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Audubon's New York

The naturalist John James Audubon is best known for "The Birds of America," the comprehensive, hand-painted ornithological survey published between 1827-1839, but it was his 1841 purchase of a riverfront estate that came to influence the development of Washington Heights, Riverside Drive, and Upper Manhattan beyond the Commissioner’s Plan grid.

By

Museum of the City of New York

8 stops•1.2km•15 min

1

Trinity Church Cemetery

Trinity Church Cemetery

John James Audubon is interred in Trinity Church Cemetery; his monument reads: O ALL YE FOWLS OF THE AIR, BLESS YE THE LORD, PRAISE HIM, AND MAGNIFY HIM FOR EVER. / O ALL YE BEASTS AND CATTLE, BLESS YE THE LORD, PRAISE HIM, AND MAGNIFY HIM FOR EVER.

2

Church of the Intercession

Church of the Intercession

Financial difficulties around the turn of the 20th century led the Church of the Intercession to enter into a partnership with Trinity Church in Manhattan's crowded downtown.

3

Audubon Park Apartments

Audubon Park Apartments

This view from the Audubon Park apartment building shows the campus of Audubon Terrace, a collection of Beaux Arts structures including the Hispanic Society of America and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

4

Church of the Intercession (original)

Church of the Intercession (original)

The congregation that would become the Church of the Intercession was founded bu John James Audubon and John R. Morewood in 1846. The second church, completed in 1972, was erected near the northeast corner of the original Audubon Park tract.

5

Riverside Drive West

Riverside Drive West

The construction of Riverside Drive cleaved the former Audubon Park property and spelled the end for Minnie's Land and its remaining historic structures. Today, Riverside Drive West preserves some of the Hudson River views that once enchanted the country's leading naturalist.

6

William A. Wheelock Mansion

William A. Wheelock Mansion

In 1862, William A. Wheelock, a dry goods wholesaler, purchased a riverside parcel of the Audubon estate and built a mansard-roofed Victorian Gothic Mansion.

7

The Riviera

The Riviera

The Riviera stands on the site of the former Grinnell Family mansion in Audubon Park.

8

"Minnie's Land"

"Minnie's Land"

Audubon's bucolic estate included several homes and outbuildings for several family members. Audubon's residence was known as Minnie's Land, after an affectionate nickname for his wife Lucy Bakewell Audubon. The home survived, with significant alterations — most notably to the surrounding urban landscape — until 1931.

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