Written by John A. Corry
Oct. 1, 2014: October, 1989
Police Raid. On October 2, in a raid on Tumbledown Dick's Restaurant at 7 Pondfield Road, the Bronxville police nabbed three members of an eight-man gang that ran a $50 million Mafia-linked sports- and horse-betting operation in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Westchester. They also picked up electronic equipment, gambling records, and a large amount of cash. The arrested men were holding their usual weekly lunch at which they did most of their business. One lived at 94 Eton Road.
Parkway Road Housing. At a meeting of the League of Women Voters, trustee Robert Riggs reported that consideration was being given to turning the recently acquired Kensington Road property into a residential development. Of more immediate interest was the announcement that a developer was planning to build a 115-unit luxury housing development on the 3.53 acre property on the corner of Parkway Road and Upper Milburn Street. The property, to be named Bronxville West, would have underground parking, and additional parking for residents would be available in the recently renovated Palmer Road garage. Plans of the development would shortly be on view in the library.
Metro-North Platforms. Metro-North and Parkway Road residents reached agreement on the extension of the southbound passenger platform. It would be 83 feet, compared with 87 feet for the northbound extension. This would permit the railroad to use 12 car trains, although it planned for only 10 car trains in non-rush hours.
Reformed Church. The Reformed Church's new senior minister, Pinckney C. "Buddy" Enniss, and his wife, Jane, arrived in Bronxville, and on October 23 he preached his first sermon. He had previously served as pastor of four Presbyterian churches, most recently Atlanta's Central Presbyterian Church. Earlier in the month, church members bade an affectionate goodbye to English Baptist interim minister Frank Goodwin, who had eloquently filled its pulpit following the previous year's departure of Dr. Robert Bedingfield.
Boy Scouts. One of Dr. Enniss's first actions was to make the church facilities available to Boy Scout Troop 5, which had been inactive since 1945. His interest in scouting came from his father, who had been an Eagle Scout. Raymond "Ray" Pfeister was the fourteen-member troop's first Scoutmaster.
Chamber of Commerce. At a Field Club reception attended by "hundreds," the Chamber honored Jennie Rabsey for 39 years of service, the most recent 29 as executive director. Praised as Bronxville's "most honored daughter," she and her husband, Bill, were presented with tickets for a two-week Alaskan tour.
Bronxville Seniors. The Bronxville Senior Citizens celebrated the organization's fifteenth anniversary at a Field Club reception. Members enjoyed remarks by Director Kathy Studwell, a slide show on a day in the life of a Bronxville senior, and a performance by the Song Pipers. Later in the month, at the annual Concordia Community dinner, the honorees were school superintendent William Greenham and Elizabeth Schoen (recently deceased at age 95), a founder of the Bronxville Senior Citizens, who had been instrumental in obtaining village support for the seniors. Editor Peggy Voight noted that Ms. Schoen completed her college education at age 81 and started writing a column that appeared in all Westchester Gannett newspapers at age 85.
Women's Track. The Bronxville and Tuckahoe high schools announced that their women's track teams would merge. The reason was a shortage in each school of interested runners. (Last May, the Bronxville team won its 16th consecutive sectional title.)
High School Football. In their sixth straight victory, the Bronxville Broncos defeated Irvington 26-18. Their victory led Westchester rankers to place them sixth in the county.
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