 The view of the Grange after the proposed move will closely match this rendering of the house in its original location |
 Here is the house in its present cramped site and dilapidated condition |
Support The Move
This move is being put in jeopardy by a few who seek to delay the move at which time funding for the move may be lost. Take action to show your support of the move. SIGN THE PETITION TO SUPPORT THE MOVE OF THE GRANGE AND ITS REORIENTATION AS PROPOSED BY THE NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE
Background Information
The illustration above shows the Hamilton Grange in its original setting. While this rendering was made in the 1800's it reveals important aspects of the original site and Hamilton’s carefully considered choices as to how the house should relate to the landscape. Of particular note is the open prospect of the front of the house and that the house faces outward from its hilltop setting and lush surroundings.
The original site was later sold and the house moved to make room for development. It ended up in the incredibly cramped site shown below. This is where it sits today.
Unfortunately, moving the house back to its original site is not an option. However,the good news is that plans are moving ahead to move the house to nearby St. Nicholas Park. In fact a contractor has already begun clearing the site and digging for the foundation. The move to St. Nicholas Park will keep the house within the boundaries of the original Hamilton property but more importantly the new site has the potential of restoring much of the pastoral setting and open views the house enjoyed in its original location. This potential is best realized if, as originally sited, the house faces out and down slope away from the rise of the hill behind it.
The New Site
Grange Site in St. Nicholas Park - Looking West
Any new location for the Grange presents challenges particular to the site. These challenge must be addressed. In the case of the St. Nicholas Park site, the south corner of the site seen to the left in the picture above slopes steeply uphill. Also to the southwest and west of the site is a large modern building seen above that will be a jarring contrast to the architecture and setting of the Grange. The creation of a level site for the Grange on this site will necessitate the building of another eyesore to the southwest of the building - a retaining wall to hold back the upward slope of the hill.
On the other hand the north end of the site offers an opportunity to recapture the open feel of the illustration at the top of this page. The way to best take advantage of this opportunity to recreate that historically accurate open feeling is to have the Grange entrance face to the northeast. This is the orientation being proposed by the National Park Service, supported by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and shown in the plan below.
Remarkably a few people vehemently object to this siting of the Grange insisting that the house face southwest into the retaining wall and steeply sloping hill! This orientation would be a 180 degree rotation from the orientation shown above. They make the claim that the house must be sited this way to match the compass orientation of the house as it sat on its original hilltop site.
Frankly the notion that compass orientation trumps all other site considerations is ludicrous. Consider for a moment another national historic monument – the Statue of Liberty. Its site, Liberty Island, sits to the northwest of the entrance to New York Harbor and is shown below. The statue faces southwest to welcome ships as they enter the harbor. If for any reason Liberty Island could no longer be used and the statue had to be moved to the northeast side of the harbor, by the logic of those objecting to the National Park Service siting of the Grange, the statue should still face southeast - into Brooklyn rather than being reoriented to once again welcome ships into the harbor! The illustration below shows just how much an insistence on retaining the “correct” compass orientation flies in the face of common sense or historical accuracy as to original design intent.
The Statue of Liberty Example
The Siting Of The Moved Grange
The situation at the Grange site is analogous. Insisting on the “correct” compass orientation for the Grange on the St. Nicholas Park site negates the overriding historical consideration of Hamilton’s design intention - which was to have the house entrance look out on an open setting - NOT onto a retaining wall and the steep upward slope of a hill!
Why Does Any Of This Matter?
Those who insist on the original compass orientation for the moved Grange are threatening to “delay” the move through legal action if they don’t get their way. There is a real possibilty that such a delay could jeopardize funding that has already been allocated for this project. By delaying the project a few obstructionists may well be able to block the move of the Grange. If they succeed, the Hamilton Grange – home of one of our nation’s founding fathers, will remain in its present sorry cramped location and St. Nicholas Park will bear the scars of the aborted move for years to come. This outcome would be a tremendous loss to the local community, the city and anyone with an interest in restoring and preserving this nationally important structure.
Your Input Makes A Difference!
Those who wish to block the National Park Service plans say they have the backing of the community. It’s time to show this is not the case...
It’s Time To Stand Up And Be Counted
SIGN THE PETITION ON THIS SITE TO SUPPORT THE MOVE OF THE GRANGE AND ITS REORIENTATION AS PROPOSED BY THE NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE TO ACCOMMODATE SITE CONDITIONS IN ST. NICHOLAS PARK.
