Fraunces Tavern
- Style
- Georgian
- City
- Manhattan, NY
Fraunces Tavern at 54 Pearl Street, at the corner of Pearl and Broad Streets, played a central role in the American Revolution. Before the war it served as a meeting place for the Sons of Liberty; after the British evacuation in 1783, General George Washington was honored there at a banquet and days later bid farewell to his officers there. From 1785 to 1788, when New York was the national capital, the building housed the Congress of the Confederation's departments of Foreign Affairs and War, and the Board of Treasury, functioning in effect as the nation's first executive office building.
the building
The Birch Trials. As the British Army prepared to evacuate New York, Fraunces Tavern was the site of the "Birch Trials," the culminating proceedings in the emancipation of thousands of Black Loyalists, one of the largest emancipations of Black people prior to the Civil War.
Washington's farewell. Days after the British evacuation in 1783, George Washington was honored at a banquet here and later returned to bid farewell to his officers, one of the building's most storied moments.
the style
Fraunces Tavern is built in the Georgian architectural style.
More on Georgiansignificance
Fraunces Tavern is a designated New York City Individual Landmark (LP-00030), designated in 1965, and a contributing property on the National Register of Historic Places.
nearby
- American Bank Note Company Office Building
- 1 William Street
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church
- James Watson House
- Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
- 26 Broadway