From Useful to Beautiful: A Decorative Arts Tour of MVHM&G

Tour our period rooms to discover furnishings and decorative arts objects that best tell the story of NYC’s history in the 1820s. Explore the period rooms of the Mount Vernon Hotel, which operated on this site from 1826 to 1833, and learn why middle-class New Yorkers would leave their modest homes in lower Manhattan to spend a day here in a more refined and elegant setting. Just as Mount Vernon Hotel guests were impressed then, visitors now will appreciate the fine furnishings and decorative arts objects that grace the rooms of the day hotel and that also help tell the story of New York City in the 1820s and 1830s. From furniture made in New York, to goods transported to New York on the Erie Canal, to specialty items imported from China specifically for the New York market, this tour will showcase objects that made the Mount Vernon Hotel a special destination for New Yorkers in the early 19th century. This program is part of our Friday of the Month series, which features a different themed tour on the first Friday of every month. Follow us on Instagram: mvhmuseum 1826-2026: Celebrating 200 Years of the Mount Vernon Hotel!