Twenty-one year old Israel Crane built a home for his wife Fanny Pierson Crane in 1794 on Glenridge Avenue. By standards of the day, it was a mansion located on 86 acres of farmland. The story goes that many people thought Crane was a bit crazy, How could such a young man afford such a fancy house? Israel Crane, however, was an astute businessman and soon grew into the house. Built back 1796, the house has had three lives — as the Crane family home, as a YWCA for African American women and girls, and as a historic house museum.