Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum
Pelham Bay Park
Bronx, NY 10464
(718) 885-1461
www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org

The 9 acres upon which this mansion sits is part of what was once an empire of 9,000 acres owned by Connecticut physician, Thomas Pell. In 1654 he purchased the property from the Siwanoy Indians. In 1666 he received the King's Charter to create the Manor of Pelham. In 1675 Pell's nephew and heir built a manor house which was home to four generations of Pells until its destruction during the American Revolution.

Ann Pell, daughter of the fourth Lord of the Manor, married her cousin of Huguenot descent, John Bartow, who acquired the property after the Revolution. The property changed hands a couple of times, ultimately to be owned by Robert Bartow, a grandson of John. New York City bought the mansion in 1888, and of more than a dozen architecturally important homes overlooking Long Island Sound, Bartow-Pell is the sole survivor.

The newly restored three-story Carriage House contains a carriage stable, hay loft, and tack room for a multi-purpose interpretive facility for the museum.

The neo-classic stone mansion is a masterpiece of architecture with its richly creative interior Greek Revival details and its elegant freestanding elliptical staircase. The 19th century Empire decor is an example of the finest quality found in New York homes at that time.

Furniture, decorative arts, and paintings of that period have been on loan to the house from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of the City of New York, as well as private collections. The mansion also contains its own distinguished collection.

For anyone interested in architecture, history, or interior design, the Mansion has a lot to offer. Group Tours are available for adults, and the Museum offers a Program for 4th grade school children which is done in two parts: 1) Museum docents give an interactive presentation in the classroom and 2) the class visits the Mansion for a slide show and guided tour.