The Audubon family had an estate up by Trinity Cemetery on the western borders of Harlem in the 19th century and it is only fitting that the Naturalist has a proper tombstone on the sacred ground. We walked by the entrance on the south side of 155th Street just east of Broadway and noticed the grandly carved stonework which has some of the many birds that John James Audubon had made famous through his colorful prints. Unfortunately this is the only true historic marker of the famous family that owned quite a bit of land in the area for the famous home known as Minniesland was never protected by landmark laws since they did not exist at the time. Audubon Terrace is nearby and the Audubon Ballroom was named after the family but these are just honorifics. If the original estate stood today, a landmark like Hamilton Grange could have been created to actually explain a bit about the why these monikers exist in the neighborhood. Our past post has more details on the Audubon family home that was still standing nearby up until the early half of the 20th century but was left to deteriorate beyond repair:
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