Government House for kids
The House Waiting for Washington. The true story of the Government House, near New York City, NY, told for kids.
Read along
Look at the very bottom of Broadway. A big house once stood right near here, and it was built for one very important person! It was built for President George Washington! The state of New York made it fancy so he could live in it. But guess what?
He never lived there! Before it was finished, the government moved away, first to Philadelphia, and then to Washington, D.C. That is like making a giant birthday cake and the birthday kid never shows up! So the house got new jobs instead.
Governors lived there. It was a boarding house. And later it became the Custom House. Can you find the big, fancy building nearby with stone statues? That is a newer Custom House!
Quiz the back seat
Who was the big house built for?
Show the answer
George Washington. George Washington! But he never got to live in it.
3 fun facts
- Government House was built in 1790 by the state of New York.
- It was meant to be the president's home but he never lived there.
- It later became a governor's home and then a Custom House.
For grown-ups
Every Tumbly story is checked claim by claim against the sources below before it's published; stories that don't pass stay off the app and this site. Narration is pre-recorded, and nothing you do on this page is tied to your kids.
Sources
Nearby stories
The Night Raid on the Cannons
Shh! Nobody make a sound.
The Castle That Checks the Weather
Look for a little castle on top of a rocky hill! It's Belvedere Castle, and it has a very special job.
The Roller-Coaster Bridge
Whee! We're on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge!
The House With 21 Kids
Psst. Guess how many kids lived in one tiny old house near here?All stories in New York City → · All places
Town and county names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).