Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site
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Philipse Manor Hall
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The Manor house
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| Location | Yonkers |
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| Coordinates | 40°56′08″N 73°53′59″W / 40.93556°N 73.89972°WCoordinates: 40°56′08″N 73°53′59″W / 40.93556°N 73.89972°W |
| Built | c.1682 |
| Architect | Frederick Philipse |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000585 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | November 5, 1961 |
Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site is a historic house museum located in the Getty Square neighborhood of Yonkers, New York. Originally the family seat of Philipse Manor, it is Westchester County’s oldest standing building. It is currently owned and operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and located at Warburton Avenue and Dock Street.
The southwest corner, the oldest part of the structure, was built around 1682 by Dutch-born merchant and trader Frederick Philipse, a son-in-law of Stephanus Van Cortlandt, who — by the time of his death — had amassed a 52,000-acre (21,000 ha) estate along the Hudson River that encompassed the entire modern city of Yonkers and much of lower Westchester County.
During Philipse's life, the building was used primarily as a stopover point on the long journey up and down the river between his home in New Amsterdam and the northern parts of his estate. His grandson, Frederick Philipse II, and his great-grandson, Frederick Philipse III, successively enlarged and enhanced the building, making it the primary family residence.
On November 28, 1776, nearly five months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the start of the American Revolution, Frederick Philipse III and over 200 of his contemporaries signed a document declaring their allegiance to the British crown and their unwillingness to support the Revolutionary cause. Because of his Loyalism, Philipse was branded a traitor and placed under arrest on orders signed by General George Washington. He was held in Connecticut for a time, but was given special permission to travel back to Yonkers to settle his affairs on the condition he was not to aid the British cause. In violation of his parole, he and his family fled to British-occupied New York City and later to Great Britain, leaving their estate and Philipse Manor Hall behind to be attained.
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