Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site is housed in the Manor Hall of the Philipse family. Built in three stages beginning in the 1680s, the Hall was used by four generations of the Philipse family. After Frederick Philipse III and his family escaped to England as Loyalists following the American Revolution, the Hall was owned by several individuals before becoming the Yonkers Village Hall and later Yonkers City Hall. When a new City Hall was built in the early 20th century, the house was preserved through the generosity of Eva Smith Cochran and donated to New York State to serve as a historic site.
Today, Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site is one of over 200 parks and historic sites operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Philipse Manor Hall is part of the agency's Taconic Region, and is supported in part with programs and events by the Friends of Philipse Manor Hall, a private non-profit organization.
In 2022, Philipse Manor Hall reopened after a two-year renovation. Philipse Manor Hall is a National Historic Landmark and a Yonkers City Landmark, a status that fully informed State Parks’ approach to the rehabilitation of the site. In addition to the architectural restoration of the Hall, the grounds and building have been updated to improve accessibility. Changes include a newly constructed, discreet rear addition that houses new restrooms and an elevator.
The new exhibits have been designed to meet the needs of multilingual speakers, the hearing and visually impaired, and visitors with wheelchairs and walkers, and are sensitive to visitors of all ages, abilities, and cultural experiences. The exhibits are additionally offered virtually for those who are not able to visit the site in person, which expands the reach of the site’s dynamic history to an international audience. This website, which is devoted to additional historic and interpretative content, includes a 360° interactive virtual tour of all the new exhibits.
The new exhibits incorporate the journeys of the Philipse family, the Indigenous people from whom the Philipse lands derive, and enslaved Africans, from whose work and trade the Philipse family prospered during the pre-Revolutionary era. While past exhibits and lectures have documented the role that Africans and Indigenous people contributed to New York State history, these expanded permanent exhibits more fully depict the multicultural environment of the colonial period, and share this complex history with visitors.
