Manhattan · New York County
Morris-Jumel Mansion
Historic Site / Park
- Location
- 65 Jumel Terrace at West 160th Street, Washington Heights
- Size
- 1.00 acres
- Hours
- Museum hours vary; grounds open dawn to dusk
- Type
- Historic Site / Park
The Morris-Jumel Mansion and its surrounding grounds occupy approximately one acre in Washington Heights at Jumel Terrace and West 160th Street. Built in 1765, it is the oldest surviving house in Manhattan and has served as a Georgian colonial residence, a Revolutionary War headquarters, and a museum of early American life.
The house was built by British Colonel Roger Morris as a summer villa, commanding panoramic views from one of the highest points in Manhattan. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington used the mansion as his temporary headquarters during the Battle of Harlem Heights in September 1776. The British later occupied it as their own headquarters.
After the Revolution, the property passed through several owners before being purchased in 1810 by Stephen Jumel, a wealthy French-born wine merchant, and his wife Eliza. Eliza Jumel was one of the most remarkable women of early American history: born into poverty, she married into wealth, became the richest woman in New York, and after Stephen's death briefly married Aaron Burr, the former Vice President.
The mansion's Palladian architecture, with its grand portico, octagonal wing, and elegant interiors, represents one of the finest surviving examples of colonial residential architecture in America. The interior has been restored to reflect different periods of the house's long history, with period furnishings and decorative arts.
The surrounding park grounds, though modest in size, provide a green setting for the mansion and offer views that hint at the dramatic panoramas that once extended in every direction from this hilltop site. Today the views are largely obscured by surrounding apartment buildings, but the sense of elevation remains.
The Morris-Jumel Mansion operates as a museum, offering tours, educational programs, and special events that interpret the site's complex history, from its colonial origins through the Revolution, the early republic, and the centuries of change that have transformed Washington Heights from a rural hilltop to one of Manhattan's most densely populated neighborhoods.