies of Xc'cc York Cit//
case, diniii*'' room, and offices. JNIrs. Lan^don, however,
returned to Kurope and continued to reside there until
lier death. Meanwliile it was arran<>['ed that tlie house
slioultl he occupied hy her (huighter. wlio had married
an Kn<»lisli ^^'cntleman, INlr. ^Matthew Wilks. ^Ir. and
^Irs. AVilks continued to live there until the house was
taken down in 1875.
The i)roperty had a frontage of ahout two hundred
and fifty feet on both Astor Place and Lafayette Place
(now Lafayette Street), from which it was shut off
by a high wall. The enclosed courtyard was laid out
as a garden, M'ith large trees, and the rear was occupied
by the stables. The garden contained a ring large
enough for riding purposes.
Of course during the Forrest-]Macready riot in 1849
the house was almost in what might be called the storm
center. In the midst of it one of the servants, who
thought he had secured a perfectly safe point of observa-
tion on the roof, was killed.
46
St. Mark's in the Bowery
'^TT^HEN Stiiyvesant retired from office, after the
I I ^ British occupation, he withdrew to his " Bow-
VM>^ erie " or farm near the site of the present
church, then two miles out of town. In 1660 he built
a small chapel near his house for the people of the little
village that sprang up about the farm, as well as for
his own family and the slaves, of whom there were
about forty in the vicinity. This chapel was torn down
in 1793, and the Petrus Stuyvesant of that day offered
to present the ground and eight hundred pounds in
money to Trinity parish if it would l)uild a church
there. This offer was accepted. In INIay, 1799, the
church was finished and the body of it has remained
intact to the present time, but there w^as no steeple
before 1828. One pew was reserved for the gov-
ernor of the State, and the corresponding pew on the
other side for " JNIr. Stuyvesant and family forever," *
•each pew being surmounted by a canopy. f The ne-
^ro servants (slaves) sat in the rear of the congre-
gation.
In a vault under the cha])el the governor's body had
teen placed after his death, in 1672, and in 1691 the
* By resolution of the Vestry, August 26, 1803.
f Removed in 1835.
49
Old liiiildin^^s of X('7c York' ('it//
luxly of the l\iinlisli noNcriior ( Sl()u«iliter) was also
plju'i'd tluri'.
Ill Imildiiii^- tlu' c'liiirc'li Stuyvesaiit's remains were
remoxtd and i)hK'e(l in a vault beneath the walls of the
new I'dificr. The stone whieh may be seen fastened to
the outer wall bears the following inseription: '' In this
\ault lies buried Petrus Stuyvesant, late Captain Gen-
eral and (Governor in Chief of Amsterdam in Xew
Netherlands, now ealled New York, and the Dutch
A\'est India Islands, died A.i). 1071-2, aged 80 years."
In July. 1804, the church was draped in mourning
for the deatii of Hamilton, and was so kept for six
weeks.
50
Second Avenue
Fanner Residence of the Late Lewis M. Butherfurd
HEWIS M. RUTHERFURD was one of the
most noted astronomers that this country has
produced. As a young man, he began the
study of the law with Wilham H. Seward, and was
admitted to the bar in 1837 and became associated with
John Jay and afterwards with Hamilton Fish. But
his tastes were entirely in the direction of science, and
he decided to abandon the law and apply his attention
to scientific research. With ample means, he had full
opportunity to devote his life to the pursuit of his favor-
ite study, astronomical photograj^hy. He spent several
years of study in Europe and, on his return, he built
an observatory in New York, the best equipped private
astronomical observatory in the country. He made with
his own hands an equatorial telescope and devised a
means of adapting it for photographic use by means of
a third lens placed outside of the ordinary object glass.
He was the first to devise and construct micrometer ap-
paratus for measuring impressions on the plate. It is
said that he took such pains in the construction of the
threads of the screws of his micrometer that he was
engaged three years upon a single screw. He worked
for many years at the photograjjhic method of observa-
53
Old liiiildiiiiis of A'ctt' Vorli Cili/
tioii iK't'oiv [\\v \ii\uc and importance of his labors were
reeoiinized, hut in 18(>.> tliese were fully aeknowledfj^ed
hy the National Aeademy of Sciences. The remarkable
resuHs that he obtained were all secured before the
discoveiy of the dry-plate ])rocess. His ])hotographs
of the moon sur])assed all others that had been made.
AVhen oM-i-taken by ill health he ])resented his instru-
ment and photo^Ta])hs to Columbia College, and his
telescope is now mounted in the observatory of that
university.
lie was an associate of the Royal Astronomical So-
ciety, ])i'esident of the American Photographical Soci-
ety, and was the American delegate to the International
^leridian Conference at Washington in 1885, preparing
the resolutions embodying the results of the labors of
the conference. He received many decorations and
honors from the learned societies of the w^orld, but his
dislike of o.stentation was such that he was never known
to wear one of the decorations, emblems, etc., that were
conferred upon him.*
The ]\Iansard roof has been added to the house since
its occupation by the Rutherfurd family and the en-
trance removed from the avenue to the side street.
^Vhen the house and grounds of the late Hon.
Hamilton Fish, on Stuyvesant Square, were sold a
few years ago, it was said that there had been no trans-
fer of the site except by devise or descent since the time
of the old Governor. The same might be said of this
* " Nat. Cyclop, of Am. Biog.," vol. VI, p. 360.
54
Former Residence of the Late Lewis M. Rutherfurd
property. Stuyvesaiit's house, in wliich, it is said, the
papers were signed transferring the province to the
British Crown, stood close to this spot. The house is
the property of Rutherfurd Stuyvesant, a son of Lewis
]M. Rutherfurd.
55
The Keteltas House
X example of an old Second Avenue dwelling,
the residence of the Keteltas family on the
corner of St. Mark's Place.
57
Washington Square
Residence of Eugene Delano
>^^^-^HIS house was formed by uniting two of the
£ J fine old residences on the north side of Wash-
^^^ ington Square. The interior has been admira-
bly reconstructed. The house was formerly occupied
by Edward Cooper (son of the late Peter Cooper),
who was, at one time, JNIayor of the City.
59
First Presbyterian Church, Fifth Avenue
O
HIS church, representing the oldest Presbj^te-
rian organization in the city, was formed in
1716. The building was erected in 1845.
61
An Old Fifth Avenue House
Former Besideuce of the Late James Lenox
a AMES LENOX was born in New York in
1800, and was the son of Robert Lenox, a
wealthy Scotch merchant. He graduated
from Columbia College in 1820 and entered upon a
business life, but on the death of his father in 1839
he retired and devoted the rest of his life to study and
works of benevolence. The collection of books and
works of art became his absorbing passion, and even-
tually he gathered about him the largest and most valu-
able private collection of books and paintings in Amer-
ica. In 1870 he built the present Lenox Library. The
collection of bibles is believed to be unequaled even by
those in the British INIuseum, and that of Americana
and Shakespeareana greater than that of any other
American library, in some respects surpassing those in
Europe. He conveyed the whole property to the City
of New York. He was the founder and the benefactor
of the Presbyterian Hospital.
63
'M:Wj .1 111
Another Old Fifth Avenue House
Former Residence of the Late Robert B. Minturn
QRIOR to the Civil AVar, the principal merchants
and bankers were among the most prominent
men in the city. The multimillionaire had not
then appeared. The ships of Howland & Aspinwall,
N. L. & G. Griswold, A. A. Low & Brother, and
Grinnell, ^Minturn & Co. carried the flag to the farthest
quarters of the globe, where their owners' credit stood
second to none. For speed the American clipper was
unsurpassed. These " vessels performed wonderful feats
— as when the Flying Cloud ran from New York to
San Francisco, making 43314 statute miles in a single
day; or the Sovereign of the Seas sailed for ten thou-
sand miles without tacking or wearing; or the Dread-
nought made the passage from Sandy Hook to Queens-
town in nine days and seventeen hours." *
Mr. iVIinturn was a philanthropist and one of the
best citizens the town ever had.
The house is now the residence of Thomas F. Ryan.
* " King's Handbook of Xew York," p. 88.
G.J
Grace Church, Broadway
67
The Society Library
XN the year 1700 the Pubhc Library of New-
York was founded under the administration
of the Earl of Bellomont, and seems to have
progressed as the city grew% being aided from time to
time by gifts from interested persons on the other side,
several folio volumes now in the Society Library having
been presented by friends in London in 1712, and in
1729 the Rev. Dr. jNIillington, rector of Newington,
England, having bequeathed his library to the Society
for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,
it was presented to the New York Public Library. The
library, being in charge of the corporation of the city,
was evidently not managed in a manner satisfactory to
the people in general. In the year 1754 it was deter-
mined that a more efficient library was a necessity. In
that year the present Society Library had its origin,
and what Iiad been the Public I^ibrary of the city was
incorporated w^ith it. Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer *
states that it had its source in a movement started by
Mrs. Alexander, who suggested to some of her friends
that a circulating library should be established, the sub-
scribers to collect sufficient money to send to England
for the newest and best books. A list was made lieaded
* Goede Vrouw of Man-.u-liata.
69
Old Jiuil(liii<is of Xctc York Citij
l)y Messrs. \\'illi;mi Sinitli, Pliilip, AVilliani and K()])ert
Livingston. .John Morin Scott and William ^Vkxander.
After subsc'ri])tion hooks liad been opened and the lieu-
tenant ii()\ernor (l)e Lancey) and council had "set
their official seal "" on the venture, a considerable sum
was raised and an institution was regularly organized
and later received a charter from Governor Tryon.
Down to the time of the Revolution, the collection was
constantly increased by the purchase of books, but dur-
ing the Revolution, with a large ])art of the city de-
stroyed by fire and what remained being under the
control of a hostile army, the library suffered greatly.
]Mrs. Lamb * states that " four thousand or more books
disappeared at the outbreak of the Revolution and were
supposed destroyed, but many were hidden away for
safe-keeping and reappeared after the war." f
In December, 1788, a meeting of the proprietors
Mas called, trustees were elected, and the library again
resumed operations.
The library was kept in a room in the Federal Hall
in Wall Street and was used as the library of Congress.
The first building put up for its use was on the corner
* Magazine of American History.
f The British took possession of the City Hall and " they also
plundered it of all the books belonging to the subscription library,
and also of a valuable library which belonged to the corporation,
the whole consisting of not less than sixty thousand volumes. This
was done with impunity and the books publicly hawked about the
town for sale by private soldiers " (" Lamb's History of the City
of New York/' vol. II, p. 134).
70
The Society Library
of Nassau and Cedar streets in 1795, but the growth of
the city compeUing a change, a new building was erected
in 18-10 on the corner of Broadway and Leonard Street.
The Library has occupied the present building in Uni-
versity Place since ]\Iay, 1856.
The membership of the library has been from the
start among the most prominent and respectable citi-
zens. jNIany of the original shares of 1754-58 have
remained in the same families to the present time, as
those of the Auchmuty, Banyer, Beekman, Clarkson,
Cruger, De Peyster, De Lancey, Harrison, Jones,
Keteltas, Lawrence, Livingston, Ludlow, McEvers,
]Morris, Ogden, Robinson, Rutherfurd, Smitli, Stuyve-
sant. Van Home, and Watts families; and from 1790-96
those of the Astor, Bailey, Barclay, Bowne, Coles, Dela-
field. Fish, Gelston, Greenleaf, Jay, Kemble, Kings-
land, Lenox, Low, Lee, Le Roy, Oothout, Peters,
Prime, Ray, Remsen, Roosevelt, Sackett, Schermer-
horn, Schieif elin. Swords, Titus, Townsend, Van Zandt,
Van Wagenen, Van Rensselaer, Verplanck, Wadding-
ton, Winthrop, and Woolsey families.
71
ffi
Cruger House
'ANY old New Yorkers remember the Cruger
house in Fourteenth Street about halfway
between Sixth and Seventh avenues, when it
was occupied by the late ]\Irs. Douglas Cruger.*
The house, having a frontage of seventy-five feet,
stood in the middle of a courtyard extending on either
side about one hundred feet, separated from the street
by a high wall. Now the courtyard has disappeared and
the house, crowded closely on both sides by high build-
ings, seems completely dwarfed. Decorated with fire
escapes and signs it has fallen from its high estate, and
the whole street, formerly a quiet dwelling street, is now
nearly given over to trade and noisy bustle. The en-
trance hall, twenty-five feet in width, extended from
front to rear eighty-five feet, a wide staircase rising
from the center at the end, the conservatory at the rear
being of the width of the house. The rooms on either
side were rather curiously divided, losing somewhat in
what might have made a more imposing effect, not,
however, enough to prevent their being an excellent
* Mrs. Cruger spent lier summers at that quaint castellated
structure, Henderson House or Home, seven miles from Riclifield
Springs^ the grounds being part of twenty thousand acres received
by letters patent from the English crown.
73
Old HiiildiN-s of Xcrc York City
j)huv I'or Ihc (lis|)()siti()n of the collection of the Metro-
])olitan ^Museum. \\ hicli leased the house in 1873 for five
years. 'V\\v house is described in tlie annual report for
that year as a " lar^e and ele<»ant building surrounded
by spacious i»'rounds, upon which grounds new galleries
may be built, should they be required. . . ." * The
rooms certainly had more luiobstructed light than could
be f(Mind in most ]:)rivate houses. It is now occupied
by the Salvation xVrmy.
* " Bulletin of Mctroi^olitaii Museum/' January, 1907.
74
Abingdon Square — Greenwich
"^^^^^HE peculiarity of the Greenwich section of the
■ ^ J town is that it has retained an individuahty
^^^ that no other section has retained. It is very
much of an American quarter. The streets are hned
with well-kept, comfortable brick houses, dating back
sixty years or more, many of them with the elaborately
ornamental iron railings and newel posts that are dis-
appearing so rapidly. There is a marked paucity of
the conventional tenement house, and although factories
and warehouses are crowding it on all sides, its people
cling with a stolid determination to their ancient homes.
This square is taken as representative of this quarter
of the city, although it is rather in the streets adjoining
that the houses are most representative of old dwellings
of sixty or seventy years ago. Before the arrival of
Henry Hudson, there was an Indian village here near
the site of Gansevoort ^Market, but Governor Van
Twiller turned the locality into a tobacco farm. By
1727 it became covered with farms and was joined to
the city by a good road very nearly following the line
of the present Greenwich Street.
The region was always noted for its healthfulness
and wlien an e])idemic of smallpox broke out Admiral
W^arren invited the Colonial Assembly to meet at his
77
Old liiiildiiiiis of \i'7c VorJx ('it//
lioiisf. 'I'liis iiwuk' (iirt'invicli the fashion, and I'or nearly
a century wlun epidenncs occurred the ])eo])le Hocked
out of town to that villa<>e. At one time tlie IJank
of New York transferred its business there.
No history of this ])art of the city can be written
without some reference to that bold Irish sailor, Admiral
Sir Peter Warren. Post captain at the age of twenty-
four he. in IT-t^. while in command of the squadron on
the Leeward Islands station, in less than four months
ca])tured twenty-four prizes, one with a cargo of two
hundred and fifty thousand pounds in plate. He also
served at Louisburg, Gibraltar, and elsewhere. When
at length he tired of a seafaring life, althoug*h still
young, he decided ui)on making his home in New York,
and proceeded to anchor himself for a time at least by
marrying a New York woman, INIiss De Lancey. He
bought three hundred acres of land at Greenwich, built
a house and laid out the grounds like an English park.
Here he resided for some years, and then went to Eng-
land and entered Parliament.
He died at the age of forty-eight and lies buried in
Westminster Abbey, with a fine monument by Roubillac
above him. After Lady Warren's death the property
was divided into three lots, one lot going to each of
the three daughters. The lot containing the house fell
to the eldest daughter, Lady Abingdon, and was sold
by her to Abijah Hammond, who afterwards sold it
to the late Abraham Van Nest. The remainder was
sold off in small parcels after three roads had been cut
78
A hingdon Square — Greenwich
through them, the Abingdon, Fitzroy, and Skinner
roads.* The first corres^Donds to the present Twenty-
first Street, the second was ahnost on a Hne with Eighth
Avenue, and the third was part of the present Christo-
pher Street.
* Named after the three daughters, Countess of Abingdon, Lady
Southampton (Fitzroy), and Mrs. Colonel Skinner.
79
Gramercy Square
DOW that St. John's Park has been destroyed,
Gramercy Park is the only private park in
the city — that is, one restricted in its use to
owners of houses facing it. Fifty years ago it had
more sechision. A high and dense hedge surrounded
it on the inside of the iron fence. For some reason
this was removed and never replanted. Now people in
the park might almost as well be in the middle of the
street. The figure on the fountain was then a Hebe
perpetually filling her cup with water. In former days
the children that played in the grounds had an annual
May festival on the first of the month. One of the
young girls was chosen queen. Dressed in white and
crowned with flowers, she led the festivities around the
Maypole, under the trees. Later they all withdrew to
the house of her parents, where a collation was served
and the dancing continued until the children were sent
home by their parents and to bed.
A number of men who have been prominent in the
city's life are living or have lived in houses about the
square. AVe might mention John Bigelow, Stuyvesant
Fish, James W. (xcrard, Edwin Booth, Samuel J.
Tilden, Dr. Bellows, Dr. A'alentine INIott, Cyrus W.
Field, and David Dudlev Field.
81
Gramercy Square
Residence of John Bigelow
K. BIGELOW, one of the best-known citizens
of Xew York, was admitted to the bar in 1839
and in I80O joined William Cullen Bryant as
editor of the Xew York Evening Post. He continued
as one of the principal editors until 1861, when he was
appointed consul at Paris, and on the death of Mr.
Dayton became United States ^Minister, remaining so
until 1866.
While at Paris he published " Les Etats Unis
d'Amerique." This work corrected the erroneous views
of the French as to the relative commercial importance
of the Xorthern and Southern States and was effective
in discouraging the supposed desire of the French Gov-
ernment for the disruption of the Union.
Mr. Bigelow also conducted the negotiations leading
to the withdrawal of the French army from ^Mexico.
In 1875 he was elected to the office of Secretary of
State of Xew York. He has published " The Uife of
Samuel J. Tilden," of whom he was one of the three
executors; "The Mj^stery of Sleep" and numerous
other works. He has been honored by degrees from
various colleges and universities.*
* " Natl. Cyclo. of Amer. Biog."
83
Gramercy Square
Foniicr Residence of the Late Lutlier ('. (lark
fi
OR many years this house was the residence of
]Mr. Clark, the well-known banker. It is now
the house of the Columbia University Club.
85
Gramercy Square
Former Residence of the Late James W. Gerard
K. GERARD was an eminent lawyer. Born
in this city in 1794, of French ancestry on
his father's side, he graduated from Columbia
College in 1811, and in 1816 took the degree of M.A.
and was admitted to the bar. A man of great public
spirit, he, in 1824, procured the incorporation of the
House of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents, the first
institution of tlie kind in the country. Formerly, the
police or " watchmen," as they were called, wore no
uniforms. Occasionally, an ordinary looking man would
be seen wandering about the streets, and, if the wind
happened to turn aside the lapel of his coat, one might
observe a small metal shield. This was tlie only indi-
cation of his office. JNIr. Gerard publicly advocated the
ado]:)tion of a uniform and by lettei's, addresses, and
])ersistent action accomplished his purpose. He wore
the new uniform at a fancy dress ball given by Mrs.
Coventry Waddell, wlio occupied a Gothic villa, with
tower, turrets, etc., on Fifth ^\.\'enue, at the top of
Murray Hill, and entertained a great deal.
Mr. Gerard devoted much of his time to charitable
institutions and was especially interested in the public
87
Old liiiihliniis of Xnc VorJx Citi/
schools of the city. lie was a capital si)eaker. His
s|)i(.chcs were witty and always in ^ood taste. Tliat
lie was in constant demand, in his prime, at dinners
both ])nl)lic and ])rivate. is readily ])erceived by looking
thron«ili the ])a*»es of Mayor Phili]) Hone's diary.
Graniercv I'ark was founded in ]8.*31 and this is
said to he the oldest house facini»' it.
88
&
Gramercy Square
'' The Plaijers "
'DWIX BOOTH, perhaps the most distin-
guished American actor, was born in INIary-
hmd in 1833. He made his fii'st appearance
in 1849 and was ever after devoted to his profession,
playing throughout this country and also abroad.
He was crushed by the affair of the assassination
of President Lincoln and retired from the stage for a
year, but never lost his personal popularity. He opened
Booth's Theater in Twenty-third Street in 1869 and
for thirteen years maintained the most popular revivals
of Shakespeare's tragedies ever known in the city. Al-
though forced into bankruptcy in 1873, he retrieved his
fortunes by earning two hundred thousand dollars in
fifty-six weeks.
In 1882 he went to Kurope and was received with
the greatest favor. In 1888 he purchased the building
here shown (formerly the residence of Valentine G.
Hall), remodeled and furnished it and presented it to
actors and tlie friends of the drama as " Tlie Players,"
a complete gentleman's club, liootli made his home
at " The Players " from the date of its opening until
his deatli, A\]iich took ])]ace in tliis Iioiisf ,]\\\\v 7. 1893.*
* " N;itl. Cvclo. ol' Anicr. 15i()<>-."
91
Gramercy Square
Former Residence of the Late Samuel J. Tilden
R. TIL13EX had a great reputation for skill
as a lawyer. He was also a thorough poli-
tician, heing chairman of the Democratic State
Committee of Xew York for thirteen years. Nominated
for President in 1876, he received a majority of the
popular vote, hut owing to the fact that the votes of
several States were disputed, the celebrated Electoral
Commission was appointed, consisting of senators,
judges, and representatives. The commission divided
on party lines and gave the disputed votes to ]Mr. Hayes.
The house is formed by combining two, one formerly
having a front similar to that of " The Players," and
the other with a front corresponding to tlie l)rick house
adjoining on the west. The larger house had belonged
to the Belden family. Both the Hall and tlie Belden
houses once had ornamental iron lialconies at tlie main
floor with canopies similar to those now seen attached
to the fronts of the houses on the west side of the square,
and were alike in appearance, excepting that the Belden
house had the coat of arms carved in high relief over
the door. One of the beautiful blisses lielden married
the late Dudley Field, another the late ColcHiel Tal-
madge.
1)3
Old liiiildin-s of \cw Vork Cil//
'I'lu' iiMi'dcns ill the rear ol' these two houses were
the hnncst in thi- low , extending' throuoh the block \o
Xiiieteeiitli Street, a part near tlie Belden house l)eino*
formally laid out with hox-ed*»ed walks and flower beds,
wJiile the rest Mas turfed and shaded by large trees, a
few of Mhich survived until a year or two ago, when
they were eut down to make way for the new building
of the National Arts Club, the present owner. ]Mr.
Tilden, joining with the other owners on the square and
the owners of the houses on Irving Place, had all the
wooden fences in the angle formed by these houses re-
moved and an open iron fence put in their place. Asr
there were no houses on Nineteenth Street, there re-
mained an unusual effect of greenery and trees for New
York City.
94
Gramercy Square
Former Besidence of the Late Rev. Dr. Henry W.
Bellows
OR. BELI^OWS was a distinguished clergyman.
Born in 1814, he graduated at Harvard and
at the Cambridge Divinity School, and in 1838
became the pastor of the First Unitarian Church, Xew
York, and so continued for forty-four years. Dr. Bel-
lows was an accomplished orator, his extemporaneous
speeches being remarkable for their lucidity and style.
He published numerous lectures and pamphlets, but is
best known throughout the country for his work as
president of the United States Sanitary Commission
during the Civil War. Under him the commission dis-
tributed supplies amounting to fifteen millions of dol-
lars in value and five millions of money. The results
of the experience of the commission in their work of
reducing the suffering in war have been copied abroad.
07
Gramercy Square
Fonncr Residence of ihe Late Dr. Valentine Mott
OR. ]MOTT was a distinguished surgeon, and one
of the best-known citizens of the small town
of sixty or seventy years ago. He previously
lived at the easterly end of Depau Row. For many
years Dr. 31. resided in Paris, during the reign of Louis
Philippe, whose physician he was. In 1841 * a ball was
given for the Prince de Joinville at the Depau Row
house, and during the Civil War the Comte de Paris
and brothers were entertained at the Gramercy Square
house.
* " Diary of Phili]) Hone." vol. II, p. 101.
99
Gramercy Square
Rectory of Calvarij Parish
"^^^-^HIS rectory has been the home of many clergy-
€ J men celebrated in the community. One of the
^^^ early rectors was Dr. Francis Lister Hawks.
Born at Newbern, X. C, in 1798, he was ordained in
1827 and was conspicuous in the church up to the time
of his death in 1866.
In 1844 he became rector of Christ Church, New
Orleans, and president of the University of Louisiana,
and in 1849 he became rector of this parish. Being of
Southern birth, he, at the outbreak of the Civil War,
withdrew to the South, but returned after the close of
the war. He published many works on ecclesiastical
and other subjects. He declined the bishopric of Mis-
sissippi and also that of Rhode Island.
The Rev. Dr. Arthur Cleveland Coxe was at one
time rector. He afterwards became the Bishop of
Western Xe^v York. The Rev. Dr. Henry Yates
Satterlee was for many years the well-known rector of
this parish. He is now Bishop of Washington.
101
Gramercy Square
Former Residence of the Late Stanford White
R. WHITE was an eminent architect. It is
now the house of the Princeton Chib.
103
Gramercy Square
Former Residence of the Late Cyrus W. Field and the
Late David Dudley Field
GYRUS W. FIELD was a business man until
about 1854-56, when with Peter Cooper,
Closes Taylor, and others he organized the
Atlantic Telegraph Company. Although the first
cable was laid in 1858, it was not until 1866 that the
enterprise was entirely successful, after INIr. Field had
crossed the ocean thirty times in the prosecution of the
work. He received the thanks of Congress and many
other honors.
His brother, David Dudley Field, was conspicuous
at the New York bar for over fifty years. For forty
years of tliis time he devoted all his spare moments to
the subject of the reform of the law and obtained a
marked success. The new system of civil procedure has
been adopted in many States and substantially followed
in Great Britain. In 1873 he was elected tlie first presi-
dent of an association for the reform and codification of
the law of nations formed at Brussels in that year.*
The two houses owned by the brothers Field have
been united by the present owner, Henry W. Poor,
banker and autlior of the statistical work on American
railways uni\'ersally consulted by bankers and investors
throughout the country. The interior has been beauti-
fully reconstinicted.
* " Natl. Cyclo. of Amer. Biog."
105
Former Residence of the Late Peter Cooper
and the Late Abrani S. Hewitt
QETER COOPER was bom in Xew York in
1791. His father being a man of small means,
he was at an early age put into business and
contributed to the support of his family.
He entered into the manufacture of glue and soon
became the best -known maker of that commodity. In
1828, when thirty-seven years of age, he had acquired
considerable wealth and was enabled to buy three thou-
sand acres of land within the limits of the city of Balti-
more. Here he built the great Canton Iron Works, and
the entire investment soon proved extremely successful.
About the year 18.30 he built, at the West Point Foun-
dry, X. Y., the first locomotive constructed in the
United States for actual service. Xot long after he
disposed of the Canton Iron Works and erected enor-
mous iron works at the city of Trenton, N. J. Tlie
firm was a pioneer in tlie successful manufactiu-e of
iron and became one of the largest of the kind in the
country.
]Mr. Cooper made many inventions in connection
with this business. He became associated with Cyrus
W. Field in his efforts to lay the Atlantic Cable, and
107
OhJ niiildiu^s of Xnc York Ciii/
tlif final siR'crss of that enterprise was in great measure
(hie to liis eooperation. ]\Ir. Cooper is perhaps best
known as the founder of the Cooper Institute, of which
he eoninienced tlie construction as early as 1853. The
ohjeets of tliis institution were to furnish free schools
in art and science and a free reading room and to pro-
vide free lectures on scientific, artistic, and social sub-
jects. ]Mr. Cooper died, universally respected, in 1883.
Abram S. Hewitt, a native of Rockland County,
X. Y., was the son-in-law of Peter Cooper, and to him,
in partnership Mith his son Edward Cooper, he trans-
ferred that branch of his business connected with the
manufacture of iron. ]\Ir. Hewitt was a man much
interested in the great social problems, being no mere
theorist but a man ready to sacrifice his own interests
to the well being of his dependents.
It is a fact that for forty years the business at Tren-
ton was carried on with absolutely no profit beyond the
amount necessary to pay the wages of the three thou-
sand men employed and the regular expenses of the
establishment. He stated at one of the meetings of
tlie Congressional Committee on the grievances of labor
tliat from 1873 to 1879 the business was carried on at
a loss of one hundred thousand dollars a year. Of
course, one object ^vas to continue the business and to
prevent the deterioration of the plant, but the firm also
aimed to avoid throwing such a large body of men out
of employment, although at times they were placed on
half pay.
108
Former Besideuce of the Late Peter Cooper
Notwithstanding, the firm hecanie wealthy through
ventures not relating to the iron business and also
through investments connected with it. As an exam-
ple it may be mentioned that a large purchase of iron
in 1879-80 resulted in a profit of a million dollars. In
1874 ]Mr. Hewitt was elected a representative to Con-
gress and served with the exception of one term until
1886. In that year he was chosen mayor of Xew York.
JNIr. Hewitt was extremely honest and independent.
He was neither a free trader nor a protectionist. He
was a reformer but not a radical one, and at his death
the nation, and especially the Democratic Party, lost
a wise statesman and counselor.*
* " Xatl. Cyclo. of Amer. Biog."
109
The General Theological Seminary
Chelsea
'OME time about the year 1750 Captain Clarke,
a veteran of the provincial army, who had
seen considerable service in the French war,
built a country house, two or three miles north of the
city, to which he gave the name of Chelsea. He gave
it this name because he said it was to be the retreat of
an old soldier in the evening of his days.
It has been thought that the name of Greenwich was
given to the neighboring estate by Admiral Warren
for a corresponding sentimental reason, but jNIr. Janvier,
in that very entertaining book, " In Old New York,"
shows that the name of Greenwich was in use long be-
fore the admiral's advent. Captain Clarke, unfortu-
nately, was not destined long to enjoy the house he
had built. During his last illness, the house caught fire
and the captain came very near being burned with it,
but he was carried out by neighbors and shortly after
died in an adjacent farmhouse. JNIrs. Clarke rebuilt the
house on the crest of a hill that sloped down to the river
about three hundred feet distant.* The estate descended
to her daughter, the wife of Bishop Moore, and in 1813^
* " In Old New York," by Thomas A. Janvier.
Ill
Old liui}(Iin<is of Xcic York ('it if
it \\:is coin t'vi'd to tlicir son. Clement C\ ^Nloore,* by
\\lioiii llif old lioiist' was considerably enlarged. The
liouse was taken down when the bulkhead along the
river I'ront was eonstnieted by tlie city. ]Mr. JNIoore
ijave the whole of tiie block bounded by Twentieth and
Twenty-first streets and Ninth and Tenth avenues to
the (tcneral Theological Seminary of the Kpiscopal
Church, and it became known as Chelsea Square. The
building here shown was built about 1835 and is con-
structed of a gray stone. The modern buildings, how-
ever, are of brick and stone, of a Gothic style and, with
the old trees remaining and the stretches of green lawn,
produce, especially in summer time, a suggestion of
English seclusion and repose quite at variance wdth the
bustle and the crudeness of that part of the city.
* Remembered as the writer of that popular poem^ " 'Twas the
night before Christmas/' etc.
112
Former Residence of the
Late William C. Schermerhorn
115
Church of the Transfiguration
XT is difficult to realize the position held forty
years ago by the old Wallack's Theater at
Broadway and Thirteenth Street. It was in a
way a -city institution. The company remained nearly
the same for years, with occasional changes, and its
members were, one and all, accomplished in their pro-
fession. The receipts of the theater were as regular as
those of a bank.
The elder Wallack, a well-bred Englishman, was a
finished actor of the old school. His son, Lester Wal-
lack, was an extraordinarily handsome man of the ro-
mantic type, well suited for the more sentimental drama
of the day, although his wealth of curly black hair and
whiskers would violate our modern canons of taste, ^y
his father's desire when a 3'oung man he became an offi-
cer in the British army, but after serving two years
resigned and adopted the profession of the stage. His
wife was a sister of JNIillais, the* artist.
George Holland was a short, thickset man with a
rather large head, w^ho w^as seldom cast for a very prom-
inent part, ])ut his humor and his evident geniality and
honesty made him a favorite with the ])ublic. Conse-
quently when the story of his funeral became public,
there was some indignation expressed.
117
Old Buildings of Nczc York City
It is fair to the Rev. Dr. Sabine, however, to say
tliat it is chiinied that when approached by the parties
having charge of the funeral, he told them that the
Church of the Incarnation was undergoing repairs, that
the aisles were crowded with workmen and scaffolding,
and that it would prove an inconvenience to all parties
to hold the services in that church. The late Rev. Dr.
Houghton, rector of this parish for forty-nine years,
was a clergyman held in the highest esteem by the peo-
ple of this city.
118
lu-
^^^
^
Residence of J. Pierpont Morgan
121
Former Residence of the
Late Theodore A. Havemeyer
123
a]
Former Residence
of the Late Edwin D. Morgan
'DWIN D. ISIORGAN, born in Berkshire Coun-
ty, ^lass., in 1811, came to New York in 1836
and founded a mercantile house which became
very successful. In 1858 he was elected Governor of
the State of New York, and as he continued to hold
that office during the first years of the Civil War he is
frequently referred to as " The War Governor." In
1861 he was appointed major general of volunteers and
placed in command, but refused to receive any compen-
sation for his services. In 1862 he was chosen United
States Senator and occupied that ofifice until March,
1869.
President Lincoln offered him the position of Secre-
tary of the Treasury. The same position was offered
him by President Arthur in 1881, but on both occasions
he declined the honor.
Pie was a most generous benefactor to charitable
institutions during his lifetime and also by virtue of his
last will and testament.* The grounds attached to this
house are extensive for New York City.
* " Natl. Cyclo. of Ainer. Biog."
125
ThetOld Arsenal— Central Park
127
Claremont
"^^^^HE view of the Hudson, on a fine day, to a
M^ J person looking northward from Claremont is
^^^ one of the best on the river. Being on a high
point that juts out somewhat into the stream, the spec-
tator appreciates the river's breadth. In former days
the site of Claremont was remarkable for its magnifi-
cent trees, pine, oak and tulip, of extraordinary girth,
height and spread, but the building of the railroad
(which spoiled so many country seats) sounded its death
knell in respect to its being a place of residence with
appropriate surroundings. What is now known as
Claremont appears at an early period to have been
composed of two properties, the upper or northerly
one being called " Strawberry Hill," or " Claremont,"
and the lower or southerly one " Monte Alto." Some
of the early deeds were not recorded and the writer
has not ascertained when or how the division was
made.
A tract of land including that on which the house
stands was conveyed in 1774 to Nicholas de Peyster,
and in August, 1776, was sold by him to George Pol-
lock, an Irish linen merchant.
Pollock endeavored to improve the place by clearing
and cultivation, as is shown by the statement in a letter
129
Old liiiihJiiigs of Xctc York Citij
iiKntioiK'd l)el()w, in wliicli lie says: " I have long con-
sidered those grounds as of my own creation, having
selected tlieni wlieii wild, and brought the place to its
])resent form." lie named the place " Strawberry
Hill." xVfter living there for some years and after the
loss of a child (said to have occurred by drowning) he
withdrew to England.
Almost everyone who has visited Grant's Tomb re-
members the marble funereal monument in the form of
an iu*n inclosed within an iron railing near the top of
the hill. The inscription, much blurred by time, reads:
" Erected to the memory of an amiable child, St. Claire
Pollock, died 15th. July 1797 in the 5 year of his age."
Then follow some lines of verse. In a letter written
from England by ]Mr. Pollock to ]Mrs. Gulian Ver-
planck, M'ho had become the owner of that or the ad-
joining place, dated July 18, 1800, he writes: " There is
a small enclosure near your boundary fence within which
lie the remains of a favorite child, covered by a marble
monument. . . . The surrounding ground will fall into
the hands of I know not whom, whose prejudice or
better taste may remove the monument and lay the en-
closm'e open. You will confer a peculiar and interest-
ing favor upon me by allow^ing me to convey the en-
closure to you, so that you will consider it a part of your
own estate, keeping it however always enclosed and
sacred. There is a w^hite marble funereal urn to place
on the monument which will not lessen its beauty. I
have long considered those grounds as of my own crea-
130
Claremont
tion, having selected them when wild, and brought the
place to its present form. Having so long and so de-
lightfully resided there, I feel an interest in it that I
cannot get rid of by time." *
In July, 1803, a tract of over thirty-one acres was
conveyed by John B. Prevost, former Recorder of the
city, to Joseph Alston, of South Carolina, planter.
Alston f seems to have held the property about three
years and then to have sold it to John JNIarsden Pintard.
This deed conveys the tract known as " Monte Alto."
In November, 1808, a release was recorded, executed by
Theodosia Burr Alston in favor of Michael Hogan,
gentleman, Hogan having bought IMonte Alto from
Pintard.i:
There is no record of any conveyance of Claremont,
*"N. Y. Standard Guide," p. 112.
f Joseph Alston became Governor of South Carolina. Mrs.
Alston, the daughter of Aaron Burr, met with a tragic fate. On
December 30, 1812, she sailed from Charleston in a small schooner.
The Patriot, accompanied by Mr. Green, a friend of her father's,
her physician and her maid. The vessel never reached its destina-
tion. Forty years afterwards, three men, two in Virginia and one
in Texas, made deathbed confessions that they had been members
of the crew, that the crew had mutinied and murdered all the officers
and passengers, Mrs. Alston being the last to walk the plank. The
expression of her face, one man said, haunted him the rest of his
life.
X Pintard was a very prominent man in the first part of the
last century, the founder of tlie New York Historical Society and
many other city institutions.
131
Old Buildings of Xcxc Vorh' ('it//
by Gillian \ crplanck or liis executors, to Ilogan,* but
a deed made by Robert Lenox, Jacob Stout, and John
Wells, trustees, to ^Michael Hogan, dated July 21, 1819,
reconveys to him all i)roperty not disposed of in the
execution of their trust, which is referred to as having
* The author of " The Old Merchants of New York City " gives
this account of Hogan, written in his peculiar style: " Now look
back forty-eight years ago to 1805, and there was but one Hogan
in New York. His name was Michael Hogan, and he had only
landed in the city a few months, but what attention he received from
all the leading men of that day ! Robert Lenox at that time lived
in good style at 157 Pearl Street. He sent an invitation to the
distinguished stranger the second day of his arrival. He was such
a man as did not arrive in the then small city of New York every
day. Michael Hogan brought with him in solid gold sovereigns
four hundred thousand pounds, equal to two million dollars, and
he had a wonderful history. What wovdd I not give if I could write
it all out! All these l60 Hogan families alluded to above, mostly
Irish, are kith and kin of the great nabob, for such he was when he
arrived here in 1804, with his dark Indian princess wife. Michael
Hogan was born at Stone Hall, in the County of Clare, Ireland,
September 26, 1766. So he was thirty-eight years old when he
landed in New York, with his dark-skinned lady and his fabulous
amount of gold. But what scenes he had been through in these
eventful thirty-eight years ! He had been a sailor ; he had com-
manded ships bound to ports in every quarter of the world — in Asia,
Africa, America, and Europe; he had been to North as well as South
America; and he had voyaged to the West as well as to the East
Indies; he had made successful voyages to the almost then unknown
land of Australia. In the East Indies he had married a lady of
great wealth. This was the story that was talked about when Cap-
tain Michael Hogan came here." — Fourth Series, p. 115.
132
Claremont
been imposed by two previous deeds of assignment or
conveyance dated July 25, 1811. It is here that it is
generally thought a vagueness and uncertainty as to
the true owner exists. It was about this time that Clare-
mont was occupied by a rather mysterious individual, an
Englishman named Courtenay, who, it is said, in after
years, inherited the title of the Earl of Devon.
Mr. Haswell,* in his " Reminiscences of an Octo-
genarian," says, page 25 : " West of Broadway, between
Eleventh and Twelfth avenues and One Hundred and
Twenty-third Street, there was a large country resi-
dence occupied by an Englishman, a Mr. Courtenay,
wdth but one man servant and a cook. He lived so
retired as never to be seen in company with anyone
outside of his household and very rarely in public.
" There was, as a consequence, many opinions given
as to the occasion of such exclusiveness. The one gen-
erally and finally accepted was that he had been a gay
companion of royalty in his youth, and that his leaving
England was more the result of expediency with him
than choice." Lossing's f account differs somewhat
from this. He says: "When the War of 1812 broke
out he (Courtenay) returned thither (to England)
leaving his furniture and plate, which were sold at auc-
tion. . . . Courtenay was a great lion in New York,
for he was a handsome bachelor, with title, fortune, and
reputation — a coml)ination of excellencies calculated to
* Who lately (lied at the age of ninety-eight.
f " The Hudson from the Wilderness to the Sea," p. 388.
133
Old liitildhii:;s of Xcxc York Citu
ca])tivntc' tlic heart desires of the opposite sex. Clare-
niont was the residenee for a wliile of Josepli Bonaparte,
ex-Kinr»' of Spain, wlien he first took refu<^e in the
Ignited States, after the battle of AVaterloo and the
downfall of the Xapoleon dynasty. Here too Francis
, I anus Jackson, the snccessor of ]Mr. Erskine, the Brit-
ish ^linister at AVashington, at the opening of the War
of 1812, resided a sliort time. . . . He was politically
and socially nnpopidar, and presented a strong contrast
to the polished Courtenaj^" Courtenay disappeared at
the time of the war between this country and Great
Britain, after having greatly embellished the place. It
has always been a tradition in the Post family (who
owned the property for nearly fifty years) that Courte-
nay built the present house. In jNIarch, 1812, Hogan
joined with the above-named trustees in conveying the
property " commonly called Claremont " to Herman
Le Roy, William Bayard, and James McEvers, trus-
tees. By some it has been supposed that wdiile the legal
title M'as in trustees, there may have been an unrecorded
declaration of trust, by which Courtenay became the
equitable owner. The grantees * in the last-mentioned
deed first leased Claremont and several years later sold
it to Joel Post, February 12, 1821. Later, ]Mr. Post
(brother of the distinguished phj^sician of the last cen-
tury. Dr. Wright Post, who also resided at Claremont)
* It has been suggested that these trustees, being relatives, held
the property in trust during the minority of Gulian C. Verplanck,
who in later life became the noted Shakespearian scholar.
134
Claremont
purchased the property adjoining on the south, JMonte
Alto, and united the ownership of the two places, al-
though JNIonte Alto was for many years occupied as a
country seat by the JNIcEvers family.* In 1868 the
house and a portion of the place were acquired by the
city from the heirs of jNIr. Post.
It seems to have been pretty well shown that the
battle of Harlem Heights was not fought in this local-
ity. It is only in recent years that JNIorningside Heights
have been spoken of as Harlem Heights. In conveying
Claremont it is described as in Bloomingdale and ac-
cording to the map (Mrs. Lamb's " History of the City
of Xew York," vol. II, p. 129) the westerly line of
Harlem excluded all INIorningside Heights except a few
feet at the base of the high ground at JNIanhattanville.
The high ground was known as Vandewater Heights,
and if the battle had taken place there it would have
been known by that name. It is more probable that
most of the fighting (which was Avidespread) took place
at the base of the Point of Rocks, south of the Convent
of the Sacred Heart, and also along the high ground
to tlie west and north. Day's Tavern stood a little to
the northeast of the Point of Rocks, and there Knowlton
and the Connecticut troops were stationed.
Major Lewis Morris, Jr., wrote to his father on
September 28th: " JMonday morning an advanced par-
ty. Colonel Knowlton's regiment, was attacked on a
height a little to the southwest of Day's Tavern."
* Miss McEvers married Sir Edward Cunard.
135
Old Jiulldini^s of Xnc York Citij
Mornin^sidc IIei<i^lits would liavc been considerably
more tlian " a little ' to the southwest of Day's Tavern.
The detachment sent out before daylight under Knowl-
ton by (xeneral Washington was not his regiment but
a small body, probably a single company, and was sent
to make a diversion upon the enemy's rear. It is prob-
able that they followed the river's edge as far south as
Ninety-fourth Street, much below Claremont and jNIorn-
ingside Heights. The actual battle did not begin until
late in the day. The resolution of Congress passed
October 17, 1776, was " Resolved, That General Lee
be directed to repair to the camp on the Heights of
Harlem with leave," etc.
Washington had no camp on ]Morningside Heights.
His camp was on the high ground between the Point
of Rocks and the Harlem River.
Finally " nowhere on JNIanhattan Island, to my
knowledge, beyond the limit of the city, have there been
found the remains of so many English and Hessian
soldiers, as shown by buttons, cross-belt buckles, bay-
onets, and portions of other arms, as have been exca-
vated, from time to time, in the neighborhood of Trin-
ity Cemetery. There could have been no fight at this
point unless it was at the battle of Harlem, while the
neighborhood about Columbia University, where it is
claimed the battle was fought, has been particularly
free from all such evidence." * Claremont is now a
* " Tlie Battle of Harlem Heights," by Thomas Addis Emmet,
M.D., Magazine of American History, September, I9O6.
136
Claremont
public restaurant.* The adding of the huge inclosed
piazzas has produced an effect that is nondescript.
* During the War of 1812, defenses were erected in this section
as a protection against anticipated attacks by the British. Mrs.
Lamb says (" History of the City of New York," vol. II, p. 661):
" On the bank of the Hudson, near the residence of Viscount Cour-
tenay, afterwards Earl of Devon, was a strong stone tower con-
nected by a line of intrenchments with Fort Laight." Fort Laight
was at the north on an eminence overlooking Manhattanville.
137
Hamilton Grange
LEXAXDER HAINIILTOX, although bom
in another colony, was identified with the city
from boyhood and married into a Xew York
family.* The genuine Xew Yorker seems always to
have had a certain regard for the memory of Hamilton,
ascribable perhaps to his untimely taking off, to a sen-
timent of having been, as it were, robbed of the services
of a great man, and to the strong light thrown upon
the contrast between his traits and those of his distin-
guished and brilliant antagonist.
He had faults, but they were very human ones, while
those of his adversary tended toward the incarnation of
selfishness. His career is probably more familiar to the
people than that of any of the other characters con-
nected with the State of Xew York during the Revo-
lutionary era. The site of the house (named after the
estate of his grandfather in Ayreshire, Scotland) was
chosen by him in order to be in proximity to the house
of his friend, Gouverneur Morris, at Morrisania. The
situation at that time, like that of tlie Jumel house,
commanded an extensive view of the Hudson and Har-
lem rivers and Long Island Sound. It was then about
eight miles from town, so that it was his habit to drive
* Mrs. Hamilton was the daughter of General Philip Schuyler.
139
Old Buildings of Xeic York City
ill (.'xtrv day. It was not to this house that he was
hrouglit after tlie disastrous event of July 11, 1804. His
friend Wilhani Bayard had received an intimation of
the proposed encounter, and was waiting when the boat
containing liim reached the New York shore. Hamil-
ton Mas carried to his house and died there the next
day. His wife and children were with him. One daugh-
ter, overcome by two such dreadful events in the family
within a short period, lost her reason.* The whole city
was affected. Business was suspended. Indignation
was universal. Burr's followers walked in the funeral
procession. Talleyrand said of Hamilton: " Je con-
sidere Xapoleon, Fox, et Hamilton comme lest trois plus
grande hommes de notre epoque, et si je devais me
prononcer entre les trois, je donnerais sans hesiter la
premiere place a Hamilton."
* Some time before this his eldest son had lost his life in a duel.
140
The Jumel House
'S^^-^HIS house was built in 1758 by Captain (after-
■ ^ J wards Colonel) Roger jNIorris of the British
^^^ army, who had been an aide of General Brad-
dock. 31orris married a daughter of Colonel Philipse.
The Philipse estate embraced a great part of the present
Westchester and Putnam counties. The manor hall
erected about 174>5 (the oldest part probably about
1682) now constitutes the City Hall of Yonkers.* In
that house, on July 3, 1730, was born ]Mary Philipse,
and in the drawing-room on Sunday afternoon, Janu-
ary 15, 1758, she was married to Captain Morris by
the Rev. Henry Barclay, rector of Trinity, and his
assistant, ]Mr. Auchmuty.
A paper on " The Romance of the Pludson," by
Benson J. Lossing, published in Harjjers Magazine
for April, 1876, gives the following account of the wed-
ding: " The leading families of the province and the
British forces in America had representatives there.
The marriage was solemnized under a crimson canopy
* This is one of the best examples of a Colonial manor house
now standing with wainscoted walls, ornamental ceilings, carved
staircase, mantels, etc. The establishment was a large one for the
time, maintaining thirty white and twenty colored servants. — " Bol-
ton's History of Westchester County."
143
Old Ihiildin^s of Xcxc York ('it//
riuhhv/.ouvd with the «»'(il(k'n crest of the family. . . .
Tlie hridesmaids were ^Nliss Harchiy, Miss Van Cort-
laiult, and ^Nliss De Lancey. The groomsmen were Mr.
Heatlicote, Captain Kennedy, and Mr. Watts. Acting
<TOvernor De I^ancey (son-in-law to Colonel Heath-
cote, lord of the manor of Scarsdale) assisted at the
ceremony. The brothers of the bride . . . gave away
the bride. . . . Her dowry in her own right was a
large domain, plate, jewelry, and money. A grand
feast followed the nuptial ceremony, and late on that
brilliant moonlit night most of the guests departed.
" While they were feasting a tall Indian, closely
wrapped in a scarlet blanket, appeared at the door of
the banquet hall, and with measured w^ords said : ' Your
possessions shall pass from you when the eagle shall
despoil the lion of his mane.' He as suddenly disap-
peared. . . . The bride pondered the ominous words
for years . . . and when, because they were royalists
in action, the magnificent domain of the Philipses was
confiscated by the Americans at the close of the Revo-
lution, the prophecy and its fulfillment were mani-
fested." *
While in Xew York in 1756 Washington stayed at
the house of his friend, Beverly Robinson, who had mar-
ried a sister of Miss Philipse, and there is no doubt
that her charms made a deep impression upon him, but
there is no evidence that she refused him.
After the Revolution Colonel Philipse withdrew to
* " Bolton's History of Westchester County," vol. II.
144
The Jiimel House
Chester, England, died there in 1785, and was buried
in Chester Cathedral, where there is a monument to
his memory. Some of his descendants are now living
in England, as well as descendants of Colonel and JNlrs.
JNIorris. " A part of the Philipse estate was in posses-
sion of Colonel JNIorris in right of his wife, and that
the whole interest should pass under the (confiscation)
act, Mrs. JNIorris was included in the attainder." * It
is believed that Mrs. JNIorris and her sisters were the
only women attainted of treason during the Revolution.
" In 1787 the Attorney General of England examined
the case and gave the opinion that the reversionary in-
terest was not included in the attainder," and was recov-
erable, and in the year 1809 JNIrs. JNIorris's son. Captain
Henry Gage JNIorris, of the royal navy, in behalf of
himself and his two sisters, sold their reversionary inter-
est to John Jacob Astor for twenty thousand pounds
sterling. In 1828 JNIr. Astor made a compromise with
the State of Xew York by which he received for these
rights five hundred thousand dollars, with the under-
standing that he should execute a deed with warranty
* At the outbreak of the Revolution the manorial families of the
province held various sentiments regarding the relations with the
mother country. Families like those of Philipse and De Lancey
were loyal to the crown and lost everything. Others, like those of
Livingston and Schuyler, espoused the cause of the " rebels " or
" patriots." Again, there was a third class, embracing families
like those of Van Cortlandt and Morris, that had representatives
on either side. The Patroon, being a minor, was legally incapable
of choosing and saved his vast estate.
147
Old Buildin^iis of Xcic York City
against tlic claiins ol' tlic Morris I'aiiiily, in order to quiet
the title of tlie numerous persons who had bought from
the commissioners of forfeitures. This he did.
In 1810 tlie property was bought by Stephen Jumel,
a wealthy French merchant. There he entertained
Louis Philippe, Lafayette, Joseph Bonaparte, Louis
Xapoleon, and Henry Clay. After Jumel's death it
came into the possession of his widow. Aaron Burr, in
his old age, married ^Madame Jmiiel. After he had
made a^^•ay with a good deal of her money, she got rid
of him. He withdrew to other fields of action and died
somewhere on Staten Island.
During the Revolution Washington had his head-
quarters here from September 16 to October 21, 1776,
and revisited it, accompanied by his cabinet, July, 1790.
The house is now in the control of the Department
of Parks and is shown to the public.
148
Gracie House— East River Park
RCHIBALD GRACIE, a native of Dumfries,
Scotland, of an old Scotch family, came to this
country about the time of the close of the
Revolutionary War and established himself as a mer-
chant. He became one of the largest if not the largest
ship owner in the country, his ships visiting, it is said,
every port in the world. He was a man of the highest
character. Oliver Wolcott said of him: " He was one
of the excellent of the earth, actively liberal, intelligent,
seeking and rejoicing in occasions to do good." Wash-
ington Irving wrote (January, 1813) : " Their (the
Grades' ) country place was one of my strongholds last
simimer. It is a charming, warm-hearted family and
the old gentleman has the soul of a prince." ^Ir. Gracie
lost greatly as a result of the Berlin and JNIilan decrees,
over a million dollars, it is said. It is believed that
he was the largest holder of the celebrated " French
Claims," * which Congress with outrageous persistence
refused or neglected to pay for generations. He mar-
ried Esther, daughter of Samuel Rogers and EHzabeth
* The Government of France had certain claims against this
Government. An agreement was made to release these claims upon
the ex))ress consideration that the United States woidd ])ay Hieir
own citizens the claims that they had against France.
151
Old Jiiiildinii's of \i-iC York ('if//
l''iti'li. (hiiii^htci- of 'I'lioiiKis l"'itc'h. (iovci-iior of Con-
ntrtic'iit.
'i'lui-(.' was ;m old lioiiso at (ii-ac'ie\s Point belonging;'
to Mrs. Prevoost, and this he either altered and enlarged
or else removed entirely and built the present structure,
but at what time it is not known. In the year 1805
Josiah Quiney was entertained there at dinner. He
describes enthusiastically the situation, overlooking the
then terribly turbulent waters of Hell Gate. He said:
" The sliores of Long Island, full of cultivated pros-
pects and interspersed with elegant country seats, bound
the distant view. The mansion is elegant in the modern
style and the gromids laid out in taste with gardens." *
Among the guests at that dinner were Oliver Wolcott^
Judge Pendleton, Hamilton's second, and Dr. Hosack^
who later married INIrs. Coster.
William Gracie, the eldest son, married the beauti-
ful jNIiss Wolcott, daughter of Oliver Wolcott, Secre-
tary of the Treasury under Washington. A great re-
ception was given by ]Mr. and iNIrs. Archibald Gracie
to the bride at this house. All the bridesmaids, grooms-
men,- and a large company w^ere assembled when the
bride died suddenly of heart disease. His daughter
Hester was married in the parlor of the house to Will-
iam Beach Law^rence, afterwards Governor of Rhode
Island. Another daughter married James Gore King^
the eminent banker, and another Charles King, after-
wards president of Columbia College, both being sons
* Mrs. Lamb's " Historj^ of the City of New York."
152
Grade House — East River Park
of Riifus King of Revolutionary fame. On one occa-
sion during the Xapoleonic wars, a French vessel was
chased by an English frigate into the neutral harbor
of New York. Tlie Englishman lay in the lower bay
ready to attack the Frenchman when he should return
through the Xarrows. Being sure of his prize he was
off his guard. The French captain, taking a skillful
pilot, slipped up the East River, a feat believed im-
])ossible for so large a vessel. In rounding Gracie's
Point a sailor on a yardarm was swept from his perch
by the overhanging branches of a great elm that was
standing on the lawn as late as 1880. With wonderful
agility, the sailor seized the limbs and swinging from
one to another reached the trunk, down which he slid
to the ground. Charles King, calling to the French-
man, rushed to the other side of the Point, put him in
his boat and followed the man-of-war, although it had
then swung over to the other side of the river. Ry
skillful management he reached the vessel and the sailor
scrambled aboard. Anyone who remembers the waters
of Hell Gate before the rocky bottom was blown u])
by the Government will admit that INIr. King did some
vigorous rowing. The man-of-war esca])cd by way of
the Sound, much to the cliagrin of the Enghsli.
Many distinguished ])eople were entertained in lliis
house. When I^ouis Philippe was liere in exik- he was
invited to dine witli ^Nlrs. Gracie. Tlie cai-riage and
four were sent to town to bring the royal visitor, and
when he arrived the family were assembkd to receive
1 .>.S
old liniliHui!;.s of \cic Vorli ('it//
him. One of tlic little «>irl.s exclaimed aloud, " That is
not the king*, he has no crown on his head," at which
the <>uest laughed good-naturedly and said: " In these
days, kings are satisfied with wearing their heads with-
out crowns." An early picture shows an ornamental
balustrade on the roof of the house and also on that
of the piazza, relieving the present rather bare appear-
ance.
154
jcr"'^^**S^^**s
BOROUGH OF THE BRONX
e
The Gouverneur Morris House *
'OUVERXEUR ]MORRIS was one of the most
interesting characters of the Revohitionary
era, interesting because he had an individual-
ity that distinguished him from the other worthies of
the time. Though crippled, f his versatility and activity
of mind and body were very great. An orator of the
first rank, when but a few years past his majority he
swayed the Continental Congress with his views upon
matters of finance, a subject for which he had an espe-
cial aptitude throughout his career. Resolving, when
a young man, to be the first lawyer in the land, he
became so. By reason of his connections, his education
and abilities, during his long stay abroad he associated
on intimate terms M-ith a vast number of the most influ-
ential personages living at the time. The unfortunate
King and Queen of France sought his advice and aid
in their trou])les, as did Lafayette and many otliers.
* Tliis picture is from a sketcli by permission of tlie New York
Herald.
f ^Miile living in Philadelphia during tlie war lie was thrown
from liis carriage in trying to control a pair of runaway horses.
The accident necessitated the amputation of a leg.
1.57
Old liiiildiiiiis of Xcxc VorJi Cit//
Ilis diary |)iil)lislu'(l in 188H (now out of print),
writtin in Paris (lniin<»' the early days of the French
l{e\ ohilion. although evidently for his own use, is
eoniparahle with those other letters and memoirs of the
eighteenth century when writing of the sort was culti-
vated as a fine art.
His father's will states: "It is my desire that my
son, Cxouverneur ]\lorris. may have the best education
that is to be had in England or America." Great pains
"Were taken that this should be carried out, so that he
should be fitted for any career that might open to him.*
He was a member of the Provincial Congress of Xew
York, in 1775, " serving on the various committees with
such well-balanced judgment as to command the respect
of men of twice his age and experience." Twice elected
to the Continental Congress, he was a chairman of three
committees for carrying on the war,t wrote contin-
ually on all subjects, especially that of finance, and
at the same time practiced law, doing all this before
he was twenty-eight years of ag^e. After five years
of de^'otion to public affairs, he became a citizen of
Philadelphia and settled down to the practice of his
profession.
In 1787, as a delegate from Pennsylvania, he took
his seat in the convention which met to frame the Fed-
eral Constitution. He had been connected in certain
financial ventures with William Constable of Xew York,
* Diary^ p. 2.
f Commissary's, Quartermaster's, and Medical Departments.
158
The Gouvcnu'ur Morris House
which had been eminently successful, and in Xovember,
1 788, led partly by matters relating to these and partly
by the desire to travel, he decided to visit France. His
life on the other side became so crowded with interesting
and important events that this visit was prolonged far
beyond his intention. It was ten years before he re-
turned. He was furnished by AVashington ^vith letters
to j^ersons in England, France, and Holland. He was
present at the assembling of the States-General at Ver-
sailles, whicli has been called the " first day of the French
Revolution," and from that time on was au fait with
all the important events of that exciting peri(xl. At
times he was in almost daily communication with the
Duchess of Orleans, ]Madame de Stael, Talleyrand, and
hosts of others equally important.
He was soon recognized as applying a clear brain
to the solution of any important question submitted to
him, and we find him writing a memoir for the guidance
of the king and the draught of a speech to be delivered
before the Xational Assembly. The ^lonciel scheme,
usually mentioned in the biographies of ^NToi-ris, was a
well-conceived ])lan to get the king out of Paris. Mon-
ciel, one of the ministry, consulted ]Morris as to the
details of the plan, and the king deposited with him
his papei-s and the sum of seven hundred and forty-
eight thousand francs. Everything was discreetly ar-
ranged and success nearly assured when, on the morning
fixed for the king's departure, lie changed his mind and
refused to budge. I^ater tlie money was nearly all with-
159
old Jiiiildiii^^s of Xcxc Vorh- ('if//
drawn. ka\ ini>' a small halaiifc in Morris's lumds which
lie returned to the Duehess dWnyoulenie.*
In 17H1) W'asjiinutoii had \vi-itten liini a letter re-
■questintJ' him to visit Knt>land and endeavor to facihtate
the earryin**' out of tlie terms of tlie treaty l)etween the
two countries, hut the Kn<>lish <^"overnint>' class at that
day liad no desire to facilitate anythin<>- in which this
country was interested. He had many interviews with
Leeds and Pitt, but was always met with a pohcy of
vagueness, postponement, and unhmited delay, so that
he accomphslied httle. It Avas partly on this account
that when AVashington nominated him as ^Minister to
France in 1791, the nomination was opposed. His views
also regarding the condition of France were well known.
He did not deem that country fitted for a radical change
of government nor for the development of the wild
theories of government that were there rampant. t The
* A laconic entry in the diary gives a hint as to the life of
terror Avhich the ill-fated family were leading: " Go to court this
morning (August 5th). Nothing remarkable, only they were up
all night expecting to be murdered." — Diar}', p. 569-
f yi. Esmein quotes Taine: " Quatre observateurs, ecrit Hip-
polyte Taine, ont des le debut, compris le caractere et la portee de
la Revolution fran9aise — Rivarol, ^lalouet. Gouverneur Morris et
Mallet du Pan, celui — ci plus profondement que les autres; . . ."
but Esmein says " contre I'auteur illustre et respecte des Orighies
de la France contemporaine, j'oserais revendiquer pour Gouverneur
Morris, la plupart des titres qu'il reconnait k Mallet du Pan."
(" Gouverneur Morris, un temoin American de la revolution Fran-
^aise," by A. Esmein, membre de I'lnstitut, Paris, 1906.)
160
The Gouverneur Morris House
sanity of these views was proved by subsequent events,
but many senators did not regard him as suitable to
represent this repubUc. He was, however, confirmed by
a moderate majority. He continued to be INIinister un-
til Genet was recalled at the request of Washington.
Then France requested his recall on the ground of
" reciprocity."
Monroe arrived in Paris in August, 1794. Morris
intended to return, but changed his plans and decided
to spend another year in Europe visiting some of the
principal courts and traveling * through various coun-
tries, but events were so interesting and produced so
much stir and excitement that it was fully four years
before he returned.
While in England he was presented at court, No-
vember 25, 1795.t Finally in October, 1798, he sent
his steward to New York with all his " books, liquors,
* " Partout ou il a porte ses pas, en Angleterre coninie dans
I'Europe continentale, il etait accueilli avec une faveur marquee
par les hommes d'Etat les plus en vue; les ministres en charge,
les ambassadeurs les plus influents, le consultaient voluntiers et le
renseignaient en meme temps.
" II a su reeueillir partout des information abondantes et sure,
et ires souvent ses predictions se realisaient. . . . Voici le compli-
ment que lui adressait le 2 Juillet, 1790, ]SI. de la I.uzernc, am-
bassadeur de France a Londres — ' vous dites toujours dcs chose
extraordinaires qui se realisent ' " {idem).
f The king: " Pray, Mr. Morris, wliat i)art of Aiiurica are you
from?" Morris: "I am from near New York, sir. I Iiavc a
brother who has the honor to be a lieutenant general in your Maj-
161
Old niiildin^s of Xcxv York Citij
linens, i'lirniturc, ])latc and carria^i^es," and soon after
followed hinisell'.
On his mother's death in 1786, the estate of Mor-
risania devolved on his eldest brother, Staats INIorris;
but he. havint»' no intention of living" in this eountry,
willingly sold it to him, including his father's house, in
which he was born. The house he found in poor con-
dition, and at once set about the task of repairing and
adding to it. After its restoration, he settled there, and
for the rest of his life the house became the scene of a
continuous hospitality, not only to the most eminent
Americans of the day, but to nearly every foreigner of
distinction that came to this country.
He was elected a United States Senator and was
always interested in public affairs. He is said to have
been the originator of the Erie Canal. In December,
1809, he married Miss Randolph of Virginia. In JNIay,
1804, he was present at the deathbed of his friend,
Alexander Hamilton, and later delivered the funeral
oration.
Sparks* says: "The plan of his house conformed
esty's service." The king: " Eh ! wliat ! You're a brother of General
Morris? Yes, I think I see a likeness, but you're much younger."
Diary, vol. II, p. 135. Some years prior to the Revolution,
his elder brother, Staats Morris, had married the Duchess of Gor-
don and was a lieutenant general in the British army. He was
the first lieutenant colonel of the Eighty-ninth Regiment of High-
landers, the duke being a captain, and his brothers, lieutenant and
ensign.
* " Life of Morris," vol. I, p. 477.
162
The Gouverneur Morris House
to a French model, and though spacious and well con-
trived was suited rather for convenience and perhaps
splendor within than for a show of architectiu*al mag-
nificence Avithout." To a friend he wrote: " I have a
terrace roof of one hundred and thirty feet long,* to
^^'hich I go out by a side or rather back door, and from
which I enjoy one of the finest prospects while breath-
ing the most salubrious air in the world." The parquet
floors of all the rooms were brought from France. The
hbrary, wainscoted and ceiled with Dutch cherry panels,
also imported, was in the early days hmig with white
and gold tapestry. The room contained the mahogany
desk, still preserved, trimmed with brass (said to have
been a present from one of the royal family), at which
he carried on his correspondence with so many dis-
tinguished personages, correspondence often relat-
ing to loans of money to the Duchess of Orleans,
Madame de Lafayette, Louis Philippe, and liundreds
of others.
The reception room, twenty-two by thirty feet and
fourteen feet high, was also a paneled room with mir-
rors set in the wall in the French style. It contained
a number of pieces of gilt furniture, originally covered
with white silk embroidered in gold, with designs from
Boucher which he had brought with him from France.
The dining room of peculiar shape (a half octagon)
was paneled in dark Avood and contained a curious re-
minder of life dui'ing lievoliilionary days, a dumbwaiter
* Diary, vol. [I, p. IIS.
Old nuildin^s of Xcrc York (It//
phurd mar each outst so that servants need not be
admit ti'd to overhear the conversation.*
Morris died on November 0, 1816, in the room in
which lie was born. iVhnost tlie last letter he wrote was
to plead with the Federal Party to " forget party and
think of our country. That country embraces both par-
ties. We must endeavor therefore to save and benefit
both." What statesman to-day would put forth such
a sentiment ( f
* " The Homes of America," p. II9.
I The house was taken down in 1905 to make way for the tracks
of tlie New York & New Haven Railroad Company.
164
Van Cortland t House
'^^^-^HE property on which the house stands belonged
€ J in the seventeenth century to the Hon. Fred-
^^^ erick Phihpse and was sold by him in the year
1(399 to his son-in-law, Jacobus Van Cortlandt, who had
married his daughter Eva. The house was built in 1748
bj' Frederick Van Cortlandt, only son of Jacobus, who
married Frances Jay, daughter of Augustus Jay, the
Huguenot. His will, dated October 2, 1749, states:
" Whereas I am now finishing a large stone dwelling
house on the plantation in A\hich I now live, which with
the same plantation will, by virtue of my deceased fa-
ther's will, devolve, after my decease, upon my eldest
son, James," etc.*
During the Revolutionary AVar the neighborhood
was constantly the scene of conflicts. Wasliington vis-
ited the house in 1781, and on the hill to the north
disposed part of his army, which liglited cam]) fires while
lie was quietly withdrawing the rest of his troops to
join Lafayette before Yorktown. There was a bloody
engagement near the house on August 31, 1778, be-
tween the British, under Lieutenant-Colonel Siincoe,
and a body of Stockbridge Indians. Tlie Indians
fouglit witli great ])ravery and desperation, dragging
* Surrogate's Office, New York, fol. XVIII, 62.
167
OhJ Buildings of Xcrc YorJx Citij
tlie ca\alrvin(.'n from their horses, but were ultimately
dispersed, tlieir chief beiug killed.*
Washington slept here the night before the evacua-
tion of the city by the British, November 25, 1785. The
estate has been bought by the city and is now known
as Van Cortlandt Park. It contains 1,070 acres. There
is a lake covering sixty acres and a parade ground for
the National Guard on a level meadow of 120 acres.
The house is used as a museum and is crowded with
interesting relics.
* " Bolton's History of Westchester County," vol. II. p. 622.
168
BOROUGH OF QUEENS
The Bowne House — Flushing
'S^^-^HIS house was built in 1661 by John Bowne,
£ J ^ native of ^Matlock, Derbyshire, England, in
^^^ whose church he was baptized in the year 1627.
About 1672 George Fox, founder of the sect of Quakers
or Friends, visited Flushing and held meetings there.
Bowne's wife * frequently attended the meetings, and
after a time joined the sect. As a result of this, Quakers
were often entertained at the house. Governor Stuyve-
sant had Bowne arrested for " harboring Quakers," and
he was thro\\Ti into jail. Prior to this Henry Town-
send, of Oyster Bay, had been subjected to the same
treatment. Bowne, being a man of considerable inde-
pendence, remained obdurate. He was then banished
to Holland. He presented his case to the Dutch West
India Company in such a manner that he was returned
in a special ship with the following rebuke to the Gov-
ernor and Councils of the Xew Xetherlands, 1(563: " We
finally did see from your last letter you had exiled and
transported hither a certain Quaker named Jolm Bowne,
and although it is our cordial desire that similar and
otlier sectarians might not be found there, yet, as the
contrary seems to be the fact, we doubt very much if
* Daughter of Lieutenant Robert Feake, patentee of Greenwieli.
Conn., and his wife Elizabeth, niece of John Winthrop.
171
Old liuilditiiis of Xcxc York Citif
\ii>() rolls proceedings a<>ainst them ought not to be dis-
continued, except you intend to check and destroy your
popuhition, which, however, in the youth of your exist-
ence ought rather to be encouraged by all j)ossible
means, wherefore it is our opinion that some connivance
would be useful that the conscience of men, at least,
ought ever to remain free and unshackled.
" Let everyone be unmolested as long as he is mod-
est, as long as his conduct, in a political sense, is irre-
proachable, as long as he does not disturb others or
oppose the Government." Signed, " The Directors of
the West India Company, Amsterdam Department."
The house has always remained in the possession of
the descendants of the first owner. House and furni-
ture are in a good state of preservation; they are in
charge of a caretaker and shown to visitors.
BOROUGH OF RICHMOND
The Billop House
fiOR more than a century Staten Island was prac-
tically in the control of the Billop family.
The Billops for several generations had led
active and valiant careers in the service of tlie sover-
eign. One, James, in the sixteenth century, is said to
have won the friendship of Queen Elizabeth by risking
his own life in order to save hers. They had favors
also from the Stuart line.
Christopher, born in 1638, received a naval training
by command of Charles I. He was commissioned cap-
tain and made important and adventurous voj^ages, in
one of which he was wounded, captured by Tiu'kish
pirates and abandoned, to be later rescued by a passing
ship. In 1667, Mhether by order of Charles II or on
his own account it is not known, he sailed from Eng-
land in his vessel, the Bentley, and came cruising in
the ^\'aters of the New Netherlands. The tradition is
that the Duke of York, to determine the ownership of
the islands in the bay, decided that any island tliat could
be circumna\'igated in twenty-four hours bek)nged to
the province of New York, and Billop, having proved
that Staten Island was so included by sailing around it
175
old Buildini^s of Xcic Vorh' ('it if
in the rc(jiiirt'(l time, was presented witli 1,1()8 acres in
the scnithern part of the ishnul. On tliis tract he bnilt
in 1()(>8 the stone house here presented. The stones and
hiniher were obtained in the vicinity, but the cement
was brou<>'ht from Kngland and tlie bricks from Bel-
gium.
In the early records his name appears as showing"
tluit lie had several public positions, but apart from that
little is known about him except that he held a military
command and had a controversy with Governor Andros
to his disadvantage at first, but later he succeeded in
having the governor recalled to England.
In the year 1700 he sailed for England in the
Be title I/, but was never heard of again. By some
writers it is thought that he was ordered back, inas-
much a.s a pension was assigned to his widow by the
king. Captain Billop married a JNIiss Farmer, sister
of a Supreme Court judge in the neighboring province
of Xew Jersey. They had one child, a daughter, who
married her cousin, Thomas Farmer, and he, succeed-
ing to the manor of Bentley, changed his name to
Billop. Both died young and their tombstones are to
be seen at the house to-day. Christopher Billop, their
only son, born 1735, was a prominent man in public
affairs throughout his life. In the Revolution he was
intensely loyal to the crown, and became a colonel in
the British army. Twice he w^as captured. The New
Jersc}' colonists w^ere especially bitter tow ard him, and
once by keeping men stationed in the steeple of St. Pe-
176
The BiUop House
ter's Church at Perth Amboy they observed him going
into his house. Immediately they took boats, crossed
the river and made him prisoner. By order of Ehsha
Boudinot (Com. Pris. of New Jersey) he was thrown
into jail at Burlington, hands and feet chained to the
floor and fed only on bread and w^ater. Here his com-
panion in cajjtivity was I^ieutenant Colonel Simcoe of
the Queen's Rangers, probably the same Simcoe who
was in the engagement near the Van Cortlandt house.
Billop was exchanged for a captain who had been on
the prison ship. The second time he was taken he was
released by Washington at the solicitation of Lord
Howe, commander in chief of the British forces.
After the battle of Long Island, Howe thought it
an opportune time to offer favorable terms to the col-
onists if they were willing to lay down their arms. Ac-
cordingly he dispatched General Sullivan (then a pris-
oner) to Congress requesting them to send a committee
to negotiate. This committee, composed of Benjamin
Frankhn, Edward Kutledge, and John Adams, met
Howe at the Billop house. " Along the sloping lawn
in front of the house, long lines of troo])s tliat formed
the very flower of the British army were drawn up be-
tween which the distinguished commander escoited his
no less distinguished guests." * The conference was held
in the northwest room on the ground floor. It resulted
in nothing, the colonists i-efusing to accede to any tei-ms
not involving their inde])endence. About ITHIJ-H-t Hil-
* Morris 's " M(iii<)ri;il History ot Stattii Isl.iiul. '
177
old liiiildiniiis of Xcic Vork ('it//
lop \\ itlulrcw to Xcw l^runswick, and joined that army
of estimable persons who, despoiled of their possessions,
wei^e driven from the land for their loyalty to their
kino-. There for years he held prominent offiees in the
.Vssemhly and in the Conneil and died at St. John,
^Nlareh 2.*}. 1827, at the age of ninety-two. At his
fiiiieral the highest honors of the town were paid to
his memory.
Billop was evidently a complete type of the country
gentleman and tory squire. According to JNIr. ]Morris,
in his " ^lemorial History of Staten Island," the fol-
lowing description of him was given by a friend:
" Christopher Billoj^ was a very tall, soldierly looking
man in his prime. He was exceedingly proud and his
pride led him at times to the verge of haughtiness. Yet
he A\'as kind-hearted, not only to those he considered
his equals, but to his slaves as well as to the poor people
of the island. No one went from his door at the old
manor hungry. It was his custom to gather the people
of the island once a year on the lawn in front of his
house and hold a ' harvest home.' . . . Passionately
fond of horses, his stable was filled with the finest bred
animals in the land. He A\'as a magnificent rider and
was very fond of the saddle. He was an expert shot
^\•it]l the pistol, w^hich once saved his life when he was
attacked by robbers. Christopher Billop was not a man
to take advice unless it instantly met with his favor.
. . . Lifelong friends pleaded with him to join the cause
of independence at the commencement of the Revolu-
178
The Billop House
tion, but he cliose to follow the fortunes of royalty. He
was a good citizen, a noble man! "
Before the Revolution the house was noted for its
hospitality and gayety in the Colonial society of the
day. The owner entertained lavishly and at the time
of the war he received there Generals Howe, Clinton,
Knyphausen, Cleveland, Cornwallis, Burgoyne, and
many others. The interior of the house is extremely
plain. Presumably in the year 1668 the house decora-
tor had not made his appearance. The walls are three
feet thick and the woodwork as sound as on the day
it was built. There is of course a ghost room, with
" that spot on the floor that cannot be Mashed out "
where murder is said to have been done. Below there
is a dungeon with massive iron gate, and the marks are
still visible where prisoners, American and then British,
tried to cut their way out through the three-foot wall
and arched ceiling.* It is said there was an under-
ground passage leading to the river.
In the basement Fenimore Cooper laid one of the
scenes in his novel of the " Water Witch."
The grounds, once laid out with parklike lawns and
flower beds, are now in the last stages of dila]Mdation.
* New York Ilrrahl. A])ril I."i. I'MX).
170
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