parks as historical monuments had been denied such facilities by the patriotic societies acting as custodians. When, however, this unauthorized restriction was called to the attention of the Park Commissioners having jurisdiction over the buildings, the trouble was remedied, the Commissioners expressing themselves fully in accord with the idea of allowing artists and students the utmost freedom compatible with the protection of the buildings and their

contents.

Such is the policy pursued by this Society with public properties under its control. To the Museum of military relics at Stony Point Battlefield State Reservation, to the museum of Indian relics at Letchworth Park, and to the Philipse Manor Hall at Yonkers with its valuable collection of paintings, the public is admitted without fee, and the taking of photographs and the making of sketches is not forbidden. Buildings like these just mentioned, and like Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, Washington's Headquarters in New York, and similar properties owned by the State or City, should be as freely accessible as the State Museum at Albany, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN NEW YORK.

Poe Cottage Saved.

In 1898, the Women's Auxiliary of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society was formed with the special object of promoting the preservation of three historic buildings in the City of New York-Fraunces' Tavern, at Broad and Pearl Streets, Manhattan; Washington's Headquarters (the Jumel or Morris Mansion) in 160th Street, Manhattan; and the Poe Cottage in Fordham, Borough of the Bronx. For the attainment of the first two objects, influential agencies, including this Society, were already at work, but the efforts of the Women's Auxiliary contributed much to the public sentiment which eventually led to the preservation of those buildings. But, so far as our knowledge goes, the Women's Auxiliary was the first organized body to undertake a campaign for the preservation of the Poe Cottage.

In 1903, the City authorities passed an ordinance for the creation of a park for the preservation of Frances' Tavern, but it was rescinded in 1904, and the structure was bought by the Sons of the Revolution. In 1903, the City bought the Washington Headquarters and it is now in the jurisdiction of the Park Department and the custody of the Washington's Headquarters Association (founded by the Daughters of the American Revolution). After nine years more of agitation about the Poe Cottage, the City voted in 1912 to purchase that interesting little building.* The resolution adopted by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment December 19, 1912, upon the initiative of the Hon. Cyrus C. Miller, President of the Borough of the Bronx, reads as follows:

"Resolved, That pursuant to the provisions of section 47 of the Greater New York Charter, as amended, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment hereby approves of the issue of corporate stock of The City of New York to an amount not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), to provide means for the purchase, at a cost not to exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000) of the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, the cost of its removal to Poe Park, and for other expense incidental to the restoration thereof, not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000), under the direc tion of the President of the Borough of The Bronx and the Commissioner of Parks, Borough of The Bronx, and that when authority therefor shall have been obtained from the Board of Aldermen, the Comptroller be and is hereby authorized to issue said corporate stock of The City of New York in the manner provided by section 169 of the Greater New York Charter, the proceeds thereof to the amount of the par value of the stock to be applied to the purposes aforesaid."

The Poe Cottage stands on the north side of the Kingsbridge Road opposite Poe Park. From 1846 to 1849 it was the last home of the poet Edgar Allan Poe, and within its lowly walls he created some of his most celebrated works. Here, after the death of his beautiful wife in January, 1847, he wrote "The Bells," "Ulalume," To Helen," "Annabel Lee," "To My Mother," "For Annie," and his prose compositions, "The Domain of Arnheim," Landor's Cottage," and "Eureka." When the Kings

*The Bronx Society of Arts and Sciences has also been very active in the work of saving the building; and Borough President Miller and Park Commissioner Higgins have lent their sympathetic help.

bridge Road was improved a number of years ago and houses were built in the neighborhood, the Poe Cottage was moved a short distance on the same lot and has ever since been in danger of destruction by fire if the frame building nearby should burn. In the fall of 1912, the building was further endangered by the excavating which was going on in the neighborhood. In December, a blast hurled a boulder clear over the cottage. If the boulder had hit the cottage, it would have demolished the building. The plan is to move the building across the Kingsbridge Road into Poe Park and preserve it as a public monument.*

The New York Evening Sun of December 21, 1912, commented editorially on the preservation of the Poe Cottage as follows:

"The public will approve the decision recently made by the Board of Estimate to buy the cottage at Fordham where Edgar Allan Poe once lived and provide for its preservation in the memorial park already reserved close by its actual site. As a relic of a much earlier New York the little cottage will have its intrinsic interest and New Yorkers will say 'Well done' to the action which guarantees its preservation in Poe Park as part of the city's memorial to a great, if circumscribed, literary genius who made New York his home for a number of years and did some of his most famous work within those frail walls.

"The literary landmarks of New York have been traced and bulletined by more than one follower in the footsteps of vanished heroes. The record is of interest to the present generation, but who can be sure that these places, even though marked for remembrance, will attract the feet of literary pilgrims in years to come? The scenes in Washington Square chosen by Mr. Henry James or Mr. Marion Crawford for some of their tales, the balcony restaurant at the Ninth Street corner of University Place, where the competent Van Bibber (one type of modern hero) did his good turn to the eloping couple-such literary remarks' as those are pretty evanescent. And if one try to fix the abiding places in New York of any of our older group-Aldrich, Stedman, Stoddard, Whitman where is one to seek? The remark of an outland visitor and observer of neighborhood changes in New York was made with deep feeling, You sweep so clean here.' It remains as true as ever. The various historical societies set up tablets here and there, now and then, but when a neighborhood which once was diversified with occasional trees and little gardens

* On June 9, 1913, it was moved to its new location in Poe Park.

is covered with tall steel framed buildings the pilgrim finds it hard to detect any trace of the earlier day or spirit.

-

"Literary values and heroes are matters of proportion like everything else; all is relative. And relatively we must confess that New York's list of men of towering stature amid the world figures in literature is not a large one. The English tell us that in all our literary history in America we have but three Hawthorne, Poe and Whitman. Not all students agree with this conclusion; yet when all is said for the others it is clear that to neglect to make Poe's local memorial as distinctive and striking as possible would be equally silly and savage. The old sticks and stones which formed a great man's birthplace have an undoubted if varying power to move the emotions of those who come after him, and the simple cottage where our great poet of the tragic life passed some of his least unhappy hours (as well as some of the most mournful ones, for his wife died there) is certainly a scrap of the past worth keeping as a part of such a shrine to his memory as this mad-paced city can pause to build."

Hamilton Grange.

During the past year we have continued our efforts for the preservation of Hamilton Grange the residence of Alexander Hamilton, which once stood between 142d and 143d Streets west of Convent Avenue, but which now stands on the east side of Convent Avenue between 141st and 142d Streets, adjacent to St. Luke's Church. In our last Report (1912) we gave a map, a picture, and historical data in regard to this building, and also referred to our correspondence with the rector of St. Luke's with a view to ascertaining the terms upon which the parish would part with the building, which is now used as a parish house and rectory. The plan under consideration was to have the City buy the house and move it to a neighboring site in St. Nicholas Park where it would still stand on a part of the old Hamilton Grange farm. A critical situation has arisen during the past year, affecting the execution of this plan, owing to plans of the owners of the adjacent property to erect an apartment house in such close proximity to Hamilton Grange that the latter could not be moved off from its present site owing to a projection of the church. The acquisition of the building by the City without further delay was therefore strongly urged upon the municipal authorities and

under date of January 15, 1913, we wrote to the Hon. William A. Prendergast, Comptroller of the City, urging the favorable consideration of the subject by the Corporate Stock Budget Committee. Up to the present writing, no definite action has been taken on the matter.

The following paragraphs concerning the architecture and history of this interesting building are taken substantially from an article in the New York Times of Sunday, March 17, 1912:

"The mansion, which doubtless expressed his taste, was a very simple, dignified old structure, and shows the transition period between the old Colonial and the modern lines of the nineteenth century.

"Hamilton chose for his architect the artist who had designed the City Hall in New York, the most pretentious building in the City in its time, which is still admired for the simplicity and dignity of its lines. The architect was under the influence of Sir Christopher Wren, and something of the spirit of the great English architect may be traced in the Grange to this day. The house was built of timber from the estate of Gen. Philip Schuyler.

"Hamilton watched the progress of the house with keen interest and his letters of that date refer frequently with pride to his country home. The carpenters builded better than they knew. The Grange has withstood the shaking up of a removal of several hundred feet and more than a hundred years later is still in good condition.

"For this remote wooded tract Hamilton paid about $150 an acre. Some thirty years later, about 1830, the property sold for $25,000 and as late as 1879 was sold for $312,000. The rise in value in the past few years has been extraordinary, and even five years ago a half acre near the original site sold for nearly $500,000.*

"Hamilton considered his estate very accessible. The forests of upper Manhattan Island were then traversed by a single highway, the famous Albany Post Road, and he often commented on the fact that the coaches set him down at his own door. There were but two coaches each week, and these left the City at 9 in the morning and brought their passengers to Albany on the evening of the third day. Hamilton's legal business often carried him to Albany and he found his home very convenient according to the standards of the day.

See another reference to rise in real estate values under the heading "Rise in Value of Elgin Garden Site," page 129 preceding.