Hamilton Fish House facts for kids
Hamilton Fish House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Location | 21 Stuyvesant Street Manhattan, New York City, New York |
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Built | 1804 |
Architectural style | Federal |
Part of | St. Mark's Historic District (ID74001276) |
NRHP reference No. | 72001456 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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Added to NRHP | July 31, 1972 |
Designated NHL | May 15, 1975 |
Designated CP | November 13, 1974 |
The Hamilton Fish House is a historic building in New York City. It is also known as the Stuyvesant Fish House. This house was the birthplace and home of Hamilton Fish from 1808 to 1838. Hamilton Fish later became a very important person in New York and the United States. He served as Governor and Senator for New York.
The house is located at 21 Stuyvesant Street in the East Village neighborhood. This street is a unique diagonal street in the city's grid. Today, Cooper Union, a famous college, owns the house. It is used as a home for the college's president.
Contents
History of the Hamilton Fish House
Building the Historic Home
The Hamilton Fish House was built around 1804. It was constructed by Peter Stuyvesant, who was the great-grandson of the famous Petrus Stuyvesant. Peter Stuyvesant built this house as a special wedding gift. It was for his daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, Nicholas Fish. Hamilton Fish was their son.
The house is made of brick and built in the Federal style. This style was popular in the United States during the late 1700s and early 1800s. It was quite wide for houses of that time. This house was one of five homes owned by the family on their private lane. The land itself had been in the Stuyvesant family since the 1600s.
The House Through the Years
The house stayed with the Fish family for about 100 years. Around the early 1900s, it was no longer owned by the family. For some time, it was used as a rooming house, where people could rent individual rooms.
In the 1960s, the house was carefully restored. This means it was repaired and brought back to its original look. Because of its history, the house was named a New York City landmark in 1965. Later, in 1975, it was declared a National Historic Landmark. This means it is very important to the history of the entire country. The house is also part of the St. Mark's Historic District. This area is protected because of its many historic buildings, including the nearby St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery.
Hamilton Fish's National Importance
The Hamilton Fish House is important because it is the only surviving home of Hamilton Fish. He was a very important leader for the United States. He served as the United States Secretary of State under President Ulysses S. Grant. The Secretary of State is like the country's top diplomat, handling relationships with other nations.
Hamilton Fish was known for being a calm and honest leader during his time in office. He successfully worked out the 1871 Treaty of Washington with Great Britain. This treaty helped create a long period of peace and cooperation between the two countries. His work helped shape the nation's future.