Van Cortlandt House

The Van Cortlandt House, also called the Van Cortlandt Mansion, is the oldest known house still standing in the Bronx in New York City. You can find it in the southwestern part of Van Cortlandt Park. This special building is now a historic house museum called the Van Cortlandt House Museum.

Built by Frederick Van Cortlandt and finished in 1749, the house has two and a half stories and shows the Georgian style of architecture. It features a rubblestone facade and beautiful Georgian-style rooms inside. For 140 years, it was a home for one branch of the Van Cortlandt family before it became a museum in 1897.

The land for the house was bought by Jacobus Van Cortlandt in the 1690s. Frederick started building the house in 1748 but didn’t live to see it finished; his son James took over. During the American Revolutionary War, both British and American soldiers used the house at different times. The city got the house in 1888 when they were building Van Cortlandt Park and first used it as a place for police to stay. In 1896, the Society of Colonial Dames of the State of New York rented the house and opened it to visitors on May 28, 1897. Over the years, the house has had many changes and renovations.

Site

The Van Cortlandt House is found at the southwestern corner of Van Cortlandt Park, close to the Riverdale area of the Bronx in New York City. It is next to the park’s Parade Ground to the north, Memorial Grove to the west, a swimming pool and Van Cortlandt Stadium to the south, and a burial ground and Van Cortlandt Lake to the east. The closest street is Broadway to the west, and the New York City Subway’s Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street station is nearby on Broadway.

The land where the house stands used to be a salt marsh along Tibbetts Brook until the 1690s when Van Cortlandt Lake was created. The house was built in 1748 on a hill by the Hudson River. Today, the house and its grounds are part of Van Cortlandt Park. Originally, a stone driveway led to the house, allowing people inside to hear visitors approaching. The area around the house was carefully landscaped with terraces, large trees, and water features. In the early 1900s, a Dutch garden with a canal and fountain was added, but it is now replaced by trees and a herb garden.

History

For further information on the history of the grounds, see Van Cortlandt Park § Settlement and colonization.

Before European settlers arrived, the Lenape Native Americans lived on the site of the Van Cortlandt Mansion. A Dutch settler named Adriaen van der Donck was the first European to live there after buying the land from the Dutch West India Company in 1646. After the British took over New Netherland in 1664, the land was given to Elias Doughty, who sold parts of it to Frederick Philipse, Thomas Delavall, and Thomas Lewis. Frederick Philipse bought the shares from the others, making the land part of Philipsburg Manor.

Jacobus Van Cortlandt acquired parts of the land and built a home there in the early 1700s. The Van Cortlandt family used the home as a place to stay while mostly living in Manhattan. The home became important during the American Revolutionary War when it was used by leaders on both sides. After the war, the home was passed down through the Van Cortlandt family until it was sold and turned into a museum.

Residential use

The Van Cortlandt House is the oldest known surviving house in what is now the Bronx, and one of three remaining buildings from the 1700s in the area. It is one of two remaining large homes in the Bronx, along with the Bartow–Pell Mansion.

1740s to 1770s

Frederick Van Cortlandt began building the Van Cortlandt House in 1748. The home was built in a valley near what is now Broadway. Frederick died before the home was finished, and it was left to his son, Jacobus (James) Van Cortlandt. The family used mills nearby and stored food inside the home. The Van Cortlandts did not live there full-time, preferring to stay in Manhattan. They invited important people to visit and often had meals together.

Revolutionary War

During the American Revolutionary War, the land around the Van Cortlandt House was called the “Neutral Ground” and was used by both sides. The home itself was used as a place to plan and rest by leaders such as George Washington. After the war, some family members continued to live there.

Late 18th and 19th centuries

After the war, Augustus Van Cortlandt’s family moved into the home. Over the years, the Van Cortlandt family owned the home until they decided to sell the land. In 1884, the city bought part of the land to create Van Cortlandt Park. The Van Cortlandt family stopped using the home in 1888, and it was preserved.

Use as museum

Creation and early years

In 1893, someone suggested turning the mansion into a museum for items from the Revolutionary War. The Society of Colonial Dames of the State of New York began fixing up the home and opened it to the public as a museum in 1897. It was one of the first historic house museums in New York City. Visitors could see how people lived in the 1700s and learn about the history of the area.

1910s to 1970s

In the early 1900s, the museum started adding more items to its collection. Over the years, the home was fixed up several times to keep it in good condition. By the 1960s, the museum was open fewer days and only on weekends. Caretakers looked after the home and sometimes hosted private events when it was closed.

1980s to present

The home was closed for major repairs in the 1980s and reopened in 1988. Since then, the museum has continued to share the history of the Van Cortlandt family and the Revolutionary War with visitors. The home was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic but reopened for self-guided tours afterward.

Architecture

The Van Cortlandt House was built in the Georgian style and is two and a half stories tall. It has an L-shaped layout with wings extending along the south and east sides. The house is made of dressed fieldstone, with some parts having a rubblestone look. One corner has a cornerstone marked with the year 1748.

The house has sash windows with twelve panes over twelve, and some windows have keystones above them with carved masks. The roof is a mansard roof with dormer windows, and there are multiple brick chimneys. Inside, the house follows the Georgian style with fireplaces and wooden details. The first floor has rooms like parlors and a dining room, while the second floor has bedrooms. The basement includes a kitchen with thick stone walls and special windows.

Operations

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation owns the Van Cortlandt House. The National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York, a branch of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, operates the mansion as a museum.

When the house opened as a museum, different rooms displayed items from the colonial and Revolutionary War eras, such as old cookware, furniture, and maps. Over the years, more objects were added, including handmade bottles, colonial furniture, and children's toys. Today, the museum still shows many of these historic pieces, including beds, rugs, and utensils.

The museum began hosting special exhibits and events in 1903. Early events included displays of antique items and portraits. In later years, the museum presented concerts, children's programs, and historical reenactments. Visitors can take tours led by guides or explore on their own, and the house holds special events throughout the year.

Impact

Critical reception and media

In 1889, a reporter called the building "solid, substantial, and massive", noting it was kept in "splendid condition". After it became a museum, The New York Times praised it as "one of the most interesting relics of the Colonial period". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle encouraged visits to Van Cortlandt Park just to see the house, admiring its shape and old furnishings. Writers over the years have celebrated the house for showing what life was like in early New York.

Critics have also highlighted the house’s importance. In 1927, one writer grouped it with other famous old homes in New York City for still showing "some of their former dignity and beauty". More recent writers have praised its simple, rustic style and its valuable place in American history, especially during the Revolutionary War.

The Van Cortlandt House has appeared in many forms of media. It was photographed as early as 1914 by the New York City Art Commission, painted in a mural at the Bronx County Courthouse in 1934, displayed at the City Gallery at 2 Columbus Circle in 1981, and even stood in for an Irish house in an episode of the TV series Boardwalk Empire.

Landmark designations

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission named the Van Cortlandt House a city landmark in March 1966, with the decision confirmed later that year. This made it one of the first homes in the Bronx to earn this honor. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1967 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1976. In 1975, the inside rooms of the house were also officially recognized as landmarks.