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Historic House Trust facts for kids

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The Historic House Trust of New York City was formed in 1989 as a public-private partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to preserve the historic houses located within New York City parks, although most of the houses were not originally city-owned. The Trust works with the individual houses to restore and promote the houses as a means of educating residents and visitors about the social, economic and political history of New York City and cast urban history in a new light. The Trust includes 23 historic sites, with 18 operating as museums and attracting 729,000 annual visitors.

Properties

The Historic House Trust includes properties in each of New York City's five boroughs, and there is a house for every period in the City's history, depending on one's scheme of dividing history. A number of the properties have live-in caretakers to help prevent vandalism and other problems.

Landmark name
Image Built Borough Description
Alice Austen House Museum Alice Austen House.jpg 1690 Staten Island
40°36′54″N 74°03′49″W / 40.614917°N 74.063611°W / 40.614917; -74.063611 (Alice Austen House Museum)
Home of photographer Alice Austen. Now a museum.
Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum Bartow-pell-mansion.jpg 1836 The Bronx
40°52′18″N 73°48′21″W / 40.871611°N 73.805944°W / 40.871611; -73.805944 (Bartow-Pell Mansion)
Exemplifies a type of early 19th-century country living in the Pelham Bay Park area.
The Conference House Conference-house-staten-island.jpg 1675 Staten Island
40°30′10″N 74°15′14″W / 40.502861°N 74.253778°W / 40.502861; -74.253778 (The Conference House)
The Staten Island Peace Conference held here on September 11, 1776 unsuccessfully attempted to end the American Revolutionary War. This National and New York City Landmark is the only surviving pre-Revolutionary manor house in New York City.
Dyckman Farmhouse Museum Dyckman House 2007.jpg 1784 Manhattan
40°52′03″N 73°55′24″W / 40.867547°N 73.923256°W / 40.867547; -73.923256 (Dyckman Farmhouse)
Gracie Mansion Gracie-mansion-2007.jpg 1799 Manhattan
40°46′34″N 73°56′36″W / 40.776111°N 73.943333°W / 40.776111; -73.943333 (Gracie Mansion)
Historic Richmond Town Richmond County, New York former courthouse.jpg 1670 Staten Island
40°34′17″N 74°08′45″W / 40.571294°N 74.145814°W / 40.571294; -74.145814 (Historic Richmond Town)
King Manor Museum King Manor NW jeh.jpg 1750 Queens
40°42′11″N 73°51′43″W / 40.703056°N 73.861944°W / 40.703056; -73.861944 (King Manor)
Kingsland Homestead Kingsland Homestead north jeh.jpg 1785 Queens
40°45′49″N 73°49′27″W / 40.763718°N 73.824255°W / 40.763718; -73.824255 (Kingsland Homestead)
Home to the remains of a weeping beech tree that was one of New York City's two "living landmarks" and the 'matriarch' of such trees in the United States
Lewis H. Latimer House Lewis Latimer house 34-31 137th St Flushing jeh.jpg 1889 Queens
40°45′58″N 73°49′46″W / 40.766063°N 73.829402°W / 40.766063; -73.829402 (Lewis Latimer House)
Lefferts Historic House Prospect Park Brooklyn Feb 2019 110.jpg 1777 Brooklyn
40°39′52″N 73°57′50″W / 40.664323°N 73.963802°W / 40.664323; -73.963802 (Lefferts Historic House)
The Little Red Lighthouse Little red lighthouse.jpg 1889 Manhattan
40°51′01″N 73°56′49″W / 40.850242°N 73.946947°W / 40.850242; -73.946947 (Little Red Lighthouse)
Hendrick I. Lott House Hendrick I Lott 1940 E36 jeh.JPG 1720 Brooklyn
40°36′37″N 73°55′58″W / 40.610278°N 73.932778°W / 40.610278; -73.932778 (Hendrick I. Lott)
Merchant's House Museum WTM tony 0079.jpg 1832 Manhattan
40°43′40″N 73°59′33″W / 40.727639°N 73.992528°W / 40.727639; -73.992528 (Merchants House Museum)
Morris-Jumel Mansion Morris-jumel.jpg 1675 Manhattan
40°50′04″N 73°56′19″W / 40.834528°N 73.938611°W / 40.834528; -73.938611 (Morris-Jumel Mansion)
The Old Stone House Old-stone-house-brooklyn.JPG 1699 Brooklyn
40°40′23″N 73°59′05″W / 40.672958°N 73.984625°W / 40.672958; -73.984625 (Old Stone House)
A 1930 reconstruction with some original materials of the Vechte-Cortelyou House which was destroyed in 1897. The site was part of the Battle of Long Island. It also housed the predecessors to the Brooklyn Dodgers at one time.
Edgar Allan Poe Cottage Edgar-allen-poe-cottage.JPG 1797 The Bronx
40°51′55″N 73°53′40″W / 40.865278°N 73.894444°W / 40.865278; -73.894444 (Edgar Allan Poe House)
Queens County Farm Museum QFM barn jeh.jpg 1750 Queens
40°44′54″N 73°43′21″W / 40.748379°N 73.722612°W / 40.748379; -73.722612 (Queens County Farm Museum)
Seguine Mansion Seguine-burke-mansion.JPG 1838 Staten Island
40°30′55″N 74°11′51″W / 40.515218°N 74.19753°W / 40.515218; -74.19753 (Seguine Mansion)
Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre Swedish cottage CP snow jeh.JPG 1877 Manhattan
40°46′48″N 73°58′13″W / 40.779976°N 73.970215°W / 40.779976; -73.970215 (Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre)
Valentine-Varian House Valentine-varian-house.JPG 1758 The Bronx
40°52′38″N 73°52′47″W / 40.877222°N 73.879722°W / 40.877222; -73.879722 (Valantine-Varian House)
Van Cortlandt House Museum Van-cortland-house-bronx.JPG 1758 The Bronx
40°53′24″N 73°53′47″W / 40.89°N 73.896389°W / 40.89; -73.896389 (Van Cortland House)
The Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum Wyckoff-house.jpg 1652 Brooklyn
40°38′40″N 73°55′15″W / 40.64444°N 73.92083°W / 40.64444; -73.92083 (Wycoff Farmhouse Museum)

History

In 1988, the City Parks department established a Historic House Office to preserve the 23 City-owned historic house-museums located in City parks. This office gave way to the Historic House Trust of New York City in 1989, funded by private donations, as well as grants, with the goal of each house becoming a professionally accredited museum. In an effort to increase awareness of the program during its first year of operation, the Trust developed a so-called passport program wherein visitors would receive stamps each time they visited one of the houses. If a visitor went to all 23 properties, they would receive an audience with the Mayor. HHT's passport program was brought back in 2008 as a method of commemorating the Trust's 20th anniversary.

The Trust also holds events such as the Historic Houses Festival, during which all the houses are open with different events at each, in order to raise awareness. New properties are added to the Trust when they come under city control if private care-taking or ownership has not succeeded, although the contents of the home may remain under private ownership.

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