4318 Katonah Avenue
1924

Woodlawn Heights’ local Public School 19, serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade, spans Katonah Avenue between East 237^th and East 238^th Streets. The imposing brick structure features Classically-inspired details, including a monumental entrance with engaged columns topped with an ornamental shield, window lintels with urn and garland motifs, and a dentilled cornice above the second story. Perhaps the most prominent feature on the building is its multi-light windows with green frames, which appear to be relatively new. The green color scheme is quite striking, and may have been chosen to reflect and honor Woodlawn Heights’ Irish-American and Irish heritage.

439 East 238^th Street
1901

Originally established as the “Chapel of Advent” in 1897, this small parish’s first services were held in a rented storefront chapel on Webster Avenue and East 234^th Street. Renamed in honor of its first vicar, Reverend Stephen Van Rensselaer, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church purchased its present site in 1899 and the cornerstone was laid the following year. The white clapboard building resembles a countryside church, set back from Vireo Avenue by a green lawn with mature trees. Reportedly, a botanist from the New York Botanical Garden discovered a new species of English Ivy on the grounds of the church in 1981, and named it “238th Street” Ivy or “Hedera helix 238th Street.” Inside the church, there is a marble altar and a three-paneled painting by the Reverend John Walsted, an Episcopal priest and accomplished iconographer whose works also hang in the Church of the Transfiguration and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The rectory, which was remodeled in 1947, is adjacent to a Victorian style parish house, where the church operates a thrift shop.

4371 Martha Avenue
1914

In the spring of 1911, a group of Presbyterian residents of the neighborhood began holding services in private homes. The first official services open to the public were held in Hopewell Hall on East 240^th Street in May of that year, presided over by Reverend Stevenson. In January 1913, the church was formally organized by the Presbytery of New York and a lot was purchased that year on the northwest corner of East 240^th Street and Martha Avenue. The cornerstone was laid on September 28, 1913, and on May 10, 1914, the church was dedicated and the keys were presented to the first Pastor, Reverend W. F. Daun. The design of Woodlawn Heights Presbyterian was influenced by the Gothic Revival style, and features two large, ornate stained glass windows, one on the main façade facing Martha Avenue and the other on the side façade facing East 240^th Street. Above the bright red double-door entrance are a crenelated parapet and a modest bell steeple. Unfortunately, the bell was subsequently removed and the steeple filled in with stucco.

409 East 241^st Street
Starrett & Van Vleck
1911

Established and dedicated on the day of the feast of St. Barnabas in 1910 by Archbishop John Farley, this Catholic parish flourished from its approximately 360 original members to a congregation boasting almost 15,000. Its founder and pastor Reverend Michael A. Reilly fostered the church from its beginnings as a small storefront mission at the intersection of Webster Avenue and East 240^th Street to the completion of this grand, Italianate style church and rectory. Over the next 15 years, the church also established an elementary school, high school and rectory, and later, a new high school building and a chapel. The architects of the church were Starrett & Van Vleck, a firm famous for its Art Deco department store buildings and whose portfolio includes several iconic landmarks, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, the American Stock Exchange Building, the Everett Building at Union Square North and Garfinckel’s Department Store in Washington, DC. St. Barnabas Church is monumental in scale and features a triangular pediment, circular rose window and massive Corinthian pilasters. Its cream-colored brick façades are punctuated by stained glass windows.

4390 Katonah Avenue
1913

The Trinity Community Church has an imposing presence facing Katonah Avenue. Its exterior, evoking a quaint country church, is clad in fieldstone and features a deeply crenellated parapet at its tower. The structure was built for the Methodist Episcopal Church of Woodlawn Heights, which later became St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. Established in 1875, the congregation’s first church was located on East 237^th Street between Katonah and Kepler Avenues, on land donated by Edwin K. Willard. The parish commissioned this structure, completed in 1913, but eventually outgrew it, moving four blocks north to another site. The historic bell perched on the church’s front steps is older than the church, as evidenced by its inscription: “Clinton H. Meneely Bell Company, Troy, N.Y. A.D. 1892.”

Katonah Avenue and East 242^nd Street
2000

This memorial is dedicated to the 23 men who lost their lives between 1970 and 2000 during construction of City Water Tunnel No. 3, a massive project that is still being built in stages. Tunnels No. 1 and No. 2 were completed in 1917 and 1936, respectively, to bring fresh water to the city from upstate New York. The construction of Tunnel No. 3 is a long-term endeavor to enhance and improve the water delivery system to the five boroughs. The Manhattan and Bronx legs of the tunnel have already been completed, while the Brooklyn and Queens legs, which will also supply water to Staten Island, have been completed but await activation (expected in 2020). The Department of Environmental Protection and the Local 147 sandhog union worked together to build this memorial, which consists of 23 manhole covers embedded in the pavement, a drinking fountain, trees, plants and a flag pole whose base is made of gray stones from the tunnel. Each manhole cover is engraved with the name of the person and the year of his death. The memorial’s location was selected due to its proximity to the underground chamber that directs flows from upstate water supply systems to all of the boroughs.

Broadway and Mosholu Avenue or Van Cortlandt Park East & Oneida Avenue
1997

The John Muir Trail is a 1.5-mile trek that passes through the Northeast Forest, the Croton Wood, the old Croton Aqueduct and the Northwest Forest.  It is the only trail in Van Cortlandt Park that runs east-west, from Van Cortlandt Park East to Broadway, connecting Woodlawn Heights to Riverdale. The trail, established in 1997, was named for Scottish-American naturalist, author, early advocate for wilderness conservation in the United States and founder of the Sierra Club, John Muir (1838-1914).

Rita Ley Triangle/Oneida Triangle
East 238^th Street and Oneida Avenue
dedicated in 1925

This 13-foot stone monument, topped with a sphere and an eagle sculpture, honors the residents of Woodlawn Heights who served and sacrificed their lives in World War I. The Oneida Triangle is an appropriate place for a war memorial given that it was the site of a small battle during the Revolutionary War, when Oneida Avenue was known as DeVoe’s Lane (it became Oneida Avenue in 1896). Oneida was also the name of a Civil War ship (USS Oneida) built at the New York Navy Yard in 1861 and commissioned in 1862. The Triangle, which was provided by the New York City Departments of Parks and Transportation for use as a memorial site, is also occupied by Norway and Sycamore maples, London plane trees and shrubs.

East 233^rd Street between Jerome Avenue and Van Cortlandt Park East

Indian Field is dedicated to Chief Daniel Nimham, the last sachem of the Wappinger people, who, along with a number of other Wappinger that included his son, Captain Abraham Nimham, was ambushed by the British near this spot in 1778. The battle was fought on land owned by the DeVoe family, who were responsible for the burial and placement of a stone cairn on the Chief’s grave. In 1906, the Bronx Chapter for the Daughters of the American Revolution also honored their sacrifice with a stone cairn and plaque, known today as the Chief Nimham Memorial, which is located at Van Cortlandt Park East and East 238^th Street.

enter at Broadway and West 246^th Street
1748
NHL, NR-P, NYC IL, NYC INL

This fieldstone and brick Georgian style manor is The Bronx’s oldest house, built for Jacobus Van Cortlandt’s son, Frederick. Unfortunately, he died before it was completed and was the first to be buried in the family burial plot on Vault Hill, north of the house. Frederick left the estate to his son, James Van Cortlandt. Most notably, George Washington used the house for military maneuvers and as a temporary headquarters before his triumphant march into Manhattan during the Revolutionary War. The mansion has operated as a house museum—the first in the city—since 1897, when the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York was granted custody to manage the site and exhibit its collection of 18th- and 19th-century furniture and decorative arts. The grounds also include a 1902 bronze statue of Major General Josiah Porter by William Clark Noble. The Van Cortlandt Mansion is a National Historic Landmark, NYC Individual Landmark and a NYC Interior Landmark.

1888

Van Cortlandt Park is situated in the northernmost part of the city between Yonkers and Kingsbridge. At 1,146 acres, it is the third largest public park in New York City. The current park is part of a large parcel acquired by the Dutch West India Company from the Wiechquaskeck Lenape nation in 1639. It was purchased in 1646 by Adrian Van der Donck, New Amsterdam’s first lawyer, who then sold it in 1670 to Frederick Philipse, New York’s wealthiest man. Philipse’s son-in-law, Jacobus Van Cortlandt, mayor of New York City in 1710–11 and 1719–20, purchased a part of the estate—the present park—in 1699. At that time, Tibett’s Brook was dammed to power two mills, forming the Van Cortlandt Lake, which still exists. The Van Cortlandts operated the mills and a grain plantation here to process wheat into flour, transporting these goods down the Harlem and Hudson Rivers with their own fleet of boats. Jacobus Van Cortlandt’s son, Frederick, established the Van Cortlandt Mansion in 1748, although he did not survive to see its completion. Vault Hill, a square, stone-walled structure that served as the family’s burial ground, was also constructed around this time atop Fordham Gneiss. It was here that Augustus Van Cortlandt, who was serving as City Clerk, hid the municipal records during the British occupation of New York in 1776. After 140 years, the Van Cortlandts sold the property to the City in 1888. To transform it into a park, the City filled in swamps, planted trees and added recreational facilities, including the country’s first municipal golf course in 1895. The City named the park after its former occupants in 1913.

c. 1850

This two-story structure is believed to be the oldest house in Woodlawn. It belonged to the Valentine family, who owned much of the land that became Woodlawn Cemetery. The house was once located in the present-day Van Cortlandt Park, but was moved to its current location after the city acquired the land for the park in 1888. The house features an elaborate entrance with a multi-light transom and sidelights, pilasters and a columned entrance porch. Multi-light sidelights mimicking those found around the doorway are echoed on either side of the window above the entrance on the second floor. Perched on an incline, several sets of stairs lead to the entrance, lending the symmetrical ensemble a sense of grandeur when viewed from the street.

340 East 234^th Street
c. 1878

This charming building with remarkably intact historic details is believed to have originally been used as a carriage house. It features a multi-gable roof covered with slate tiles, a full-width front porch supported by Tuscan columns and brick cladding in a stretcher bond pattern. Bracketed cornices are found above the porch and along the roofline. The stately double-door entrance is topped with a fan window and a white surround. The windows on the front façade are furnished with fixed louver shutters, but the two ground-level, full-height windows are especially picturesque. The property has retained its original wrought iron fence enclosing the front yard and, at the curb, hitching posts, originally used to tie up horses and horse-drawn carriages, are an extant reminder of this house’s long history.

East 234^th Street between Webster and Vireo Avenues

These two blocks of East 234^th Street are named in honor of FDNY Battalion Chief Orio J. Palmer, who perished in the South Tower of the World Trade Center when it collapsed as a result of the attacks on September 11, 2001. Palmer managed to ascend to the South Tower’s 78^th floor, the location of the plane’s impact, and his radio communications from those moments have provided ongoing analysis on the part of emergency personnel regarding how events unfolded that day. A Woodlawn native and graduate of The Bronx’s Cardinal Spellman High School, Palmer was hailed as a hero for rushing to the aid of those who were injured and trapped in the South Tower, providing comfort to the injured and guiding evacuees in the stairwells.

between Webster Avenue and Vireo Avenue

Peters Place, located just across from Woodlawn Cemetery, is named for Reverend Absalom Peters, a theologian and poet considered to be the “Father of Woodlawn Cemetery.” Peters was responsible for championing and campaigning for a non-sectarian, rural cemetery in The Bronx, which, he was determined would become the country’s most beautiful cemetery. Peters appealed to individuals with a sense of civic pride to support the endeavor, and assembled a committee of eight prominent New York City residents to be its first trustees. Born in 1793 in New Hampshire, he attended Dartmouth College and Princeton Theological Seminary. Peters Place is a subtle reminder of Peters’ crucial role in the establishment and development of the cemetery, which ultimately had an immense impact on The Bronx.

located between Bronx River Parkway and the Metro-North Railroad and East 233^rd and East 234^th Streets
c. 2001

Named for the muskrat that lives in the surrounding forested stream banks, Muskrat Cove is located just outside of the Metro-North Station parking area, and can be accessed by a paved path beyond an opening in the guardrail at the park entry. Local residents have beautified this site, cleaning up the path and planting a garden. Green Ash trees lining the pathway honor the victims of the attacks on September 11, 2001. Muskrat Cove is part of the Bronx River Greenway, a 23-mile, recreational, multi-use path that connects Bronx River communities. The path extends from the Bronx River Parkway to beneath the multi-arch Nereid Avenue Bridge.

Aurora Hill Plot
Casoni and Isola
1872
NHL, NR-P

This exquisite white marble pillar is dedicated to Admiral Farragut, a Civil War hero loyal to the Union and the first officer to hold the ranks of rear admiral, vice admiral and admiral in the United States Navy. Farragut was widely praised for his victories in the Battle of New Orleans and the Battle of Mobile Bay. After the Civil War, Farragut lived in New York City until his death in 1870 at the age of 69, and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery. Situated on Woodlawn’s first circular mound, a gift from the cemetery, Farragut was the first person to be buried in the Aurora Hill Plot. The monument, which set an architectural standard in its day, is shaped into a broken ship’s mast and is draped with an American flag, a symbol of a life gone too soon. At the base, it is decorated with military emblems and other insignia of naval warfare: three shields, a sword, compass, sextant, block and tackle, and an anchor and rope. The pedestal bears the inscriptions for Farragut, his wife, son and daughter-in-law. The monument was manufactured by Casoni and Isola, a New York City-based firm that owned a shop on Broadway, as well as extensive marble quarries in Carrara, Italy. The firm also fabricated the Seventh Regiment Memorial in Central Park. The Admiral David Glasgow Farragut Gravesite is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Walnut Plot
William H. Deacy
1938

This large, austere, Classical Revival style monument, set in a large lot, was designed by William H. Deacy for Philip Lehman and family in 1938, nine years before Lehman himself passed away in 1947. The simple and monolithic mausoleum is made of limestone, with a stepped roof and a recessed, bronze double door entrance. The austere and dignified design was meant to reflect Lehman’s illustrious career as a banker and financier. Philip Lehman was senior partner of Lehman Brothers, director of the F. W. Woolworth Company and a noted art collector. His son, Robert Lehman, who died in 1969, is also entombed here. Deacy worked as chief designer for Presbrey-Leland, which manufactured a great number of mausoleums and monuments in Woodlawn Cemetery. It was conveniently located just across the street from the cemetery’s main entrance.

Magnolia Plot
Robert Caterson
1891

Designed and manufactured by Robert Caterson, whose monument firm was located close to Woodlawn Cemetery, the mausoleum of Collis P.  and Elizabeth Huntington is located on a hill adjacent to the main entrance to the cemetery. This enormous granite and marble Classical Revival style temple cost $250,000 and took five years to build. Its massive bronze door depicting a standing woman draped in a heavy robe was sculpted by Herbert Adams and added in 1932. The mausoleum has six Tuscan columns along each of the side façades and Tuscan columns framing the entrance. Collis P. Huntington was one of the Big Four who were responsible for developing the transcontinental railroad system in the United States. Befitting a railroad magnate, its grand double-flight staircase was inspired by one in New York’s Pennsylvania Station.

517 East 233^rd Street
Founded 1863
NHL, NR-P

Woodlawn Cemetery is considered to be one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the United States. Roughly bounded by East 211^th Street to the south, East 233^rd Street to the north, Webster Avenue to the east and Jerome Avenue to the west, the cemetery encompasses 400 acres. Founded in 1863, its location was considered remote enough for a burial site, but still accessible via the New York and Harlem railroad from Manhattan. The development of the cemetery in this relatively rural area followed the New York Legislature’s 1847 Rural Cemeteries Act, which authorized commercial burial grounds and encouraged the establishment of such resting places outside of the growing city, as well as an 1852 law prohibiting burials within the city limits by the Common Council of New York City. Woodlawn Cemetery was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011, and bears the distinction of containing the largest architecturally significant collection of historic private mausoleums (1,271) of any cemetery in the country.

Continuing Reading

Bainbridge Avenue & Jerome Avenue
Squire J. Vickers
1917
NR-P

Woodlawn Station is the northern terminus and last stop on the Jerome Avenue Subway line. Squire Vickers, along with his design and chief engineers, J. Cooperstock and Alfred Craven, respectively, designed the steel framed station. With two tracks and side- and island-platforms, this elevated station is architecturally significant for its Arts and Crafts design and use of ornamental concrete. Most elevated stations typically have rough, bush-hammered concrete surfaces, but the Woodlawn Station has a smooth and streamlined finish throughout. Cornell University-educated Vickers worked for 36 years as chief architect for the New York City Subway, and often utilized simple but colorful tiles in his work. Vickers painted as a hobby, employing dynamic colors and fantastical imagery. The high level of craftsmanship and material quality of these inlaid tiles are exceptional and indicative of his careful attention to detail. The Woodlawn IRT station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.