10 New York City Mansions That Are Worth A Visit
10 New York City Mansions That Are Worth A Visit
Hidden among the skyscrapers and iconic hotels near Grand Central station, are the homes of the city’s elite, both from the past and the present. Mansions that are filled to the brim with opulence that will make your jaw drop. From never ending winding staircases, an abundant use of mahogany, rich woods, and marble, to secret rooms and massive wine cellars, New York City mansions take homes to the next level and beyond
Historic Mansions in New York City
Have you ever wondered where New York City’s rich and famous citizens from the past called home? Where would they go when the bright city lights were no longer shining on them? Lucky for us many of these homes are now landmarks from the past and open to the public, full of history, both architecturally as well as socially. You can even visit, walk through, and imagine what it was like living in an NYC mansion. If you’re searching for an unforgettable New York City adventure perfect for any age that is unlike all the other things to do in NYC, then a tour of the finest NYC mansions just might be the answer. So, without further ado, here are 10 New York City Mansions That Are Worth A Visit!
1 | Morris-Jumel Mansion | Located in what is now Roger Morris Park in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, stands the oldest house in the borough, the Morris-Jumel Mansion. First built by British military officer Roger Morris in 1765 where he and his wife, Mary Philipse Morris, lived until the Revolutionary War 10 years later in 1775. During the War, the Morris-Jumel Mansion served as a military HQ for both the British & the Americans. The mansion played as the backdrop to many dramatic events through history, most notably the marriage of Eliza Bowen Jumel to then ex-vice president Aaron Burr (famous for shooting Alexander Hamilton in a duel). Eliza who was married to Stephen Jumel until his untimely death in a carriage accident, which was always shrouded in mystery and caused elites to think Eliza maybe played a part in her husband’s demise; let’s just say TMZ would’ve had a field day with this story. The Morris-Jumel Mansion has also had many historic guests, including former U.S Presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and John Quincy Adams, as well as U.S founding father Alexander Hamilton. The Morris-Jumel Mansion is now a museum open to the public.
WHERE: 65 Jumel Terrace, New York, NY 10032
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2 | Steinway Mansion | Placed on a hilltop in the of Astoria neighborhood of Queens, stands the Steinway Mansion. The two story mansion was built in 1858 for then owner Benjamin Pike Jr. The mansion also houses a four story tower with an octagonal cupola, allowing the inhabitants to survey the surrounding area with ease. After the death of Benjamin Pike Jr., the mansion was sold to William Steinway of Steinway & Sons, famous for their pianos. The mansion houses 27 rooms, but is not yet open to the public, although located in the carriage house is the major foundry, Modern Art Foundry, which you can visit by appointment and is responsible for many sculptures in New York City, from Alice in Wonderland in Central Park to the Fiorello LaGuardia statue in LaGuardia Place.
WHERE: 18-33 41st St, Queens, NY 11105
3 | Carnegie Mansion | This historic house is located at 91st Street and Fifth Avenue in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The Carnegie Mansion was completed in 1902 and was the home to the famous industrialist Andrew Carnegie until his death in 1919. The mansion is now the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and regularly open to tour. Despite Andrew Carnegie’s requests to keep the mansion as modest as possible, the mansion is known to be the first home with a steel frame as well as its very own Otis Elevator and central heating.
WHERE: 2 E 91st St, New York, NY 10128 | WHO: 212-849-8400
4 | Schinasi Mansion | At a whopping 12,000-square-feet, sporting 35-rooms of marble magnificence, the Schinasi Mansion is said to be the only free-standing, single-family mansion left in Manhattan. Located on Riverside Drive in the Upper West Side, the Schinasi Mansion is a time capsule of architectural provenance. Though not open to the public, as it is an occupied home, there are many photographs of the interior floating around throughout the web, showcasing the intricate original design elements of wood and marble. Originally commissioned by tobacco baron Morris Schinasi and built by William Tuthill, who designed Carnegie Hall, the Schinasi Mansion is a wonder to behold and a true gem to admire while on a stroll through the Upper West Side.
WHERE: 351 Riverside Dr, New York, NY 10025
5 | Emily Vanderbuilt Sloan White Mansion | Now for a cool $50 million dollars, you too can own a true NYC mansion, located at 854 5th Ave, the Emily Vanderbuilt Sloan White Mansion (we’ll call it the EVSW moving forward) is for sale and on the market! The EVSW Mansion is one of the last of the Gilded Age mansions still around and looking over Central Park the location couldn’t be better. The 9 floor (if you count the garden and roof top terrace), 20,000 square foot behemoth was home to, you guessed it, railroad baron Cornelius Vanderbilt’s granddaughter Emily Thorn Vanderbilt Sloane White. Though originally built in 1905 for R. Livingston Beeckman former Governor of Rhode Island, it was designed by the same architects who managed the Grand Central Terminal job. The EVSW has worn many hats through out history, and probably the coolest one being as the Yugoslavian Mission during the Cold War, it’s thanks to this period that the EVSW houses a rubberized room to counter wire taps during top-secret discussions.
WHERE: 854 5th Ave, New York, NY 10065
6 | The Van Cortlandt House Mansion | The Van Cortlandt House Mansion is the oldest building in the Bronx. Located on the very northern tip of the borough in Van Cortlandt Park, the Van Cortlandt House was built in 1748 on the then working plantation by both Africans and Native Americans enslaved by the Van Cortlandt family. Now a museum, the Van Cortlandt House Mansion offers visitors an insight into what it was like living during the early days of New Amsterdam. The museum also hosts the Enslaved People Project Resources, which works to bring to light the history of slavery on the plantation that is now known as Van Cortlandt Park through a variety of educational initiatives and activities.
WHERE: 6036 Broadway, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY 10471 | WHO: 718-543-3344
7 | Bartow-Pell Mansion | Just due east of Van Cortlandt Park is the Bartow-Pell Mansion located on the northern end of Pelham Bay Park. The Mansion is the last remaining 19th century estate in the Bronx’s Pelham Bay Park and now, being a museum, hosts all kinds of different events. Everything from youth learning programs, weddings, group outings, scavenger hunts, to a live on-stage adaptation of Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal In Bohemia, there is never a shortage of entertaining things to do at the Bartow-Pell Mansion.
WHERE: 895 Shore Rd, Bronx, NY 10464 | WHO: 718-885-1461
8 | The Otto Kahn & James Burden Mansions | Located next door to one another on 91st street and 5th Avenue, the Otto Kahn & James Burden Mansions are some of the finest examples of Italian Renaissance and Beaux art architecture respectively. Overlooking Central Park, when Otto Kahn had his mansion designed and built in 1918 by famed architects C.P.H. Gilbert and J. Armstrong Stenhouse, they were told to spare no expense. The Otto Kahn Mansion was the residency of Otto Kahn and his wife Adelaide Wolff, both were avid enthusiasts of the arts and regularly hosted grand musical performances that were open to the public to enjoy at the mansion. The James Burden Mansion features a grand spiral staircase and famous rotunda that displays a priceless Tiffany stained-glass skylight window. In 1940 both mansions were purchased by the Convent of the Sacred Heart and now house the Sacred Heart’s lower, middle, and upper schools.
WHERE: 1 E 91st St, New York, NY 10128 & 3-7 E 91st St, New York, NY 10128
9 | Felix M. Warburg House | Just up 5th Avenue from the Otto Kahn Mansion on 92nd street is the Felix M. Warburg House. Also designed by the architect C.P.H. Gilbert, this six-story mansion, was built in 1908 for non-other than philanthropist Felix M. Warburg. Designed in the early French Renaissance style, the mansion is now home to The Jewish Museum, so not only do you get to visit one of the grandest mansions in all of NYC, you also get to be immersed in one of the finest cultures the world has ever known. Offering art exhibits, lectures, and many other events, The Jewish Museum features, “an unparalleled collection that spans 4,000 years of Jewish culture through nearly 30,000 works of art, Judaica, and antiquities from around the world.”
WHERE: 1109 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128 | WHO: 212-423-3200
10 | Joseph Raphael De Lamar House | Yet another mansion designed by the famed architect C.P.H. Gilbert in the Beaux-Arts style. Construction on the De Lamar House was started in 1902 and finished in 1905. Located in Midtown just down the street from some of the finest NYC Boutique Hotels, the De Lamar House is the perfect spot to end your NYC Tour de Mansions and be close to where you’ll rest your head for a good night’s sleep. Originally built for Dutch-born merchant seaman Joseph Raphael De Lamar, the mansion is now home to Poland’s Consulate General in New York, thanks in part to the vicinity to the U.N. The De Lamar house still features most of the interior’s original intricate décor and hosts many dignitaries from around the globe. Recently the Consulate General of Poland played the stage for a wonderful evening of music celebrating the birthday of renowned Polish composer Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin.
WHERE: 233 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 | WHO: 646-237-2100
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NYC Mansion Time Travel
New York City is filled with so much history and with the ability to visit these mansions you embark on a certain type of time travel, constantly moving back and forth between the past and the present. To think that at any moment within the city’s confines you are standing where history was and continues to be made, it can cause one to pause and wonder… what if?
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* Westgate Resorts is in no way affiliated with the attractions featured in this article. Items or places listed are current as of the publishing date of this article. Please call or visit the respective website for the most up-to-date offerings and details.
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