Built about 1737 and enlarged about 1750, it is one of the finest surviving examples of Dutch colonial architecture in upstate New York.

The Van Alen House is located in a rural setting of the upper Hudson River valley, on the west side New York 9H, about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of its junction with U.S. Route 9.

[3] The house was built about 1737 by Luykas Van Alen, who purchased the land from Mohican Native Americans.

The house remained in the hands of the Van Alen family until 1961, undergoing numerous alterations before falling into disrepair.

[4] This property (interior and exterior) was a location scene in the 1993 Martin Scorsese film The Age of Innocence, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Daniel Day-Lewis.