Beautiful Riverdale “Victorian Home” To Be Torn Down–How old is it?

[ndembowski]

Photo of the “Victorian Home” by Emilio Guerra: https://www.emilio.nyc/

Here’s the short version: The Hebrew Home at Riverdale will tear down one of Riverdale’s oldest houses on the property that they acquired in 2011 as part of their plan to expand their facility.  This is being done as a last minute modification to their plans and contrary to what was stated in both the environmental review and the zoning permit application.  The Hebrew Home has no plans to build on the site of the house, but is tearing it down because, in their opinion, it has “deteriorated.”  But here’s the catch: the house has a much longer history than anyone realizes due to archaeological assessments that did not dig very deep into historical records.  Regardless of its history, the building is not landmarked and it seems to be within the rights of the Hebrew Home to demolish the house.  But the fact that the Hebrew Home is being permitted to build large buildings in an area protected by zoning and the Special Natural Area District amounts to a concession by our community.  In light of that, my questions are: 1) Is the destruction of this old house good for the community?  2) Might the seniors living at the Hebrew Home appreciate having a lovely Victorian house on their campus to help foster a connection to our area’s past?

Photo of the “Victorian Home” by Emilio Guerra: https://emilio.nyc/

My intention here is not to give the Hebrew Home a hard time as they do very important work and I think it is good that they are expanding.  We need more places like the Hebrew Home where seniors can receive high quality care in a beautiful setting.  I just want the community to have time to ponder the facts of this recent modification to their plan and to be able to weigh in on this demolition, which does not seem necessary.

The long version:  It looks like our area is about to lose another beautiful old house.  It is called plainly, “The Victorian Home,” but elements of this house could predate the reign of Queen Victoria by a great many years.  I think the core of the house probably predates the American Revolution and was occupied by one of the most respected and important figures in our area before and during the war.

In 2011 the Hebrew Home purchased a neighboring 14 acre estate from the Passionist Fathers of Riverdale.  Since then, there has been much back-and-forth negotiating with the neighbors about developing the site.  The Hebrew Home proposed building two new large buildings on that 14 acre site which is now called the “south campus” of the Hebrew Home.  The problem was that the site falls within the Special Natural Area District and has R1-1 (single family home) zoning.  So the Hebrew Home had to get permission and approvals.  As part of the process, there was an environmental review (with an archaeological component) and a special zoning permit application.  Throughout that process, the Hebrew Home stated that the old “Victorian Home” on the south campus would remain.

View of the north and south campuses of the Hebrew Home of Riverdale from the June 2024 Land Use Committee Meeting.

The Environmental Review document shows plans for demolishing four buildings on the southern campus (shaded in orange): the Cardinal Spellman Retreat House and 3 “utility buildings.”  The document indicates that the “Victorian Home” would not be touched.

The four buildings on the southern campus slated for demolition (shaded in orange)

A 2018 application for a “special permit” to get around the R1-1 zoning also indicates that “The Retreat House and three utility buildings on the South Campus are proposed to be demolished as part of the proposal, with the Victorian Home and chapel remaining.”

However, at the June 2024 meeting of the Land Use Committee of Community Board 8, it was announced that the Hebrew Home has “modified the project in certain respect[s] and request[s] new SNAD authorizations to reflect updated site plan.”  Among the modifications: “the Victorian house on south campus will be demolished.”  According to the spokesperson for the Hebrew Home the modifications are “minor and represent improvements to the site plan.”  I am grateful that someone at the Land Use Committee Meeting asked why the “Victorian Home” was now slated for demolition.  The Hebrew Home representative stated that it has “deteriorated” over the last 14 years since it was purchased by them and that they did not intend to build anything on the site.

So what is the history of the “Victorian Home?”  The property, house, barn, and other outbuildings were purchased by the Passionist Fathers in 1924 from Susan M. Allien, who inherited the property from her father, Robert C Martin, who is shown as the owner in this 1907 map:

Property map showing the 16 acres that become the home of the Passionist Fathers. Note that Palisade Ave is called “Bettner’s Lane.”

The “Victorian Home” is indicated on the map just above the “M” in the word “Martin.”  Notice that it is north of a little brook that flows down toward the Hudson River and just west of Palisade Ave or “Bettner’s Lane.” Before Robert C Martin acquired the property in 1880, James E Bettner owned it as you can see on this 1867 map:

Clipping from an 1867 map showing the residence of J.E. Bettner to the west of modern day Palisade Ave.

Given the date, I imagine the Victorian-ness of the house dates to Bettner’s occupancy of the building.

The Hebrew Home’s proposals for development of the site triggered an archaeological review.  The resulting report went as far back as Bettner’s ownership of the site but did not delve into who may have owned it before.  The archaeological report characterized the period between 1492 and 1842 this way: “There is no documentary evidence supporting Colonial or Revolutionary War activities on the project sites.  By the 1800s, however, [both the north and south campuses] were being used as parts of residential estates.”  But the problem is: this is simply wrong.  There was significant activity on the site prior to Bettner’s occupancy, making it much more historically significant than previously understood.

According to the deed of sale, James Bettner purchased the property in 1838 from the executors of John Warner’s estate after Warner’s death in 1829.  John Warner’s heirs had a map drawn up of his property in preparation for its sale.  Take a look at this animated clipping of it below and you’ll notice the same things you see on later maps: a house sitting north of a little brook flowing in the Hudson River and to the west of Palisade Ave or “Bettner’s Lane:”

This animation shows the 1837 map of the Warner estate overlaid on a contemporary map. It reveals that a section of the “Victorian Home” stood earlier than is indicated in the archaeological reports and predates other landmarks like Wave Hill and the Bartow-Pell Mansion.

When you superimpose the 1837 Warner estate map on top of a contemporary map, you can see that the largest of the houses shares the same footprint as the “Victorian Home.”  This was the home that John Warner lived in and it was probably the humble origins of the “Victorian Home” which was later expanded into a 19th century mansion.  That means this house is older than the 1840s date suggested in the archaeology reports.  Can it be found on even earlier maps?  You better believe it.  This map depicts the house when it was owned by John Warner:

Map source: William L Clements Library, Univ. of Michigan

This map clipping does not show Palisade Ave or Bettner’s Lane because this map dates all the way back to 1781–before the road existed.  This is a British intelligence map drawn for Sir Henry Clinton, who was the Commander-in-Chief of British forces at that point during the American Revolution.  The British may have known about John Warner.  In March of 1776, after the fight for independence from Great Britain began, the local militiamen of the Kingsbridge area (then part of Yonkers) elected John Warner to lead them as their Captain in the Yonkers Company of Militia.  If these men elected Warner to lead them into battle, he must have been a well-known and respected figure in our area.

Frederick Philipse III, who owned most of Riverdale before the American Revolution

Before the war, the Warner house in what is now Riverdale was part of Philipsburg Manor, which was owned by Frederick Philipse III.  The Warners, like all of the other tenant farmers on Philipsburg Manor, paid rent to Philipse to live and work on the property.  During the war, the revolutionary government of New York confiscated Philipse’s lands and sold them to raise money for the patriotic cause.  In 1785, John Warner purchased the land that he had formerly rented from Philipse.  John Warner was not the first generation of Warners to live on the property.  The 1769 will of “William Warner of Philipsburgh” states that his son, John Warner, was to inherit the farm, along with cows, horses, sheep, plow and other farm implements following the death or marriage of his widow.  The family’s wills also reveal that enslaved people named Harry, Isabelle, Closs, Joe, Lewis, Phillis, and probably others lived on the property.  The will of John Warner mentions quarrying on his land and refers to his dock, which was located where there is still a protrusion into the Hudson River on the other side of the railroad tracks (see the above animated map).  So there’s quite a bit of “evidence supporting Colonial or Revolutionary War activities on the project sites,” contrary what is stated in the commissioned archaeological studies.

I do not blame anyone for not knowing the history of this house and property.  It has never been published anywhere before.  The 2016 archaeological assessment and an earlier 2013 Historical Background Summary did not mention any of this.

The point is that the “Victorian Home” is a beautiful old house with a lot of important historical ties to the community.  According to the Hebrew Home’s own reports, it is at least as old as Wave Hill or the Bartow-Pell Mansion.  And the above information suggests its foundation and core are indeed much older.  At the June 2024 Land Use Committee meeting, neighbors were lamenting the impending demolition of this house, given its beauty.  If it is too expensive to turn it into offices, can’t it become an attractive historic storage shed?  If it needed to be torn down to house more seniors, at least there would be a compelling reason to demolish the place.  But the Hebrew Home has no announced plans to do anything with the site other than to tear down the house.  I spend a lot of time with seniors.  I am willing to bet that the seniors living at the Hebrew Home would love to have a beautiful old Victorian as part of the scenery.  It could be featured on marketing brochures!

Again, I wish the Hebrew Home the best of luck with their expansion.  I would consider myself lucky to live there as a senior.  I just think the Hebrew Home should reconsider this sudden modification of their plans and the community should decide if they want to let this old home go down without a peep–especially considering that the project requires that we make exceptions to zoning and SNAD regulations.

[jbakerjonathan]

Thank you for this, Nick. I would think that based upon your analysis of the history of the house that it deserves landmark status. Is there some way for this to happen and for the house to be saved?

[Thomas Casey]

DITTO

[ndembowski]

Thanks and to answer your question, it is difficult, but not impossible, to acquire landmark status when the owner of the property stands in opposition.  So, that would take a great deal of effort unless the Hebrew Home decides that they want to keep the “Victorian Home” and maintain it.

The agenda for the next Land Use Committee meeting is not out yet but if they discuss this matter, you can join the meeting and say what you think should happen.  The next meeting is scheduled for September 11th at 7 PM and here is the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2114033690

 

[ndembowski]

Some additional facts about the property that folks might find interesting:

1. I mentioned that John Warner, who lived in an earlier version of the “Victorian Home,” was elected to serve as the captain of the Yonkers militia during the American Revolution.  He was the 2nd captain to have the post becausethe 1st captain turned out to be a secret agent for the British!
2. The property adjacent to the house was used as a rock quarry by the Warners and by James E. Bettner, who made a business venture out of it in the 1800s.  The stone was loaded onto boats and taken down to the city where it was used for building.
3. People driving through the “estate area” of Riverdale today are often shocked by the condition of the roads, which are riddled with potholes.  As you can see in the maps above, a section of Palisade Ave started off as the road to Warner’s dock.  If Captain Warner had his way, the roads would be in much better shape.  In his will, he ordered that the road leading to his house and dock  “shall at all times be kept in good repair fitting for the passage of carriages.”
4. The Warners continued to be a well-known family in the area even after they sold their land to Better.  The Warners ran a popular country store near W. 242nd Street and Broadway and, for a period, that area was known as Warnersville.  The Warners married and were related to all of the other early settler families: the Dyckmans, Tibbetts, Hadley, etc.
5. On the upper right hand side of the below map animation, you will see that the 1837 property map indicates a barn with the same footprint as one of the “utility buildings” that are slated for demolition.  This utility building, if I recall correctly, also has victorian elements to its design.  That could also be a very old building.

 

[julieabellhorn]

It’s true that it’s very hard and slow to get any property landmarked by New York City, even more so with owner opposition.  But it’s much easier and faster to get a property evaluated for State and National Register of Historic Places (S/NRHP) eligibility by the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). This wouldn’t necessarily prevent the building from being razed, but it would at least ensure that the history of the property is preserved online in perpetuity and might put up some roadblocks to demolition. Unlike archaeological reports, which at the state level are considered privileged information (NYC does not always have the same restrictions), S/NRHP information is available to the general public through the SHPO.

Nick or others, if you want to go this route, you can do so through the Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) portal as a guest user and be guaranteed an answer within 30 days.  The Evaluation of Eligibility Project option on CRIS indicates:

“This process allows a third-party/non-owner to request an evaluation of a property’s State/National Registers’ eligibility. After sufficient descriptive, photographic, and historical information is provided, SHPO staff will evaluate the property to determine if it does or does not meet the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. This request can be used to raise awareness of the significance of historic resources at the local level. Please note, you will need to provide the owners contact information.”

Hope this helps.

[jbakerjonathan]

In viewing Google Street View the utility building vanished between 2021 and 2022.

[ndembowski]

Thank you for that information Julie.  I had no idea that process was so easy.

The utility building that stood on the site of Warner’s barn (and that was torn down recently) does not appear historic after reviewing recent photographs.  This is from Google Street View:

Thank you Karen Argenti and Jodie Colon for sending me this photo of the “Victorian Home” from the Environmental Assessment:

[jbakerjonathan]

That is a beautiful building with so many unique design elements. It would be a shame for it to disappear, especially given that it began its core existence in the pre-Revolutionary period.  A lack of sufficient care or interest in preserving our history (and the anticipation of monetary gain) resulted in the burial of the Kings Bridge at W. 230th Street and the loss of the Godwin and Moller houses. It appears that more of the same will happen to the Victorian Home.

[Thomas Casey]

A couple of Movies scenes and TV shows were filmed there in the last 3 years

[ndembowski]

The Land Use Committee of Community Board 8 will discuss the issue of the “Victorian Home” this Wednesday, September 11th.  The meeting starts at 7:00 PM but there are a couple of other items on the agenda first.  So, you might want to tune in at 7:30 or so if you are interested.  The Zoom link to join the meeting is:

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2114033690

Join Zoom Meeting by Phone: +16465588656 Meeting ID: 2114033690#

[Peter Ostrander]

For those of you who have been following this KHS Forum blog Nick Dembowski, President of the KHS, has done an amazing job researching and documenting this mansion which the paid archeologist and researchers missed. It is likely that this pre-revolutionary house is the oldest house (modified over the years) left in Riverdale. Over the years Riverdale has lost many great old historic houses starting in the 1950s with Robert Moses tearing down the Berrien-Johnson Pre-Revolutionary house in Spuyten Duyvil, Schiever Home & Hospital tearing down the 1840 Hudson River bracketed Peter Strang home in Spuyten Duyvil and the recent destruction of the foundation the American Revolutionary  Fort No #2/ Fort Swartwout again in Spuyten Duyvil. Our history is quickly disappearing.

The C.B. 8 meeting is a zoom call so easy to access without leaving your home to attend. Attendance, even by zoon is important.  A large number of attendees will show the community, Community Board 8 and Hebrew Home that the community does care about its past.  Hebrew Home for the past few years since they bought the property never said they would tear down and destroy this house. Yet just recently it was quietly stated they would take down and destroy the house. It’s still rather interesting how the Hebrew Home was allowed to propose and get approval to build large apartment buildings for their new planned River Edge. How was it allowed to bypass NYC Zoning laws, SNADS and the Greenbelt laws? There has never been a clear statement, in writing, why approval to allow building of River Edge despite all the zoning and building restrictions.  But money talks and so it goes.

So please click the link below and join the zoom call to hear about the house and the comments and questions from the community and CB8. It would be helpful but not required to read the initial report at top of this blog for background.  PLEASE turn out for this meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2114033690

Join Zoom Meeting by Phone: +16465588656 Meeting ID: 2114033690#

[richnhil]

I believe that this house was also the home for many years of a 20th Century hero, Fr. Thomas Berry. Fr. Berry was a renowned naturalist and philosopher, author of many books. His biography, by Mary Evelyn Tucker, John Grim, and Andrew Angyal was published by Columbia Press in 2019. It describes him as “one of the twentieth century’s most prescient and profound thinkers. As a cultural historian, he sought a broader perspective on humanity’s relationship to the earth in order to respond to the ecological and social challenges of our times.” More of his story is available at thomasberry.org.

[ndembowski]

That’s interesting Richnhil.  I imagine the house has a lot of memories that were made in the 20th century as well.

As an update, the Land Use Committee of Community Board 8 has referred the matter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission.  I formatted my research on the house to include footnotes here.

The Hebrew Home has agreed to refrain from demolishing the house until after January 1, 2025 to give the Landmarks Preservation Commission some time to review the issue.

[Author]

Posts