| Samuel Osgood House | |
|---|---|
 The Samuel Osgood House | |
 Interactive map of Samuel Osgood House | |
| General information | |
| Location | 1 Cherry Street,New York City, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°42′34.3″N74°00′05.4″W / 40.709528°N 74.001500°W /40.709528; -74.001500 |
| Construction started | 1770 |
| Demolished | 1856 |
| Client | Walter Franklin |
TheSamuel Osgood House, also known as theWalter Franklin House, was the firstofficial residence of thePresident of the United States. It housedGeorge Washington, his family, household staff and slaves, from April 23, 1789, to February 23, 1790, during New York City's two-year term as the national capital. Demolished in 1856, it stood at the northeast corner of what wasPearl and Cherry (today Dover) streets in what is nowCivic Center,Manhattan,New York City.
The owner,Samuel Osgood, was a Massachusetts politician and lawyer, who settled in New York City. He married Maria Bowne Franklin, widow of Walter Franklin, the merchant who had built the house in 1770.[1] Congress rented it for Washington's use, and the President-Elect moved in a week before his April 30, 1789, inauguration as firstPresident of the United States. In addition to living quarters, the Osgood House contained the President's private office (the equivalent of theOval Office) and the public business office (the equivalent of theWest Wing), making it the first seat of the executive branch of the federal government.
The Samuel Osgood Papers, at theNew York Historical Society, list purchases made to prepare the mansion for Washington occupancy.
I went the morning before the General's arrival to look at it. The best of furniture in every room, and the greatest quantity of plate and china I ever saw; the whole of the first and second stories is papered and the floors covered with the richest kinds of Turkey and Wilton carpets. There is scarcely anything talked about now but General Washington and the Palace.[2]
StewardSamuel Fraunces, former owner of nearbyFraunces Tavern, managed a household staff of about 20: wage workers, indentured servants, and enslaved servants.Slavery was legal in New York, and Washington brought seven enslaved Africans from Mount Vernon to work in his presidential household:William Lee,Christopher Sheels, Giles, Paris, Austin, Moll, andOney Judge.[3]
Two of Martha Washington's grandchildren were part of the First Family:Nelly Custis (b. 1779) and"Wash" Custis (b. 1781).[4]
Soon after his inauguration, Washington became seriously ill with a tumor on his thigh (possibly caused by anthrax poisoning). Cherry Street was cordoned off to prevent his being disturbed.[5]
The house was rented for one year at an annual rent of $845, but the president vacated it after ten months when a larger residence became available. Washington moved to theAlexander Macomb House at 39–41 Broadway, which he occupied from February 23 to August 30, 1790.
Under the July 1790Residence Act, the national capital moved toPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, for a 10-year period, while the permanent national capital was under construction in theDistrict of Columbia.
The Osgood House was demolished in 1856.[6] In 1899, theDaughters of the American Revolution marked its location with a bronze plaque, where Pearl Street crosses under theBrooklyn Bridge approach.[7]
| ||||||||||||
| Executive Residence |
|     | ||||||||||
| West Wing | ||||||||||||
| East Wing (under construction) | ||||||||||||
| Grounds | ||||||||||||
| Annex | ||||||||||||
| Nearby streets | ||||||||||||
| Related | ||||||||||||
