John Corry: Twenty-Five Years Ago in Bronxville: November 1990
By John A. Corry
Nov. 11, 2015: Real Estate Tax Increase: Governor Mario Cuomo's proposed budget would significantly reduce state aid to education and would cause Eastchester's real estate taxes to increase by 17 percent. Because of recent increases in Bronxville real estate values, its share would increase by 20 percent. School Superintendent William Greenham commented that wealthy school districts like Bronxville would receive "little sympathy" if they sought relief from Albany.
Proposed School Foundation: Meanwhile, a board of education subcommittee proposed the establishment of a foundation that would raise money to finance special school programs and projects. It stressed that money it would raise would not be a substitute for funds otherwise raised as tax revenues, but rather to "increase the quality of education," in part by creating and developing innovative programs. It might also help attract new families to the community.
West Side Development: From considerations of "community impact," the developers announced a reduction in the project's size from 115 units to 90 units. For the near future, the change was academic. Reflecting the state of the general economy, with the Dow down 10 percent for the year, the apartments would be "difficult to sell" and the project would be "impossible to finance."
Commuter Parking: The parking commission announced that it was considering recommending moving the commuter parking spaces on Kraft Avenue to the new Kensington lot. This would respond to the demand for additional parking from downtown merchants. Since the Kensington space would be in a residentially zoned area, limiting it to longer-term commuter parking might be less troublesome for home-owning neighbors. The proposal would likely raise strong commuter opposition.
Proposed Health Care Facility: Opposition was increasing to the proposed health care facility that would span the railroad tracks off Kensington Avenue. Planning board member Harold Fredenburgh expressed concern about placing such a facility in a residential zone, and planning board chairman Corwin Frost noted a very strong initial community reaction. He was, however, reluctant to veto it "out of hand."
Concordia Award: Bronxville resident Dr. Lester Mount was to receive the Concordia College's President's Award for Excellence in Educational Services. For thirty-five years he had been chief resident neurosurgeon at New York's Neurological Institute. He also had been serving as chief of neurology at Project Hope and in that capacity with his wife, Ruth, had visited Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Sri Lanka.
Bronxville Football: The Bronco season ended on a down note when Dobbs Ferry defeated the football team by 13-0 in a game played in Bronxville. The vaunted Bronco offense was bottled up from the start. Thus the season ended with a 5-3 record, 3-2 in league play.
Wanamaker's Sweater Sale: A full-page Review Press-Reporter advertisement announced a men's sale of sweaters at $29.95 at the store's Cross County branch. (Readers of the ad were probably unaware that this venerable department store was in serious financial difficulty that would lead to its going out of business several years later.)
Government & History Directory
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
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