Wave Hill
Wave Hill | |
New York City LandmarkNo.0131
| |
![]() Wave Hill House | |
Location | West 249th Street and Independence Avenue |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°53′55″N73°54′47″W/ 40.89861°N 73.91306°W |
Area | 20.9 acres (8.5 ha) |
Built | 1843 |
Architect | Multiple |
Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Greek Revival |
NRHP referenceNo. | 83001646[1] |
NYCLNo. | 0131 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | September 9, 1983 |
Designated NYCL | June 21, 1966 |
Wave Hillis a 28-acre (11 ha) estate in theHudson Hillsection ofRiverdaleinthe Bronx,New York City.Wave Hill currently consists of public horticultural gardens and a cultural center, all situated on the slopes overlooking theHudson River,with expansive views across the river to theNew Jersey Palisades.The estate includes two houses and abotanical garden.The oldest part of the main house, Wave Hill House, dates to 1843; Glyndor House dates from 1927 and contains a multi-room art gallery. Perkins Visitor Center, which was originally a garage, contains a gift shop and an information desk.
During the late 19th century and early 20th century, numerous highly notable people resided in Wave Hill, either because they owned it, leased it, or stayed there as guests. In 1960, the estate was given to theCity of New York,and Wave Hill is now a cultural center as well as a garden. In addition to visual arts exhibits, paid-ticket concert series take place on some Sunday afternoons in Armor Hall. Wave Hill is listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesand is aNew York City designated landmark.
History[edit]
The original Wave Hill House was a grayfieldstonemansion built in 1843 by lawyerWilliam Lewis Morris.[2]It was owned from 1866 to 1903 by publisherWilliam Henry Appleton,who enlarged the house in between 1866 and 1869 and again in 1890, and added greenhouses and gardens to the grounds.[2]During these years, the house was visited byThomas Henry Huxley,who helpedCharles Darwinbringevolution by natural selectionto the public's attention.Theodore Roosevelt's family rented Wave Hill during the summers of 1870 and 1871, andMark Twainleased it from 1901 to 1903.[3]
The house was purchased in 1903 byGeorge Walbridge Perkins,a partner ofJ. P. Morgan,along with adjacent property, including Glyndor, a house built by theHarrimanfamily in 1888, which later burned down and was rebuilt in 1927.[2]In 1910, Perkins added an underground building for recreation which included a bowling alley.[2]Perkins performed extensive landscaping on the site and leased Wave Hill House to an eminentichthyologist,Bashford Deanof theAmerican Museum of Natural History,who built a stone addition to the building as a private museum, Armor Hall.
Other famous residents of the estate included the conductorArturo Toscanini(1942–1945) and chief members of the British Delegation to theUnited Nations(1950–1956).[2]In 1960, at the suggestion ofRobert Moses,the Perkins-Freeman family deeded Wave Hill to the City of New York.[2]In 1983, the estate was added to the roster of theNational Register of Historic Places.[1]Before 1987, the estate was known as Perkins Garden. During that year Parks Commissioner Henry Stern renamed it Wave Hill.[4]
In 2005, Wave Hill was among 406New York Cityarts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from theCarnegie Corporation,which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayorMichael Bloomberg.[5][6]
On an annual basis, about 65,000 people visit Wave Hill, making it one of the most popular sites in Riverdale.[4][7]
Gardens[edit]
![View of Wave Hill's Pergola](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/WaveHill-Pergola01.jpg/220px-WaveHill-Pergola01.jpg)
Wave Hill's formal gardens feature a variety of plants, usually based on type. Garden areas include:
- The T. H. Everett Alpine House, named forThomas H. Everett,who advocated for the preservation and restoration of Wave Hill as a New York City Landmark[8]and who was mentor to its founding Director of Horticulture,Marco Polo Stufano[9]
- Herb and Dry Gardens
- Aquatic &MonocotGarden
- Bee hivesin the woodland area
- The Herbert & Hyonja Abrons Woodland, 10 acres (40,000 m2) of native second-growth forest, with a woodland path that stretches around the perimeter of the property
- TheMarco Polo StufanoConservatory—including a cactus room, a tropical room, and a palm room
Conservatory interior - ThePerennialFlower Garden
- Pergola and vistas of theHudson Riverand theNew Jersey Palisades
- Special Collections, including the Shade Border, Elliptical Garden andConiferSlope
- Wild Garden
Additionally, Wave Hill's gardens is a hotspot for birding in New York City, with 127 species to date — including ruby-throated hummingbirds, great blue herons, and bald eagles.[10]
It also abutsRiverdale Park.
Programs[edit]
Wave Hill offers a variety of programming around horticulture, the arts, and education.
Shop[edit]
The Shop[11]contains gifts from local artists as well as nature-themed and handmade items. The Shop is located in the Perkins Visitors Center.
Cafe and Terrace[edit]
The Cafe[12]is located in the Wave Hill House and offers a variety of hot and cold foods. The Cafe includes indoor eating areas and access to the Kate French Terrace located behind the Wave Hill House.
Gallery[edit]
-
The cactus and succulent collection
-
Part of the Abrons Woodland path
-
A view with carnivorous plants in the foreground
-
Glyndor House
-
Wave Hill's Pergola overlooking the Hudson River
-
Wave Hill's Woodlands in the spring, with chionodoxa blooming.
See also[edit]
- List of botanical gardens and arboretums in the United States
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in the Bronx
- National Register of Historic Places listings in the Bronx
References[edit]
- ^ab"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.March 13, 2009.
- ^abcdefHerman, Michele, "Wave Hill" inJackson, Kenneth T.,ed. (1995).The Encyclopedia of New York City.New Haven:Yale University Press.ISBN0300055366.
- ^"Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)"(Searchable database).New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.RetrievedAugust 1,2016.Note:This includesLarry E. Gobrecht (May 1983)."National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Wave Hill"(PDF).RetrievedAugust 1,2016.andAccompanying 19 photographs
- ^ab"Wave Hill Highlights: NYC Parks".
- ^Roberts, Sam (July 6, 2005)."City Groups Get Bloomberg Gift of $20 Million".The New York Times.
- ^"News".Carnegie.org.2005.
- ^Sommer, Jack (November 5, 2015)."One of the oldest and most beautiful parks in New York is hidden in the Bronx — and the fall season just makes it more breathtaking".Business Insider.RetrievedApril 24,2021.
- ^James, George (September 28, 1986)."Thomas H. Everett Dies at 83; Major Figure in Horticulture".The New York Times.RetrievedApril 24,2021.
- ^"T.H. Everett Alpine House & Terrace".Wave Hill.RetrievedMarch 6,2021.
- ^"eBird--Wave Hill".eBird.RetrievedAugust 10,2020.
- ^"The Shop".WaveHill.org.
- ^"The Cafe".
Further reading[edit]
- Dwyer, Michael Middleton,ed. (2001).Great Houses of the Hudson River.Boston:Little, Brown and Companyin association withHistoric Hudson Valley.ISBN0-8212-2767-X.
External links[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Arboreta in New York (state)
- Art museums and galleries in the Bronx
- Botanical gardens in New York City
- Historic house museums in New York City
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in the Bronx
- Museums in the Bronx
- National Register of Historic Places in the Bronx
- New York City Designated Landmarks in the Bronx
- Parks in the Bronx
- Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City
- Riverdale, Bronx