Philipse Manor Hall: Our Whole History

New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
Yonkers, New York

One of Westchester’s oldest structures still stands on a corner in downtown Yonkers where the Nepperhan (Saw Mill) River flows into the Hudson. Initially built in 1682 by Frederick Philipse I, a prosperous Dutch merchant, and then added onto by three generations of Philipse descendants, Philipse Manor Hall is a notable example of early Georgian Colonial architecture.  

Amaze Design worked with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation to design permanent interpretive exhibits for this historic structure. “Philipse Manor Hall: Our Whole History” tells an inclusive story of the many different cultural groups—the Munsee people (who had lived in the Hudson River Valley for hundreds of years before the arrival of the Europeans), the Dutch and English colonists, and the free and enslaved Africans—who were all associated with this building over 350 years.

Members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians in Wisconsin and the Delaware Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma served as advisors. The exhibits opened in November 2022

Architect: Saratoga Associates, Saratoga Springs, NY
Exhibit Fabrication: Split Rock Studios, Brooklyn Park, MN
Media Design: Trivium Interactive, Boston, MA

June 21, 2024: The American Association for State and Local History’s Leadership in History (AASLH) Awards Committee has selected the Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site exhibits to receive a 2024 Award of Excellence.