The James House Mansion

History

This 22-room Victorian Gothic stone building overlooking the Hudson River was designed by John Butler Snook, architect for the first Grand Central Depot.

In 1630, William Phelps, a farmer, emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Eventually his descendents took possession of The James House Mansion, formerly known as Phelps Place.

A descendent, Anson Phelps, and his wife Jane purchased the acreage in 1848 and, in 1851, built their riverside summer home now known as The James House Mansion. They occupied the Mansion until Anson's death in 1858. Jane continued to make it her home until her death in 1909. The property was later bequeathed to the the Presbyterian Mission Board.

In 1921 Anson Phelps' great grandson, Arthur Curtiss James, brought the estate back from the Board. In 1942 the James Foundation offered the estate as a gift to encourage the consolidation of the aging Ossining and Tarrytown hospitals. Phelps Memorial Hospital opened on January 7, 1956.

A project of the Phelps Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, The James House Mansion is available for rental, and the proceeds benefit the Hospital.