Stories From Main Street: Alexander Hamilton's Home Moves In Harlem
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - Take a stroll through Harlem and be transported back two centuries.
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Alexander Hamilton's stately yellow and white federal style country estate - Hamilton Grange - has been refurbished and now stands at 141st Street and Saint Nicholas Park.
In the restoration, layers of paint were painstakingly peeled back to reveal original details. The study, parlor, and dining room look as they did when Napolean's brother visited 200 years ago.
"I believe it's invaluable. There is no price tag you can put on this home. It's the only national monument and only unit in the national park system that's dedicated to Alexander Hamilton's legacy," said Liam Strain of the National Park Service.
And what a legacy - from orphan immigrant to founding father.
"New York has this major figure who is an indispensable contributor to the Constitution," Strain told WCBS 880 reporter Sean Adams. "For a Secretary of the Treasury and, in that capacity, had great influence over how the executive branch would work over the next 200-plus years."
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In 1802, this was Hamilton's retreat. At the time it was two hours from Lower Manhattan by carriage.
"There were fields and farms and forests. His original home sat even further up on a hill that gave him a vista of the Hudson River as well as Long Island Sound and the Harlem River," said Strain.
LINK: Hamilton Grange (NPS)
That the home has survived is a miracle. Hamilton Grange has been moved twice -- once in 1898 and again in 2008.
Hamilton lived in the home for just two years, up until his fatal duel with Vice President Aaron Burr across the Hudson River in Weehawken.
Have you ever been to the Hamilton home? Tell us what you thought in the comments section below!
