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 Hamilton Grange National Memorial, located at 287 Convent Avenue, preserves the home of founding father Alexander Hamilton. Born and raised in the West Indies, Hamilton came to New York in 1772 at age 17 to study finance at King's College (now
Columbia
University).
Hamilton became a supporter of the cause of the American patriots during the political turmoil of the 1770s. Commissioned as a Captain of Artillery at the beginning of the
American
Revolution, he soon became an aide-de-camp to George Washington.
After the war, as a member of Congress, Hamilton was instrumental in creating the new
Constitution. As co-author of the
Federalist Papers he was indispensable in the effort to get the Constitution adopted. As the first Secretary of the Treasury (1789-1795) he devised plans for funding the national debt, securing federal credit, encouraging expansion of manufacturing and organizing the federal bank.
Hamilton commissioned architect John McComb Jr. to design a Federal style country home on a sprawling 32 acre estate in upper Manhattan. This house was completed in 1802 and named "The Grange" after the Hamilton family's ancestral home in Scotland, but served as his home for only two years. On July 11, 1804, Hamilton was fatally wounded in a duel with his political rival Aaron Burr.
Getting There:
I-87 (Major Deegan Expressway) to Exit 4 - East 149th St; west on 149th St across bridge onto West 145th St; west on 145th St about six blocks to Convent Ave; south 4 blocks on Convent Ave. From George Washington Bridge and Manhattan: Broadway to 141st St.; east on 141st St to Convent Ave. A limited amount of street parking is available.
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