“This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.”–Theodore Roosevelt
The Eastchester community lives true to these words especially at Bronxville’s ‘Four Corners.’ Beginning in the 1920s, the wide intersection at Midland and Pondfield avenues became the Civic Center of the village. Local architect Henry Leslie Walkers designed three buildings, each in its own architectural style. In 1924, he collaborated with another firm to design a Collegiate Gothic style school on the northwest corner. In 1926, he designed the English-Norman Gothic style walls of the Reformed Church of Bronxville on the southeast corner. In 1942, he designed the Georgian Colonial-revival style walls of Bronxville’s library on the northeast corner. Then and now, all three structures contribute to make the juncture a bustling community center where many contribute to making Bronxville ‘a good place for all to live’ both inside and outside their walls. Time for a stroll there.
Libraries began in the United States in 1731 when Benjamin Franklin formed the Library Company of Philadelphia as America’s first lending library. Bronxville’s library began with donated books at the Little Red Schoolhouse, now Value Drugs, in the mid 1800s. 1906 saw the lending library garner space in a then new Village Hall and, 1942 saw the library move to its present location at Four Corners. Long before bookstores were ‘Starbucked,’ this library emphasized comfort when reading and perusing books. The building always aimed to be not imposing but rather welcoming, resembling some of the stately residences in the village. A library trustee was ahead of his time when he declared this new library should be ‘an influence on the community in architecture, furnishings and art.’ He stepped up to the plate with a fellow trustee as both donated their art collections. One of those paintings, Childe Hassam’s “Central Park,” was auctioned as a new century dawned in 2000. The proceeds from that auction significantly helped fund the library’s much needed expansion and evolution into the 21st century. In 2001, a renovated library was opened which, then and now, responds to the needs of the community within its walls.
Enjoy the Georgian style of those exterior walls. Then step inside and step up to the stately circulation desk. Pick up the daily New York Times crossword puzzle in the reference room. Relax in one of the beautifully and comfortably furnished reading rooms. Gaze at the Currier and Ives lithograph collection. Enjoy lectures, concerts and art exhibits in the state of the art Yeager Community Room. Delve into history in the Local History Room, reservations needed, where documents and photographs bring Bronxville’s past to life. Oh, and read a book.
Libraries have responded to the 21st century and Bronxville library shines in this regard.
It sponsors an eclectic mix of events always mindful of the needs of the community. Book clubs, lectures, children’s programs, musical performances and even the latest movies are all an integral part of the library’s offerings. ‘Museum Without Walls,’ a children’s science enrichment program initiated by the Westchester Children’s Museum, was recently added. Bronxville’s library website highlights all its programs and its new books, cleverly displayed with the books’ covers. The site provides links to articles about the eclectic and ever-changing role of reading in people’s lives.
Fearful of computers? Fear no more as the library provides free instruction including how to download e-Books.
Head diagonally across the street to enjoy the exterior walls of the Reformed Church of Bronxville, once the Dutch Reformed Church. This congregation originated in 1850 and celebrated both its centennial and sesquicentennial with well-written and well-researched books, both available in the library we just left. As the Dutch Reformed Church, its history dates back to the Protestant Reformation in Europe and its American history dates back to 1628 in nearby New Amsterdam. Bronxville’s Reformed congregation built its first church, modest in size as the community itself was small, on land donated by Rev. Robert Bolton and by Alexander Masterton’s brother. By 1923, both Bronxville and this congregation had grown in numbers and a cornerstone was laid for the new church by 1925. This architecturally gorgeous edifice still graces this juncture.
It is within the church’s walls where both history and devotion display their brilliant colors. First read the names of the twelve founders on the Founders Tablet. Recognize some families… Masterton of marble quarry fame, Swain of the mill where River House now sits, Prescott of the family who owned the land which became the Lawrence Park artist colony? Take in the expertly hand-carved oak furnishings in the chancel. Locate the pew from the city’s original Dutch Reformed Church building. Appreciate the stained glass windows designed by Charles J. Connick, a prominent artist in the vein of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Examine the intricately carved vestibule. Read sermons and newsletters on the church’s website, part of its evolution into this century.
But this history is eclipsed by the dynamic congregation. Like the library the church sponsors events for the entire community. It prides itself, humbly I might add, on its concept of inclusivity.
All three designs remain standing today and are befitting of Bronxville’s significant history. Within these walls are treasure troves of religion and knowledge and most of all places where neighbors abide by Roosevelt’s concept and make the area a ‘good place for all to live in.’ Appreciate the history and community both within and without
these walls.
JUST THE FACTS
What: ‘Four Corners’
When: Visit each website for times
Parking and Admission: Free