Pictured: Liz Hayden Fitzgerald, owner of the Bronxville Playroom

By Susan Miele

April 9, 2025: The under-5 crowd has much to look forward to, as The Bronxville Playroom prepares to welcome them. Offering open play, classes, and birthday parties, this new indoor play space will provide area families a destination for fun, socialization, and age-appropriate development.

Billed as “a place where kids can come and get their energy out, interact with each other, and play,” the Bronxville Playroom is designed to bolster the emotional and cognitive development of toddlers and preschoolers by cultivating imaginative exploration. Little ones can play grocery store, drive a car, or get their energy out on a pint-sized slide. Classes will be offered in areas such as music, dance, and tumbling.

The Bronxville Playroom is the brainchild of Liz Hayden Fitzgerald, a Bronxville resident. In addition to supporting the developmental needs of children, Fitzgerald sees the value to adults. Coming together allows parents and caregivers the opportunity to connect and socialize. “My hope is that when they leave, they’re the best versions of themselves.”

When asked if cafe offerings for grownups would be available, Fitzgerald said no because she wants visitors to support neighboring businesses for things like coffee and a bagel. She’s excited about the interconnectedness of the business district and wants to help support others. She’s also eager to participate in school and community events as a business owner.

Currently, the space is gutted while work is done to replace the floor and ceiling, and to build a family-sized restroom. Stylistically, Fitzgerald is going for a Scandinavian feel, with a light, open space. The storefront was most recently occupied by Lewiko Imaging Art. 

Fitzgerald is the sole proprietor of the Bronxville Playroom but is working in close partnership with a childhood friend and educator, Liz Flannery Gollenberg. Gollenberg, who serves as the director of the Bronxville Playroom, holds a master’s degree in education and taught at the Chapel School for 10 years. Both women were raised in Bronxville, both currently have three children in the Bronxville elementary school, and both are named Liz.

“Liz and I are a part of old Bronxville and new Bronxville,” Fitzgerald said. “My parents [Jim and Mary Louise Hayden] still live here.” Gollenberg’s mother also grew up in Bronxville.

Fitzgerald loves the walkability of Bronxville and sees benefit to the Bronxville Playroom’s locale—one being the ease of walking there after dropping an older child off at any of the village’s schools; another being the avoidance of a toddler falling asleep during a car ride.

Fitzgerald graduated from Bronxville High School (class of 2000) and Tufts University, where she majored in child development and minored in communications. With an interest in broadcast journalism, she began her career at a Boston cable news station, moved to CNN, and later worked at Huffington Post, where she helped launch HuffPost Live. Her husband, James Fitzgerald—also a Bronxville native, who grew up next door to Gollenberg--is a commercial realtor in Manhattan. The two dated in high school, went their separate ways, and reconnected.

When her third child was born, Fitzgerald took a break from the workforce. The Fitzgeralds moved from Manhattan to Bronxville in 2019, shortly before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. When her youngest started kindergarten, Fitzgerald was ready for something new. She saw the absence of a playroom as an opportunity for her hometown, having enjoyed the use of a playroom in the apartment building where the family lived in the city. Frequenting playrooms was an important part of their parenting that they found lacking here in Bronxville.

Fitzgerald’s enthusiasm for her labor of love is palpable. “When it comes to jobs, I just want to be passionate about it. I want to believe in it. I really believe in this as a mom and as a resident.”

Fitzgerald is hoping for an August opening. Families will be able to purchase a playroom membership or opt for a pay-as-you-go arrangement. A reservation system will likely be instated.

The Bronxville Playroom is located at 108 Pondfield Road in Bronxville. wwwthebronxvilleplayroom.com