Richard Magat, Man in Manhattan: Comparing Postal Services in Manhattan and Bronxville
By Richard Magat
Jul. 8, 2015: Despite the passage of years, my legs still tremble when I recall standing in line at the Bronxville Post Office for what seemed like forever.
Neither I nor other suffering customers could prevail on the authorities to add clerks. In my new digs, in upper Manhattan, several steps from Central Park, I decided to make a comparison.
Situated on a busy street in Spanish Harlem, the building lacks the suburban contours of the Bronxville Post Office, but the main difference is the policy toward customers. At the entrance stood a woman who was ready to give advice. She told me that the branch was rated by the waiting time customers stood on line. I noted there were three on line at the time despite the fact that this branch covers a far greater number than Bronxville's.
However, with steps, benches, and greenery, Bronxville's exterior is more welcoming. I do recall, though, that one of my favorite neighbors, the late Prof. Burton Pollin, an authority on Edgar Allan Poe, frequently beseeched the Bronxville postmaster to improve the upkeep of the greenery. (He and his wife, Alice, founders of the Bronxville Beautification Committee, promoted the fountain at the traffic circle opposite Lawrence Hospital.)
One of the few disagreements I ever had with Professor Pollin concerned the design of US postage stamps. He claimed they were bland compared to those of many foreign countries. The truth is quite the opposite. Any examination of USA Philatelic, a quarterly catalogue of the US Postal Service, discloses thousands of artistic and historical issues from sports, to birds, to pioneers, and more.
Given the current turmoil in race relations, it is worth noting one of the oddities of the Bronxville Post Office--a mural commemorating the arrival in 1846 of the first mail in Bronxville, painted in 1939 by the noted Ashcan School artist John Sloan. It was financed by the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program to offset some of the effects of the Depression. The mural shows a black stable boy tethering a coach full of white people. The mural aroused no controversy, but residents of many Southern communities resented stereotypes of rural people portrayed as hicks and hayseeds.
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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