In a city known for its glass and steel jungles and crisscross
of traffic-choked asphalt byways, one building in New York has
fended off not just the crush of built-up modernity, but also
seemingly time itself. Perched on a lush promontory in
Washington Heights, there is the 244-year-old Morris-Jumel
Mansion, Manhattan’s oldest house. And today, with its lush
lawns and panoramic views, stained glass windows and creaky wood
floors, the house still looks like a sliver of the 18th century,
time-warped onto the cityscape. It’s hard to imagine that when
it was built, the property’s lot stretched from river to river
across Manhattan. As if the house itself wasn’t enough of a
window into New York’s past, the Morris-Jumel Mansion Museum is
exhibiting dozens of photographs from the site’s past — with
modern shots by two photographers right next to them. The show,
titled “It’s About Time: 244 Years at the Morris-Jumel Mansion,”
runs until next Tuesday and is free with admission ($5 for
adults, free for children under 1