Mount Vernon Hotel Museum facts for kids
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Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden
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| Location | 421 East 61st Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA |
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| Built | 1799 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Architecture |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001223 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | January 12, 1973 |
The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden is a super old building in New York City. It was built before the American Civil War (this time is called the antebellum era). You can find it at 421 East 61st Street in Manhattan, close to the East River. Today, it's a museum where you can learn about history.
Since 1924, a group called the Colonial Dames of America has taken care of the building. The museum is open for tours on certain weekdays. It's a special place because it's one of the few buildings left in Manhattan that was built before the year 1800!
Contents
History of the Mount Vernon Hotel
From Carriage House to Day Hotel
The building was first planned in 1795 as a large home for Colonel William Stephens Smith and his wife, Abigail Adams Smith. But they never finished it. Instead, it was built in 1799 as a carriage house and stable for another estate nearby.
In 1826, a man named Joseph C. Hart bought the building. He turned it into a "day hotel." This was a place where people could visit for the day to relax and have fun, but they didn't usually stay overnight.
A Quiet Escape in a Busy City
The Mount Vernon Hotel opened when New York City was growing super fast. This was after the Erie Canal opened in 1825, which made trade much easier. The hotel's location was perfect because it was away from the noisy, dirty city center.
Back in the 1830s, the main business areas of New York City were far downtown. Many people lived further north. It was common for families to take day trips to what was then the countryside, which is now midtown Manhattan. The Mount Vernon Hotel was one of many day hotels that offered a break from city life.
Guests could enjoy activities like boating, special exhibitions, and social events. At that time, New York City didn't have public parks or libraries. So, these day hotels were important places for families to escape the city's rapid growth. The city's population grew from about 123,000 people in 1820 to over 200,000 by 1830! People could spend a peaceful day by the river and be back home before sunset.
Later Years and Becoming a Museum
The Mount Vernon Hotel closed in 1833. A man named Jeremiah Towle bought it and made it his private home. His daughters lived there until 1905.
In 1924, the Colonial Dames of America bought the building. They wanted to use it as their main office. Then, in 1939, the house opened to the public as the Abigail Adams Smith Museum. The beautiful gardens around the museum were designed by landscape experts Alice Recknagel Ireys and Kate Basilashvili.
The Museum Today
What the Museum Offers
The museum is still owned and run by the Colonial Dames of America. It teaches visitors about New York City's amazing growth after the Erie Canal was finished in 1825.
You can take guided tours of the historic rooms and the garden. The museum also has many educational programs. These include school field trips, lectures during lunchtime, story times for younger kids, and summer concerts. They even have special "History Weeks" for school-aged children. Some popular yearly events are the Halloween Murder Mystery and Candlelight Holiday Tours.
Learning Through Research
Every summer, the museum hosts special students called Hearst Fellows. These students do their own research on New York history. They study things like trade, travel, fun activities, education, and how the city developed in the 1820s and 1830s. They also learn about how people lived and interacted during that time.
See also
