Hamilton Grange Convent Ave location

From 1889 until 2008, Hamilton Grange sat between two larger buildings.

NPS Photo

Alexander Hamilton’s country home, The Grange, was originally built on top of a hill at approximately 143rd Street (a short distance from this location). In 1889, however, the building was moved to 141st Street and Convent Avenue. If you turn towards your left at this spot and look north down Convent Ave, where you see the sign for 143rd Street, on the left-hand side of the avenue is where The Grange would have approximately stood.

In the nineteenth century, settlement in New York City continued to expand from the southern tip of Manhattan to the north. In 1889, The Grange had to be moved for the creation of 143rd Street. A real estate developer purchased and donated the home to St. Luke's Episcopal Church, and it was moved to this location. The front and rear porches were removed, and the house was lifted off its foundation and drawn by horses to the new site. At the time, the congregation was constructing a new church and they used The Grange to conduct services. Later in 1924, the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society purchased the home and turned it into a museum. Furniture and decorative objects associated with the family were put on display. 

While the building was saved, the original intent of Hamilton and the architect was altered. The building was repositioned at a new angle and many changes were made including the creation of an entrance through a side window. When the National Park Service (NPS) acquired The Grange in 1962, the building had been sandwiched between St. Luke's Church and an apartment building. The NPS agreed to administer The Grange, with the stipulation that it be allowed to move the building to a place where it could be properly restored. In 2008, the building was moved to its current location at St. Nicholas Park.