Van Cortlandt House Museum

The Bronx, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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The Van Cortlandt House Museum, located in the southwestern portion of Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, is the oldest known surviving house in New York City. Built by Frederick Van Cortlandt and completed in 1749, the 2½-story Georgian structure features a rubblestone facade adorned with brick keystones depicting family members' faces. Construction began in 1748, though Frederick did not live to see the house finished; his son James inherited the property. The L-shaped building originally served as a family residence for 140 years and endured occupation by both British and American troops during the Revolutionary War. After the city acquired the property in 1888 for Van Cortlandt Park, the house initially functioned as a police barracks before the Society of Colonial Dames leased it in 1896 and opened it as a museum on May 28, 1897. The interiors include a basement kitchen, first-floor parlors and dining room, and upper-floor bedrooms. A caretaker's house was added in the 1910s, and the building underwent renovations in the 1960s and 1980s. Today it operates as a historic house museum offering tours and educational programs.

Movement

Georgian architecture

Type: house
Heritage: New York State Register of Historic Places listed place, National Register of Historic Places listed place
Place: The Bronx, United States

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Location

40.89114, -73.89483