Amy Cole, Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum
Dec. 2, 2015: Named in 2014 one of the top five places to see Christmas trees in New York City outside Rockefeller Center by NBC's New York Live, Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum (BPMM) is gearing up for its best holiday season yet.
The museum's highly popular Storybook Christmas Trees are back, this year with eight trees inspired by children's books about the holidays in New York and decorated by an impressive group of designers from Manhattan to Greenwich, Connecticut.
The theme this year, "A Very New York Christmas," is inspired by Michael Storrings's whimsical book of the same name, which features charming illustrations of well-known New York City sites dressed up for the holidays and includes Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum.
On view early enough to see again and again and long enough to enjoy after the holiday rush, the Storybook Christmas Trees set the stage for a season to remember from the moment the mansion doors swing open on Friday, December 4, for the holiday luncheon and book signing with special guest Michael Storrings.
That evening, the merriment continues with the Holiday First Friday! Music & Trolley, featuring the festive sounds of the all-female a cappella group MetropoliTones. Throughout it all, visitors can shop for gifts and books in the museum's holiday pop-up shop (stocked, once again, with the help of Bronxville's Kensington Paper) and purchase homemade holiday delicacies to take home.
Holiday fun continues the next day at the annual holiday family day on Saturday, December 5. A highlight of this year's family day is a special author appearance by Sonia Manzano, Maria of Sesame Street fame, who will read and sign copies of her new children's book, Miracle on 133rd Street (Simon and Schuster, September 2015), at the 10:15 am storybook reading.
At Saturday night's festive party, guests celebrate the season in style--and support the museum--with the mansion in its holiday splendor. Live and silent auctions featuring vacation homes, one-of-a-kind New York experiences including tickets to Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Nutcracker, and a very special winter dinner at the mansion, plus themed raffle baskets and more, ensure that the festive feeling will linger on well into the new year.
All books will be available for sale in the museum shop. Please call 718-885-1461 or visit www.bpmm.org for more information about the trees or to register for any of the museum's holiday events and programs. The trees are on view from Friday, December 4, through Wednesday, January 6. Check the website for hours.
Pictured here: A Christmas tree at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum.
Photo courtesy Amy Cole, Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum
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
337-6500
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends
Bronxville Police Department
337-0500
Open 24 hours
Bronxville Parking Violations
337-2024
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends
Bronxville Fire Deparment
793-6400