With the 10th anniversary of Hamilton this week, we're revisiting a 2016 article on the real New York City locations that appear in the hit Broadway musical (a piece updated when the taped version came out on Disney+ in 2020).

A few of the locations are mentioned explicitly in the show, but many are not. With help from New York City-based writer B.L. Barreras, who wrote the self-published book Where Was the Room Where It Happened? The Unofficial Hamilton: An American Musical Location Guide, this guide offers expanded information on locations included in Hamilton.

In the book, Barreras breaks down the type of locations into places that were the setting for scenes, places mentioned in lyrics, and places that were the location for events in the show, but may have been shown differently. Barreras also acknowledges that Lin-Manuel Miranda had to take some liberties due to the constraints of set making and show flow on a physical stage, and that the book is not intended to point out such differences.

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The book is divided into six chapters: locations in New York City, other locations of note connected to Alexander Hamilton in the city, Hamilton-related things to do in the city, Hamilton locations in New Jersey, Hamilton locations elsewhere (like Philadelphia, Albany, Yorktown, even England), and suggested itineraries to take it all in. For Aaron Burr fans, there’s an itinerary devoted just to him.

Barreras has kindly provided us with the highlights of the Hamilton locations from his book, which we’ve excerpted. So without further ado, here are 10 notable locations from the musical!

1. Hamilton Grange

The Hamiltons were living on the property where the Grange was to be located when Philip Hamilton was killed in his duel (although the Grange itself was still under construction at the time). Alexander Hamilton speaks with Philip before his duel in “Blow Us All Away,” and Hamilton and Eliza would have taken solace there as sung in “It’s Quiet Uptown.” Eliza would have been at the Grange the morning of Hamilton’s duel with Aaron Burr and would have spoken to him there in “Best of Wives and Best of Women.” Eliza lived at the Grange for a time after Hamilton’s death while she started working on telling his story in “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.”

Fun fact: The Hamilton Grange was actually moved twice, most recently from 2006 to 2011 to this spot in St. Nicholas Park.In non -pandemic times, Hamilton Grange is operated by the National Park Service. Untapped New York Insiders were treated to ranger-led tours several times in the last few years. The rangers told us that the number of visitors to the Grange has skyrocketed since the debut of Hamilton on Broadway.

The context of numerous songs indicate that a portion of the dialogue would have taken place in the residences of Alexander Hamilton, of which additional locations in New York City include 26 Broadway, across from Charging Bull, 57-58 Wall Street and 54 Cedar Street. None of the original buildings still stand and there are no plaques at these locations relating to Hamilton.

2. Fraunces Tavern

Fraunces Tavern is the setting for at least two songs, “Aaron Burr, Sir” and “My Shot.” There are additional songs that take place in taverns in the show Hamilton, though the bar name is not directly referenced in those. Most famous for being the location of George Washington‘s farewell address, Fraunces Tavern also hosted a meeting of The Society of the Cincinnati at least once in the early 1800s where Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton attended.

The building was destroyed by fires and rebuilt several times during the 19th century – the original design is unknown. The building passed between several owners and was finally scheduled for demolition in 1900. The Daughters of the American Revolution, among other groups, convinced the New York state government to designate the building as a park, thus saving the building until it was ultimately acquired by the Sons of the Revolution of New York in 1904. The building was “restored” soon thereafter, but without the original plans the restoration was thought to have involved substantial guesswork. In 2021, Fraunces Tavern Museum commissioned a professional examination and analysis of the structure that revealed that considerably more of the original fabric and materials remain in the structure than was previously believed.

3. Jefferson’s Residence

59 Maiden Lane plaza.

As sung in “The Room Where It Happens – Act II,” Thomas Jefferson arranged “the meeting…the venue, the menu, the seating” at his residence on Maiden Lane, where he, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison reached a compromise regarding Hamilton’s plan to have the federal government assume the debts of the individual states and the permanent location of the nation’s capital.

Today, you can visit the spot although the building is no longer there. There is a lovely plaza in front of 59 Maiden Lane (57 Maiden Lane no longer exists) where you can relax for a bit during your day, and don’t miss the plaque on the outer wall of the building (at the west end of the plaza) commemorating Jefferson’s former residence.

4. 129 Spring Street (COS Clothing Store)

In the basement of the store is the 200+-year old “haunted” well involved in the Levi Weeks murder case (where Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr served as defense counsels for Weeks). The woman Weeks was accused of murdering was found in this well, and there have been reports of strange happenings around the well over the years.

The sepcific location is not in the musical, but the subsequent murder trial of Levi Weeks, who is defended by Hamilton and Burr, is mentioned in “Non Stop.” In the lower level of the store, the well is still there and can be seen by visitors, incongruously surrounded by clothing displays.

4. Federal Hall