PAL

The Hamilton Grange National Memorial, located in Manhattan, New York, was built in 1802 as a country retreat for Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the United States Treasury. 

The National Park Service, which owns and operates the property, proposed the relocation of the structure from its setting at 287 Convent Avenue to a less congested, more historically appropriate setting in St. Nicholas Park, one block to the southeast.

Process

• The project included archival research at repositories throughout the city (New York Public Library, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Municipal Archives, Federal Hall), followed by subsurface testing in the yard areas surrounding the Grange and in St. Nicholas Park to identify any archaeological resources that might be impacted by the proposed relocation of the house.
• The research and testing documented substantial soil disturbance at the Convent Avenue site associated with the first relocation of the Grange to that spot in 1889. The St. Nicholas Park location also exhibited a great deal of soil disturbance associated with the creation of the park in the early 20th century. Testing in the park, however, also identified a portion of a relict streambed dating to Alexander Hamilton’s ownership of the parcel.

Results

No National Register-eligible archaeological resources were identified on either property and the NPS, through PAL’s work, successfully completed the cultural resources compliance component of the project.