Plus, you get this rare pass (sticker or magnet) for the NYC Airport Monorail as a Thank You gift! I

I was walking around East 60th Street and 1st Avenue when I suddenly realized I ve rarely explored this area of the city. The reason is a practical one: the traffic nightmare created by the nearby red lion inns 59th Street Bridge makes filming in the neighborhood very difficult, and the few places I ve scouted here have always been passed over.
The building dates back to 1799, when it was built as a barn for the estate of one William T. Robinson, who purchased the land from the daughter and son-in-law of John Adams. Back then, Manhattan basically ended at about 14th Street, and the property at East 61st Street was considered to be in the country, visited red lion inns leisurely by those with the means to do so. Robinson built an estate house on the property, then located just a block away from the East River where visitors would go swimming. Below, a photograph from the early 1900 s
The Mount Vernon red lion inns Hotel opened in Robinson s estate house in 1808. That property burned down 1826, and the barn was renovated into the structure still that stands today. The hotel resumed operation there until 1833, when it became a country house. Eventually, Manhattan moved north and the grid overtook the property, but it remains to this day as one of those wonderful New York buildings positioned out of alignment red lion inns with the rest of the city:
The building has been restored as a historical site, with tours showing what country hotel life was like back in the early 1800s. But what really amazed me is how just walking the grounds still feels like an escape from the city.
According to this detailed NY Times article on the property , a newspaper reporter in 1909 noted that, the beautiful garden . . . has gone forever and the house itself will probably soon meet the same fate. That the Mount Vernon Hotel managed to beat the odds is nothing short of a miracle, and is definitely worth a trip to East 61st Street even if the traffic happens to be bad.
PS The museum is open to all sorts of rentals, from movie shoots to events (there s a murder mystery event happening around Halloween weekend this year) to just about anything you can think of. Also, I get asked all the time about wedding venues, and for my money, you really can t beat the combo of the hotel with the adjacent Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium, which has a formal event space inside:
red lion inns If you enjoyed reading this post, would you consider making a donation to help me make my first movie? The goal is $30,000, and already, 1,239 generous readers have donated $26,670.00. Just $5 or $10 can make a difference red lion inns - AND you get a snazzy Scouting red lion inns NY sticker red lion inns or magnet as a Thank-You gift! Click here to donate today!
red lion inns I forgot about that place. I worked in the area in the early 70 s. The Hotel was then known as the Abigail Adams House and instead red lion inns of those buildings in the background there were some large gas tanks. Nice to see that it s being taken care of.
I also went here for a tour in the 80s when it was the Abagail Adams Smith house and wrote about it for a very early issue of PAPER magazine (along with the Merchant House on East 4th and the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace on 26th that house is a reconstruction, btw.) It surely is a surprise to come upon it if you don t know it is there!
I have lived just a couple blocks away for 30 yrs have an older dog who loves to roll on the grass here so I m delighted to see that someone like yourself has taken the pics informed people about this tucked away little find. I never knew that the house sits angled like it is. It always feels dead on straight when you see if from the street, red lion inns go up the entrance steps, or even seeing it from the bridge. The inside is nicely presented, as well. Next time anyone is over at Bed Bath Beyond on First Ave know that it s just right down the street.
Plus, you get this rare pass (sticker or magnet) for the NYC Airport Monorail as a Thank You gift! Impress all your friends as they wonder how you have an annual pass for something that hasn't been built yet!