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Trustee Emeritus Award for Excellence in the Stewardship of Historic Sites
In November 2000,
the National Trust for Historic Preservation presented this prestigious
award to The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America "for
acquiring, restoring, and interpreting a collection of historic properties
that offer invaluable opportunities to experience the rich variety of
America's heritage."
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Museum Properties in New York
The NSCD in New York manages two historic
properties. The Colonial Dames Museum House (Headquarters) is in
New York City and Van Cortlandt House Museum is in the Bronx.
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COLONIAL DAMES MUSEUM HOUSE
(1930)
Address:
215 East 71st Street, New York, NY 10021
Telephone:
(212) 744-3572
Open: For
school programs, please visit
www.nscolonialdamesny.com and call for an appointment:
Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Directions:
Located on East 71st Street between
Second and Third Avenue.
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Photograph by Erik Kvalsvik |
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This house was built for The National
Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York. The architect
was Richard Henry Dana, Jr. and it was constructed between 1928 and 1930.
It is a replica of a fine pre-revolutionary
home of an affluent citizen, incorporating architectural features from
a number of important 18th-century houses. It has its own terrace
garden.
The house contains an excellent
genealogical library, an especially fine collection of Dutch and English
Delft, and furnishings primarily of 18th-century antiques.
The Educational Projects Committee
holds extensive school programs for independent and public school children.
For more information on the children's programs, please go to:
www.nscolonialdamesny.com. |
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VAN CORTLANDT HOUSE MUSEUM
(1748)
Address:
Van Cortlandt Park at 246th Street, Bronx, NY 10471
Telephone:
(718)
543-3344
Email:
vancortlandthouse@juno.com
Open:
Tuesday
through Friday:
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sunday: 11:oo a.m.
to 4:00 p.m.
Directions:
From Major Deegan Expressway, take
Van Cortlandt Park South.
From Henry Hudson Parkway, take
Broadway Exit, turn left.
Website: www.vancortlandthouse.org
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Photograph by Erik Kvalsvik
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Van Cortlandt House was built in
1748 by Frederick Van Cortlandt, son of Jacobus, merchant and Major of
New York. The Dutch-Georgian plantation house remains the oldest
house in The Bronx and is built of native fieldstone with brick window
accents. As in some Dutch manor houses, each facade window has a
carved brownstone grotesque as its keystone.
During the Revolution, Van Cortlandt
House was either near or behind enemy lines and, consequently, used by
both British and Americans; twice the house became the headquarters of
General Washington.
The property remained in the Van
Cortlandt family until the late 1800's, when it was sold to the City of
New York. Through an agreement with the City in 1896, The National
Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York took
over the management of the house and made it into the museum it is today.
The house is furnished with decorative
arts and Van Cortlandt collections from the 18th and 19th centuries reflecting
the lives and history of the Van Cortlandt family and their heirs.
NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
NEW YORK CITY LANDMARK |
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