Morris-Jumel Mansion - Washington’s New York Headquarters

George Washington probably chose the Morris-Jumel Mansion as his New York headquarters during the Revolution for its commanding views. From his room he could see all the way down to the highlands of Staten Island; he had a view of New York harbor along with the 400 British warships that were moored there. He could even see Long Island Sound to the east, and the Palisades on the Hudson shoreline all the way up to where the Tappan Zee Bridge stands today. He took possession of the house in September and October of 1776 for what only amounted to a month and a week before moving up to White Plains and subsequently down into New Jersey.

In July of 1790, during the brief time when New York was the capitol of the United States, Washington and his cabinet toured Fort Washington and then returned to dinner at the mansion. Among the prominent assemblage were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Alexander Hamilton and Henry Knox.

Palladian-style five-bay Georgian
The Morris-Jumel Mansion was built in 1765 in the Palladian style. Roger Morris Sr. probably influenced the design of the house; certainly there are many similarities with his Marble Hill House. The five-bay Georgian structure has three prominent chimneys – one is central; one on the east side serves the colossal kitchen fireplace as well as the dining room and bedchamber above; and a third stack rises at the end of the octagonal wing. The foundation is of fieldstone with a faux brownstone finish of a cement-like material that is painted. In fact, there is evidence that the entire exterior might once have had a brownstone faux-painted finish.

The hip roof is finished with a railing at its peak that resembles a widow’s walk. The portico beneath and its second floor balcony are other examples of the Palladian style. Four colossal columns support the triangular pediment. Only one-and-a-half acres remain today of the original 140 acres. The property was a working farm in its day, a country house for the Morris family who had a townhouse in the city. Family letters indicate that there were a great number of fruit and nut trees along with crop and grazing land.

“Many historic properties represent a single moment in time,” said Ken Moss, executive director of the mansion, “but the Morris-Jumel house is interpreted as a timeline. We show the Morris time period when the mansion was built; you see the Washington period; and the later Jumel period is interpreted as well.”

The first floor
The center hall represents the Jumel period. The wallpaper hanging in the hall is period-reproduction paper printed three years ago in France using the same wood blocks that the company has used for this pattern since the 1830s. The architectural style of columns with an arched border and hanging swags is typical of hall papers of this period. The hall is expansive, with a great depth of space that is segmented by a large arch across the middle of the room with a slightly narrower one beyond it. Another short hyphen-hall leads off to the octagonal drawing room. The stairs are to the right and not in view from the front, making this long, uninterrupted space quite captivating.
Above the two arches are gilded wings that Eliza Jumel claimed had come from Napoleon. These are gilt swan wings with a quiver of arrows that reportedly adorned Napoleon’s carriage, but nobody is sure whether Mme. Jumel embellished their history or not.

To the right of the hall is the dining room where Moss pointed out an unusual service alcove, perhaps unprecedented in the colonies at the time when it was built. The dining room represents the period of that one day in 1790 when Washington dined here with his cabinet. A painting of Col. and Mrs. Chester (he was an Aide de Camp to Washington) hangs in this room, which is furnished largely with period furniture on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A marbled stone floor cloth decorated with layer upon layer of boiled linseed oil is under foot.

On the other side of the hall is the parlor which is set to the Jumel period and furnished primarily with objects owned by the family. The painted and gilt suite of 12 chairs and a sofa are currently undergoing restoration, funded by the Swatch Corporation and a second private foundation. The fabric has been reproduced from an original swatch found at the back of the sofa.

The octagonal drawing room is important. One of the most dramatic rooms in the mansion, it is set very lightly as it would have been during the Morris period. Chippendale chairs sit against the walls and, breathing life into the room, a game table is set for cards.

The kitchen is on the floor below and the second floor boasts another grand hall. A painting of Madame Jumel, her granddaughter and grandson by Alcide Ercole dominates the space. It was painted when Eliza took her grandchildren on a grand tour of Europe. Bedrooms interpreted to the periods of George Washington, Mary Bowen, Aaron Burr and Eliza Jumel can also be seen on this floor.

Washington’s headquarters
“The Washington bedroom is a recent interpretation and it’s one we are proud of,” Moss said as he gestured me into the room. “We enlisted the assistance of historian Elizabeth Bidwell Bates, textile expert Natalie Larson and Nancy Britton, a textile conservator at the Metropolitan Museum.”

One very interesting treatment in this room is that the windows have valences but no curtains. Mrs. Morris fled the city to their home in Westchester along with anything she could carry, which would include the valuable draperies, but not the valences that would be fastened in place. The walls are treated with bright green solid wallpaper produced in squares that appear to be about two feet square, a result of direct research on the house as well as historical evidence from other locations. A hand painted border of ogee design is at the top.

“We don’t have any objects that we know belonged to Washington except for a letter in his hand,” Moss said. “But we exhibit a bed of a type Washington is known to have purchased just three months before he lived here.” There is also a mahogany knee-hole desk of a type made by Thomas Burling. The room was probably chosen by Washington for the incredible views all the way down to the harbor.

Preservation issues
The house sits on a bedrock foundation which is wonderful because of its stability. But sitting in a bowl creates water problems. And moisture is a constant issue at the mansion. The roof was just replaced using commercially-produced cedar shingles, which approximate those originally used. A new fire detection system was installed a few years ago. At that time restorers did plaster work on many ceilings using a skim coat and fresh paint. Minor repairs to the floor boards were done at the same time. The stairs to the third floor were relatively unstable and were reconstructed. The entire façade of the house was worked on last season and preservation of the dormers is scheduled for next year.

This is the oldest remaining house in New York and the fact that it was Washington’s headquarters is incredibly significant. But it’s survival in Harlem with the legendary 555 Edgecomb apartment building across the street (home to Duke Ellington and other Harlem legends) is astounding.

“Part of the thrill of visiting is the experience of seeing this ancient by American standards home juxtaposed against a background of high rise elevator buildings, brownstones and nineteenth- century wood frame houses,” Moss enthused. “It’s a real treat.”

Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace, New York, NY 10032, (212) 923-8008, www.morrisjumel.org