Valentine–Varian House
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Valentine–Varian House
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Valentine–Varian House, September 2008
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| Location | 3266 Bainbridge Avenue, Norwood, Bronx, New York 10467,  United States
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| Coordinates | 40°52′38″N 73°52′47″W / 40.87722°N 73.87972°WCoordinates: 40°52′38″N 73°52′47″W / 40.87722°N 73.87972°W |
| Built | 1758 |
| NRHP Reference # | 78001841 |
| Added to NRHP | March 21, 1978 |
The Valentine–Varian House, built in 1758 by Isaac Valentine and located in the Norwood section of the Bronx is the borough's second oldest house and oldest remaining farmhouse. The house remained in the Varian family, which included Isaac Varian, New York's 63rd Mayor of New York City until 1905, when it was sold. It is currently a part of the Historic House Trust and houses the Museum of Bronx History and the offices of the Bronx County Historical Society. It is a two story, five bay fieldstone residence with a gable roof. It was moved to its present site in 1965 and restored between July 1965 and May 1968.
During the American Revolutionary War, the House was occupied by Hessian, British and American troops and survived the war despite a series of battles fought nearby. The House's role in the Revolutionary war was documented in a book published in 1983. The house withstood significant vandalism in the 1960s when it was being converted for use into a museum. Since its conversion to a museum it has held a number of exhibits about The Bronx and the borough's history.
This second oldest house in the Bronx was built by Isaac Valentine, a prosperous blacksmith and farmer from Yonkers in 1758. It was built out of nearby natural resources such as pine trees for interior flooring and stone for the exterior walls. During the Revolutionary War, the British captured this house in 1776 and held British troops as George Washington was stationed in the nearby Van Cortlandt house. This house then became the scene of frequent conflict between British and American troops. Isaac Valentine often encountered unwelcomed visitors since the 3rd amendment (no soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner) was not established. Nevertheless, George Washington used the Valentine–Varian House as a strategic location to defeat the British. The house is situated on Gun Hill Road. The colonists used this highest point of the east end in the Bronx overlooking the Boston Post Road and gathered at the top of the hill to fire a cannon against the British who were at the bottom of the hill, hence its name. After the Revolutionary War, Isaac Valentine faced bankruptcy due to the rising inflation as the nation attempted to established an economy with their newfound independence. The Hessian fly was also a contributor to Isaac Valentine’s financial ruin where wheat crops were blighted in southeastern New York. As urbanization outpaced his farming techniques, Isaac Valentine sold his house to the wealthy Isaac Varian and his family in 1792.
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