Claremont Avenue

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The stretch of land along the Hudson River in what is now Riverside Park was for many years the site of summer homes for wealthy Manhattanites. In 1806, Michael Hogan, a navigator and successful merchant purchased a large estate in the region, including a spacious summer home originally built by George Pollock, an importer of Irish linens. Hogan named the house and part of the estate Claremont, after his homeland of County Clare, Ireland. Claremont Avenue is named after the estate.

Hogan faced financial ruin after the War of 1812, and the estate was sold to Jacob Post in 1821. The Post family turned over part of the estate to the city in 1872 for the formation of Riverside Park and gradually sold the remaining portions in lots, selling the last lot in 1900. The house was moved and converted into an inn, leased by the city. A menu from the Claremont House appears above, dated 1900.

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References

American-Irish Historical Society. 1898. The journal of the American Irish Historical Society. New York, N. Y. [etc.]: The Society.