This year marks the 400th anniversary since New Amsterdam was established by the Dutch in 1624 and the 360th anniversary since the city was renamed by the British to New York in 1664.

Living and working in New York City makes it easy to forget or overlook the rich history here. The city is older than the United States, and it is stacked with reminders of various historical periods. American Revolution battle sites, famous graves, homes of the Founding Fathers, century-old bars and political buildings from every era since the Revolution can all be found here.

In recognition of both anniversaries, City & State looked back at New York City’s history and compiled a list of interesting and politically relevant historical landmarks in the five boroughs.

Birth & Death

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site (Flatiron District, Manhattan) – Teddy Roosevelt was born in a brownstone at 28 E. 20th St. in 1858 and lived in the house until he was 15. That house was demolished in 1916, but a replica was built as a museum in 1923. 

Trinity Church Wall Street (Financial District, Manhattan) – The church was erected in 1697, but it was destroyed in the Great Fire of New York in 1776 during the Revolution. It was rebuilt, and in 1789 George Washington prayed there after being inaugurated. Alexander Hamilton is buried in the church’s cemetery.

General Grant National Memorial (Morningside Heights, Manhattan) – This is the resting place of Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, and it is the largest mausoleum in North America.

Green-Wood Cemetery (Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn) – This 478-acre cemetery was founded in 1838, and it is the resting place of Boss Tweed, Jean-Michel Basquiat, several Civil War generals and other notable historical figures.

Revolutionary and Civil War Sites

Bowling Green (Financial District, Manhattan) – In 1776, a Revolutionary mob marched down to Bowling Green, which is the oldest park in the city, and tore down a gilded statue of King George III. The fence around the park today is the same one that was there at the time, making it the oldest fence in the city, and it still has jagged tops from which British emblems were sawed off.

Old Stone House of Brooklyn (Park Slope, Brooklyn) – In 1776, a regiment of 400 Maryland soldiers held their ground against 2,000 British soldiers at the Old Stone House. The British won the battle, but the defense gave George Washington enough time to escape with his army across the East River and continue fighting.

Bennett Park (Washington Heights, Manhattan) – This park used to be the site of Fort Washington, which was built in 1776 and served as the headquarters for George Washington during the Revolution. It was the last American stronghold in New York before the British seized control of the city.

Fort Totten Park (Queens) – This park is named after the area’s modernized Civil War fort. It was designed by Capt. Robert E. Lee in 1857 and completed in 1863 to help defend the eastern approach to New York Harbor, along with its counterpart Fort Schuyler across the East River.

Fort Wadsworth (Staten Island) – This former U.S. military facility on The Narrows was the longest run garrisoned installation of its kind before it was closed in 1994. Use of the land for military purposes had gone back to the mid-1600s. Fort Wadsworth is now part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, maintained by the National Park Service.

Government Buildings

44 Union Square (Union Square, Manhattan) – This building used to be known as Tammany Hall, and it was the headquarters of the infamous 19th century New York power broker William “Boss” Tweed. The Tammany hall logo is still on its pediment.

Castle Clinton National Monument (Battery Park, Manhattan) – This structure was New York’s first large-scale immigration station before Ellis Island. It originally served as a fort before being converted into an immigration center that welcomed more than 8 million people from 1855-1890.

Federal Hall (Financial District, Manhattan) – This building is on the same plot of land where New York’s old City Hall was located. The building served as the meeting place for the nation’s first central government under the Articles of Confederation. When the United States federal government was established in 1789, George Washington was inaugurated at this site.

Tweed Courthouse (Financial District, Manhattan) – This building was commissioned by William “Boss” Tweed in 1861, and he used its construction to embezzle huge sums of money. Tweed was tried and convicted in 1873 in an unfinished courtroom in the building.

Mansions

Morris-Jumel Mansion (Washington Heights, Manhattan) – In 1776, George Washington occupied this house and converted it into his temporary headquarters. After the war, Washington visited the mansion with members of his future Cabinet for a formal meal. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox and all of their wives were all in attendance.

Gracie Mansion (Upper East Side, Manhattan) – This mansion was built in 1799, and it served a variety of functions until 1942 when it was converted into the mayor’s residence. Since then, every mayor except Mike Bloomberg has lived in the mansion.

Hamilton Grange National Memorial (Hamilton Heights, Manhattan) – This house was Alexander Hamilton’s country estate in Upper Manhattan. Completed in 1802, Hamilton was only able to enjoy it for a short time until he was killed in 1804 after a duel with Aaron Burr.

Bars, Taverns and Restaurants

Fraunces Tavern (Financial District, Manhattan) – In 1775, this bar hosted the New York Provincial Congress, which acted as a temporary government during the Revolution. In 1776, the Provincial Congress hosted a banquet here for George Washington, his staff and his officers to thank them for their defense of the colony.

McSorley’s Old Ale House (East Village, Manhattan) – This bar was a popular location for the hundreds of thousands of Irish people who immigrated to New York during the potato famine of the mid-19th century. Notable patrons included former U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Ulysses S. Grant.

Keens Steakhouse (Midtown, Manhattan) – Keens Steakhouse was established in 1885 and has hosted a “pipe club,” which has included Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan and Gen. Douglas MacArthur as members over the years.

Stonewall Inn (Greenwich Village, Manhattan) – In late June 1969, patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back against a police raid at the bar, sparking the Stonewall riots, which became a major catalyst for the gay rights movement.

Statues and Monuments

Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park (Roosevelt Island, Manhattan) – This park is dedicated to FDR’s Four Freedoms speech to Congress in 1941. The speech described a world founded on the freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

The Hall of Fame for Great Americans (University Heights, Bronx) – This sculpture gallery on Bronx Community College’s campus displays busts of notable Americans. Grover Cleveland, Booker T. Washington, Alexander Graham Bell, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and many more are memorialized here, however it is temporarily closed.

The Morgan Library & Museum (Murray Hill, Manhattan) – This was the personal library of J.P. Morgan during his life, and after he died, it was converted into a public institution by his son. The library’s collection includes a 1776 copy of the Declaration of Independence, as well as letters and manuscripts from the Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln.