Where: 414 W. 141st St.
New York, NY
Who: Tweens and Up
Me - Hamilton Grange was interesting. It was once the home of Alexander Hamilton. Now, it is a museum. It is located on a hill, and there are a lot of steps to get up to it. Upstairs in the house, there were rooms. The rooms were like they might have been when the Hamiltons lived here. However, the stuff in them wasn't really all the Hamilton's stuff. There were paintings of people. Only a few people could go upstairs at a time. You had to put your name on a list. It wasn't really a tour though although there was a person who went upstairs with the group, and you could ask questions if you wanted. Downstairs there was museum. It told all about Hamilton and what he did. There was a movie about him too. It was about Hamilton and the banking system. It was cool to learn all those facts about Hamilton that I didn't know before. I really want to see the musical, Hamilton! The Hamilton Grange Museum was unique because it was not only about Hamilton but also about the banking system. There were no interactive or special exhibits but there was some touch screens. My favorite part was the upstairs stuff. People who are interested in history or Hamilton or the banking system would enjoy this museum.
Mom - If you are a big fan of Alexander Hamilton or the musical bearing his name, you might want to visit the Hamilton Grange. The house is the actual home that the Hamilton family lived in although it has been moved from its original location to the place where it now resides. After the Hamilton's owned the house, it fell into disrepair and was almost torn down. Later, it became a church for a while before being restored to the way it was in Hamilton's day and designated a National Historic Landmark. Currently, on the ground floor, which was not originally part of the house, there is a visitor's center where you can view an exhibit on Hamilton as well as view a short film about his life. Upstairs, in the original part of the house, is a re-creation of what the rooms were like when the Hamilton's lived there although not all the furniture and items in the rooms actually belonged to the family. The Hamilton Grange is part of the National Parks Systems, and there is no cost to visit. There are no formal tours given, but there are park rangers available to answer questions. Although a visit to the Grange should not take long because the exhibit is not very big, and there are only a few rooms to see upstairs, only a certain number of people are permitted upstairs at a time so if you are there when it is busy be prepared to wait a while. It is not a good place for people who have trouble doing a lot of walking because in addition to the steps from the visitors center to the main part of the house, there are a bunch of stone steps just to get up from street level to where the house sits. It is also not a good place for small children who would probably be bored and would be tempted to touch things and/or touch or lean against the walls in the historic part of the house. If you are interested in early American history and/or Hamilton in particular, you would definitely enjoy a visit to Hamilton Grange.
For more about the Hamilton Grange go to https://www.nps.gov/hagr/index.htm.
And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.
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