Bronxville Historical Conservancy Creates Pictorial Review of Its 20th-Anniversary Year
By Nancy Vittorini, Member, Executive Committee, The Bronxville Historical Conservancy
Mar. 27, 2019: In its recent membership mailing, the Bronxville Historical Conservancy shared the smiles of all those who celebrated its 20th anniversary, looking to past notables — artists, architects, village leaders, and visionaries — to capture the camaraderie and spirit of its celebratory year in an impressive 20-page pictorial review, “The Year We Were Twenty.”
Click here to see the pictorial review. The publication is now available to view on the Conservancy's website.
Lancaster Underhill, Bronxville’s first postmaster, who knew every Tom, Dick, and Harry in town (well, to be more accurate, every Alexander, Abidjan, and Cornelius), would be proud to know that the Conservancy kept all of Bronxville’s settlers top of mind in its 20 years of preserving and protecting our village's rich history.
Underhill was joined by architect Lewis Bowman, artists Charles Knight and William Thomas Smedley, famed writer Brendan Gill, WWI war hero Leonard Morange, feminist Anna Lawrence Bisland, early village president Frank Chambers, visionary developer William Van Duzer Lawrence, and others to add historical perspective to the review of the Conservancy’s celebratory year.
The year was filled with an abundance of pursuits devoted to remembering the past. For the younger ones, there was a lesson in architecture with an afternoon of constructing Bronxville’s most treasured buildings brick-by-Lego brick. Rhoda Knight, granddaughter of former Bronxville artist Charles Knight, delighted little ones with her book about her beloved grandfather and his paintings of wild animals. And young students took a ride on the Tuckahoe Trolley, a “time-traveler’s trip,” to see and learn about historic village sites.
The entire community was treated to an evening of engaging conversation between historian Michael Beschloss and journalist Mo Rocca at the annual Brendan Gill Lecture; well-deserved tributes were given to longtime village historian Mary Huber and co-founders of the Conservancy, Marilynn Hill and Bob Riggs.
The art of Bronxville was featured in an illuminating lecture by art historian Jayne Warman, a subject that later served as the theme for "Framed!," a festive evening of murder, mystery, and mayhem when the Conservancy unveiled a 20th-anniversary gift, a Hobart Nichols painting, to add to the growing Conservancy art collection.
Members and friends cruised the Hudson to tour the studio and home of Thomas Cole, the man who inspired Bronxville artists by founding the Hudson River School of Painting; another tour took members to the Owl House, former home of artist William Smedley and, later, writer Brendan Gill.
The celebratory year concluded with a holiday party and annual meeting, where the 2018 Preservation Award was presented to the Bronxville School for its auditorium renovation.
Photo courtesy The Bronxville Historical Conservancy
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
Government & History Recent Articles
Quick Links
Newsletter
MyhometownBroxnville reserves the right to monitor and remove all comments. For more information on Posting Rules, please review our Rules and Terms of Use, both of which govern the use and access of this site. Thank you.
The information presented here is for informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to present accurate information, myhometownBronxville, LLC, does not in any way accept responsibility for the accuracy of or consequences from the use of this information herein. We urge all users to independently confirm any information provided herein and consult with an appropriate professional concerning any material issue of fact or law. The views and opinions expressed by the writers, event organizers and advertisers do not necessarily represent those of myhometownBronxville, LLC, its officers, staff or contributors. The use of this website is governed by the Terms of Use . No portion of this publication may be reproduced or redistributed, either in whole or part, without the express written consent of the publisher.
Copyright © 2009 myhometownbronxville.com, All rights reserved.