Van Cortlandt House

Van Cortlandt House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
New York State Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark No. 0127, 0890
The mansion in 2008
Location	Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, New York City
Coordinates	40°53′28.1″N 73°53′41.4″W / 40.891139°N 73.894833°W / 40.891139; -73.894833
Area	192 acres (78 ha)
Built	1748 (1748)
Architectural style	Georgian
NRHP reference No.	67000010
NYSRHP No.	00501.000009
NYCL No.	0127, 0890
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 24, 1967[1]
Designated NHL	December 24, 1976[2]
Designated NYSRHP	June 23, 1980
Designated NYCL	March 15, 1966 (facade) July 22, 1975 (interior)

The Van Cortlandt House, also known as the Van Cortlandt Mansion, is the oldest known surviving house in the Bronx in New York City. It is located in the southwestern portion of Van Cortlandt Park. The house is operated as a historic house museum known as the Van Cortlandt House Museum. Built by Frederick Van Cortlandt and completed in 1749, the house is a 2+1⁄2-story Georgian building with a rubblestone facade and Georgian-style interiors. It served as a residence of one branch of the Van Cortlandt family for 140 years before it reopened as a museum in 1897.

The house is built on an estate that Jacobus Van Cortlandt acquired in the 1690s. Frederick began constructing the building in 1748, although he did not live to see its completion, and Frederick's son James inherited the house. During the American Revolutionary War, both British and American troops variously occupied the house; the structure was passed down to various members of the Van Cortlandt family through the 19th century. The city government acquired the house in 1888 as part of the construction of Van Cortlandt Park and initially used the building as a police barracks. The Society of Colonial Dames of the State of New York leased the house in 1896 and opened it to the public on May 28, 1897. Various modifications were made to the grounds over the subsequent decades, and a caretaker's house was built in the 1910s. The house underwent renovations in the 1960s and 1980s.

The original house is L-shaped, with wings to the south and east; the caretaker's house to the north is attached to the rest of the structure. The mansion has a largely plain facade, except for brick keystones that depict Van Cortlandt family members' faces. The interiors include a kitchen in the basement; two parlors, an entry hall, and a dining room on the first floor; and bedrooms on the second and third floors. The museum has historically presented various performances and events at the house, and it operates tours and educational programs. Critics have praised both the museum's exhibits and the house's architecture. The house's facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks, and the building is a National Historic Landmark.