Plaque to Commemorate Former Bronxville Resident President John F. Kennedy to Be Unveiled in Dedication Ceremony after Memorial Day Parade
By Ellen de Saint Phalle, Member, Board of Directors, The Bronxville Historical Conservancy
May 24, 2017: Bronxville's annual Memorial Day celebration and parade will include a special tribute to former village resident decorated World War II naval officer and 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy.
Memorial Day Monday, May 29, is also Kennedy's centennial birthday. Mayor Mary Marvin, the village trustees, and members of the board of The Bronxville Historical Conservancy invite the community to join them for a dedication ceremony on the village hall lawn following the parade. The dedication will be the first official recognition that Bronxville was home to President Kennedy's family for more than a quarter of JFK's life.
From 1929 to 1941, the Kennedy family lived in Crownlands, a six-acre estate on Pondfield Road. That homestead was demolished and the land subdivided in the 1950s, well before anyone could have assumed its historic value.
Conservancy members Peter Hicks, Marilynn Hill, Jayne Warman, and Anderson Kenny formed a commemoration committee with Mayor Marvin and Village Administrator Jim Palmer to recognize the Kennedy family's time in the village and add Bronxville to the national roster of Kennedy homes.
Consulting with the National Archives and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, the committee commissioned the Franklin Foundry in Pennsylvania to create a large bronze plaque. Historian Hill composed the extensive text detailing the Kennedy family's twelve years in the village. A piece of Tuckahoe marble from the historic quarries once owned and operated by two Bronxville founding families, Masterton and Morgan, was made available through the efforts of Tuckahoe's Mayor Steve Ecklond and the Town of Eastchester. The iconic JFK profile minted on the 1964 post-assassination commemorative half dollar is also included in the design.
Following the wreath-laying ceremony at the flagpole and the mayor's address at The Bronxville School, the parade will continue to the village hall lawn, where the historic marker will be unveiled and Bronxville will officially recognize its hometown president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Pictured here: At top: Several of the Kennedy children while living in Bronxville. Photo from the Kennedy Family Photograph Collection, courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation; photographer unknown; in text: flyer for the dedication ceremony, courtesy Village of Bronxville.
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Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
Village of Bronxville Administrative Offices
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