MORRIS JUMEL MANSION INC
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Mission Statement
As Manhattan’s oldest surviving residence, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, built in 1765, preserves, collects, and interprets history, culture, and the arts to explore inclusive narratives that engage and inspire diverse audiences.
About This Cause
As one of the nation’s foremost historic houses, the Morris-Jumel Mansion empowers audiences to create relevant, contemporary connections to the historic 1765 building, its collections, the land, and its people, past and present. The museum serves as a cultural resource and destination for local communities and domestic and international visitors through its site and grounds tours, programs, and exhibitions. The museum opened in 1904 as the Washington Headquarters Association and has operated as Morris-Jumel Mansion (MJM) since 1990. The museum is located in the 1.5 acre Roger Morris Park in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Northern Manhattan. The first half of the twentieth century saw the neighborhood surrounding the Mansion develop into a vibrant home to a burgeoning population of immigrants and luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. In recent years, it has become a priority at the organization to broaden the interpretation of the Mansion so that it is more inclusive of narratives beyond the Morris and Jumel Families and its connection to George Washington and other “Founding Fathers.” Today, the museum strives to be an immersive arts and cultural center serving a range of diverse audiences, including the residents of Washington Heights. Of the 4,962 residents of Washington Heights (South), 89.5% are minorities and 46.4% are foreign-born. Additionally, Washington Heights has been identified as an “Environmental Justice Area,” one of the "hardest-hit" by COVID-19, and at a "Concentrated Disadvantage" in regards to social wellbeing. Of its residents, 25.3% are living below the poverty line and 43.4% of the households in the neighborhood are “rent-burdened.” Only 33.3% of the residents aged 25 years and over have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the unemployment rate is 2 percentage points higher than the New York City average. Over 60% of the population are native-Spanish speakers. One of MJM's programmatic goals is to provide free, high quality arts and cultural programming to the immediate community through concerts, workshops, live performances, and the visual arts. As identified in a new strategic plan, these programs seek to provide immersive arts and cultural access by fostering personal connections and creating relevance. Additionally, building upon initiatives to support culturally and civically-minded discourse, the museum serves as a space for community organizations to host performances and other arts-related activities. Upon the museum’s reopening in the fall 2020 after the COVID-19 Pandemic shutdown, the museum updated the interpretation of its period rooms, including translating all educational, directional, and wayfinding signage into Spanish. MJM has a diverse board and staff with approximately 50% of the composition identifying as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). The museum has a staff of 3.75 FTE with 75% living in Upper Manhattan. 50% of museum board members live or work in Upper Manhattan.