4. The Bartow-Pell Mansion, 1836

The Bartow-Pell Mansion’s history begins in 1654, when Thomas Pell bought 50,000 acres of land from the Lenape tribe. By the end of the Revolutionary War, the Pell estate amounted only to 220 acres and was purchased by Pell relative Robert Bartow. Bartow started to build the three-story, Greek Revival mansion, which has a freestanding spiral staircase, in 1836. By 1842 the house was completed, and it remained with the Bartow family until 1888, when the property was purchased by the city.

In 1914, the house was leased to the International Garden Club, now the Bartow-Pell Conservancy, and the house underwent one of the earliest restorations in the country. The architectural firm Delano & Aldrich was hired to restore the building and design a formal garden, which was completed in 1916. The Bartow-Pell Mansion is now a national landmark as well as a public museum.