Richmond Hill (Manhattan)
Encyclopedia
Richmond Hill was a colonial estate in Manhattan
, New York City
, that was built on a 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) parcel of the "King's Farm" obtained on a 99-year lease in 1767 from Trinity Church by Major Abraham Mortier, paymaster of the British army in the colony. Part of the site is now the Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District
of Manhattan.
, which lay north and east of Richmond Hill. The house, as it appears in a 19th-century woodblock in the Museum of the City of New York
, was five bays wide, with a tetrastyle Ionic portico, and three bays deep, where there were paired dormers in the attic. It was a frame structure, with carpentered imitation quoin
s at the corners, raised on a high basement and approached by a flight of steps.
Sir Jeffrey Amherst, later Lord Amherst
, made Mortier's house his headquarters at the close of his campaigns in the French and Indian War
. The estate served for a time following 13 April 1776, as the headquarters of George Washington
, until the retreat of the Continental army from New York after the battle of Long Island
, 27 August. After it had been occupied by British officers, 1776-83, it served the first British ambassador to the United States, Sir John Temple; it stood empty for a time before becoming the official residence of Vice President John Adams
during the first presidency. Abigail Adams
was delighted with its situation:
In 1794 it was purchased as a country home by Aaron Burr
, who had known the house as aide-de-camp to General Putnam at the start of the American Revolution. Minetta Brook made a pond at the foot of Richmond Hill, somewhere about the present junction of Bedford and Downing Streets. In winter "Burr's Pond" as it came to be called, offered skating. One day in 1797 in Burr's absence his fourteen-year-old daughter Theodosia, left in charge of the household, received an unexpected visit from Joseph Brant
, the renowned Mohawk chieftain with a letter of introduction from Burr:
In 1807 Burr filed plans for driving three new streets of houses through the property; his plan was approved by the City Council, but he was too strapped for cash to carry the plan to fruition, though he mortgaged the equivalent of 240 building lots to the Bank of the Manhattan Company
, for $38,000. Then on the morning of 11 July 1804 Burr arose from Richmond Hill, and had himself ferried across the Hudson to his fatal duel with Alexander Hamilton
. Following Burr's occupancy his creditors sold the mortgaged estate to the real-estate magnate John Jacob Astor
, for $32,000, who resold the building lots, with leases to run out in 1864, allowing him the reversion for the final three years, with all the structures and other improvements, until the leases reverted to Trinity Church, when he had the right of renewal. In the meantime, in December 1820 Astor had the house set upon logs and rolled down the hill to the southeast corner of Varick and Charlton Streets. He opened the house and its gardens as a public resort in 1822 It was remembered as a genteel roadhouse by a surveyor working when the Commissioners' Plan of 1811
was being laid out. After serving as a resort in its new location it opened in November 1831 as a theater, and "the following year it became the Italian Opera House but finished the year with equestrian shows," the historians of theatre in New York report, and eventually was a common saloon before it was razed in 1849. During the time that the mansion was in existence, the surrounding neighborhood, built up from the 1820s by Astor as modest brick rowhouses, was also called Richmond Hill
, connected to the city through the former water meadow, now drained and filled, as a continuation of Canal Street
.
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, that was built on a 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) parcel of the "King's Farm" obtained on a 99-year lease in 1767 from Trinity Church by Major Abraham Mortier, paymaster of the British army in the colony. Part of the site is now the Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District
Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District
The Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District is a small historic district located in the South Village area of the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
of Manhattan.
History
The house stood southeast of the modern intersection of Varick and Charlton Streets and some 100 to 150 yards west of the informal footpath that crossed the ditch in Lispenard's Meadows with a plank, and connected the city with Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, which lay north and east of Richmond Hill. The house, as it appears in a 19th-century woodblock in the Museum of the City of New York
Museum of the City of New York
The Museum of the City of New York is an art gallery and history museum founded in 1923 to present the history of New York City, USA and its people...
, was five bays wide, with a tetrastyle Ionic portico, and three bays deep, where there were paired dormers in the attic. It was a frame structure, with carpentered imitation quoin
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
s at the corners, raised on a high basement and approached by a flight of steps.
Sir Jeffrey Amherst, later Lord Amherst
Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst
Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst KCB served as an officer in the British Army and as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.Amherst is best known as one of the victors of the French and Indian War, when he conquered Louisbourg, Quebec City and...
, made Mortier's house his headquarters at the close of his campaigns in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. The estate served for a time following 13 April 1776, as the headquarters of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, until the retreat of the Continental army from New York after the battle of Long Island
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
, 27 August. After it had been occupied by British officers, 1776-83, it served the first British ambassador to the United States, Sir John Temple; it stood empty for a time before becoming the official residence of Vice President John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
during the first presidency. Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, who was the second President of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth...
was delighted with its situation:
In natural beauty it might vie with the most delicious spot I ever saw. It is a mile and a half from the city of New York. The house stands upon an eminence: at an agreeable distance flows the noble Hudson, bearing upon its bosom innumerable small vessels laden with the fruitful productions of the adjacent country. Upon my right hand are fields beautifully variegated with grass and grain, to a great extent like the valley of the Honiton in Devonshire.Upon my left the city opens to view, intercepted here and there by a rising mound and an ancient oak. In front beyond the Hudson, the Jersey shores present the exuberance of a rich, well cultivated soil. In the background is a large flower-garden, enclosed with a hedge and some very handsome trees. Venerable oaks and broken ground covered with wild shrubs surround me, giving a natural beauty to the spot which is truly enchanting. A lovely variety of birds serenade me morning and evening, rejoicing in their liberty and security.
In 1794 it was purchased as a country home by Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
, who had known the house as aide-de-camp to General Putnam at the start of the American Revolution. Minetta Brook made a pond at the foot of Richmond Hill, somewhere about the present junction of Bedford and Downing Streets. In winter "Burr's Pond" as it came to be called, offered skating. One day in 1797 in Burr's absence his fourteen-year-old daughter Theodosia, left in charge of the household, received an unexpected visit from Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
, the renowned Mohawk chieftain with a letter of introduction from Burr:
This will be handed to you by Colonel Brant, the celebrated Indian Chief... He is a man of education.... Receive him with respect and hospitality. He is not one of those Indians who drink rum, but is quite a gentleman; not one who will make you fine bows, but one who understands and practises what belongs to propriety and good-breeding. He has daughters—if you could think of some little present to send to one of them (a pair of earrings for example) it would please him.
In 1807 Burr filed plans for driving three new streets of houses through the property; his plan was approved by the City Council, but he was too strapped for cash to carry the plan to fruition, though he mortgaged the equivalent of 240 building lots to the Bank of the Manhattan Company
Bank of the Manhattan Company
The Bank of the Manhattan Company is the earliest of the predecessor institutions that eventually formed the current JPMorgan Chase & Co.-History:...
, for $38,000. Then on the morning of 11 July 1804 Burr arose from Richmond Hill, and had himself ferried across the Hudson to his fatal duel with Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
. Following Burr's occupancy his creditors sold the mortgaged estate to the real-estate magnate John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
, for $32,000, who resold the building lots, with leases to run out in 1864, allowing him the reversion for the final three years, with all the structures and other improvements, until the leases reverted to Trinity Church, when he had the right of renewal. In the meantime, in December 1820 Astor had the house set upon logs and rolled down the hill to the southeast corner of Varick and Charlton Streets. He opened the house and its gardens as a public resort in 1822 It was remembered as a genteel roadhouse by a surveyor working when the Commissioners' Plan of 1811
Commissioners' Plan of 1811
The Commissioners' Plan of 1811 was the original design plan for the streets of Manhattan, which put in place the grid plan that has defined Manhattan to this day....
was being laid out. After serving as a resort in its new location it opened in November 1831 as a theater, and "the following year it became the Italian Opera House but finished the year with equestrian shows," the historians of theatre in New York report, and eventually was a common saloon before it was razed in 1849. During the time that the mansion was in existence, the surrounding neighborhood, built up from the 1820s by Astor as modest brick rowhouses, was also called Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill (Manhattan)
Richmond Hill was a colonial estate in Manhattan, New York City, that was built on a parcel of the "King's Farm" obtained on a 99-year lease in 1767 from Trinity Church by Major Abraham Mortier, paymaster of the British army in the colony...
, connected to the city through the former water meadow, now drained and filled, as a continuation of Canal Street
Canal Street (Manhattan)
Canal Street is a major street in New York City, crossing lower Manhattan to join New Jersey in the west to Brooklyn in the east . It forms the main spine of Chinatown, and separates it from Little Italy...
.