Fraunces Tavern, located at 54 Pearl Street, is a national historical landmark that currently houses both a restaurant and a museum. The history behind the changing identities of the tavern is consistent with our overall class theme of Conflict and Coexistence. The following are excerpts from students that chose Fraunces Tavern for their first visit:

“The location of Fraunces Tavern was definitely odd but appropriate. On my way to the museum, I felt much smaller than I normally do. Everything felt taller, more cramped and narrower. It was also almost impossible to miss the tavern because it was on a street with the shortest and most out of place buildings. However, it wasn’t completely strange because although the buildings surrounding it were new, the streets were still very old and complemented the tavern well.”-Alison Lin

“The original structure, although completed between 1719-1722, did not operate as a tavern until 1762, when it was originally named Queen’s Head Tavern.  Throughout the colonial New England, the next 10 years served as the building up of tension between colonials and the British Monarchy and Loyalists… If time is fast-forwarded to the 1800s, we see the rapid population growth in New York city, and thus we must understand the need for more living space and thus Fraunces Tavern underwent a transition.  It developed into a boarding house…With the continued growth of the city and big business, there had been a huge growth of pressure for more land to be used…The city government had helped the SRNY gain control of the building and gave them the rights to restructure, even though the original owners had wanted to demolish the tavern and rebuild a taller and more modern building.  This conflict of interest once again pits the preservation of history against greed and monetization.”-Kevin Call