FALL 2006

The Conservancy's eighth annual House Tour was a roaring success! It took placeon Sunday, November 12 at 42 Masterton Road, the stone Norman revival that theowners, Joseph and Louise Parzick, graciously made available for our member tour.The robust design of the house, built by architect George H. Pohle in 1927, incorpo-rates a turret, exposed beams, high ceilings and leaded glass windows and provides afitting background for the Parzick's fine collection of French Art Déco furnishings and20th-century art.

The tour proved to be a mini-education in the distinguishing hallmarks that consti-tute Art Déco, the style that dominated the 1920s and '30s in both Europe and theUnited States. The French interpretation of Art Déco is more luxurious and less stream-lined, than American examples, such as the familiar Radio City Music Hall. At42 Masterton, designs by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Paule Leleu and Jacques Adnet,among others, are carefully placed in an environment of rich colors -- chocolatebrown, claret red, inky blue -- and innovative wall treatments -- suede, Venetian plas-ter, accents of gold leaf. The result is an atmosphere of both elegance and comfort.

Following the tour members attended a cocktail reception at the Bronxville FieldClub and the annual business meeting that included the election of the class of 2009to the Conservancy board. A warm thank you to Carolyn Martin and Mary Thalerfor the sensational fall event!

A Publication of

The BronxvilleHistorical Conservancy

The ChronicleBronxville, New York

INSIDE

Older...and better!Happy 125th to

Concordia College,a sprightly quasquicentenniarian!

JOURNAListic Excellence.The third volume ofThe Bronxville Journal

is a winner!

A Wealth of History.George Yeager donates a

rich collection to Concordia.

A Twist of Old Lyme.A boat ride and visit to theFlorence Griswold Museum

hit the spot.

Bosom Buddies.Elizabeth Custer and AgnesBates. Next door neighbors

and devoted friends.

During Daisy’s DaysA big thank you to the Lalumiafamily for a memorable gift.

PLUS...Latest Conservancy Projects

A Treasure from the TwentiesProfessor R. W. Heinke, one ofConcordia Collegeʼs first facultymembers in January 1910 when

the school first began classesfor 100 boys in Bronxville.

Tony and Marianna Brittis

Anne Fredericks, talking withNancy Hand about memories ofplaying at 42 Masterton when

she was just a little girl.

Nina Grosvenor and Rozsa Gaston

Louise Parzick, our host

Jorie Andrews next to a sculpture byJedd Novatt, Sarah Lawrence graduate

Sheryl Donner

Jim Grosvenor and Keith Martin

Special thanks to Katie Martin Primerano,our event photographer!

Valerie Wilson and daughter Kimberly Wetty,former residents of 42 Masterton

Gusty winds and rain couldn’t dampenthe spirits of the many members who visit-ed the Parzick’s home for the 2006 HouseTour. Lively conversation emanated fromevery room, mostly glowing comments onthe Parzick’s sensational furnishings andart. To describe it as “simply stunning”would be an understatement.At the annual meeting that followed

the tour, Conservancy Co-chair DonaldGray had the opportunity to recognizeretiring co-chair Marilynn Wood Hill andthank her for her significant commitmentand contributions to the organization. Shehas served as co-chair since the BHC’sformation eight years ago following the“Celebration of the Century” -- a year offestivities to honor Bronxville’s 100th year,which she also co-chaired. In addition,Marilynn has served as the editor of TheBronxville Journal, a job she promises tocontinue!

Four retiring board members -- HankCoon, Patty Dohrenwend, Corky Frostand Rory Millson -- were also given indi-vidual praise for their contributions to theConservancy over the past years.Conservancy members then voted a

resounding yes to new board membersDale Walker, Bridget Gibbons, Judy Unisand Peter Gisolfi. Congratulations to alland welcome aboard!!

The roaring 20sbrought us the flapper,The Great Gatsby, and

fabulous42 Masterton...

Concordia College first offered classes in the Village in January1910, but it was founded decades earlier, in 1881, in lowerManhattan. Today Bronxville’s small liberal arts college—ranked bythe U.S. News and World Report in the Top Tier of NorthernComprehensive Colleges—has come a long way from its origins onBroome Street, where, as the New York Progymnasium, it preparedyoung men for the Lutheran ministry. In 1893, the school moved fromthe City “to the country” at Hawthorne, NY, where it used the nameConcordia College and soon offered four years of high school andtwo years of junior college to a student body of about 100 boys. Thatcampus, however, now the site of the Mount Pleasant Public SchoolDistrict’s Hawthorne headquarters, proved to be too rustic, lackingwater and sewage systems, among other essentials.

After 15 years in Hawthorne, Concordia bought 14 acres inBronxville from William Lawrence, this suburb’s founder. The levelexpanse of land, which had been subdivided by Lawrence into 58rectangular lots measuring 50’ by 150’, still makes up the heart of thecampus, at the corner of Tanglewylde and White Plains Road.

In 1918 the high school program was chartered by New YorkState, and the school took a new name—Concordia CollegiateInstitute. Less than 20 years later, Concordia’s upper division waschartered as a two-year junior college. For the next six decades andmore, the Bronxville campus housed two entirely separate educa-tional institutions: a well-regarded, all-male prep school, and one ofthe state’s earliest junior colleges, which admitted women starting in1939. Eventually, in 1969 the prep school closed, the name was offi-cially changed to Concordia College, and in 1973 the Collegebecame a four-year, baccalaureate degree granting institution.

Concordia’s Bronxville campus and the 1909 brick buildings fac-ing White Plains Road were designed by Edward L. Tilton, award-win-ning architect of Ellis Island. Over the years the campus has grownfrom its first three structures to some 20 buildings on over 30 acres inBronxville and Tuckahoe. The physical growth mirrored dramaticchanges in the institution itself. From a tiny school, founded byGerman immigrants, Concordia expanded into a college withapproximately 12% international enrollment (three times the nationalaverage). From its first black student in 1911, Concordia has becomea campus with about 20% minority students. From a Lutheran pre-seminary religious training school, Concordia evolved into a liberalarts college welcoming students of all faiths.

This fall Concordia accepted its largest incoming class in decadeswith total enrollment exceeding 750 students. Focused on seven edu-cational programs—education, business, social work, English, socialscience, biology and liberal studies—the curriculum is reinforced withreal-world experiential learning and leadership development. After acentury and a quarter, Concordia’s students continue to enjoy aChristian and value-based environment.

The Yeager Collection of autographs byAmerica’s businessmen, financiers and wealthcreators, is one of the finest assemblages ofits kind and unquestionably the best on publicdisplay. The Collection represents a broadspectrum of names identified with the entre-preneurial spirit of America from the earlyeighteenth century on and includes numer-ous items of great rarity and interest.

George M. Yeager’s quest to build anotable autograph collection of Americanmakers of wealth coincided with his start in1960 on a long career as an investmentcounselor. Indeed, the core of the Collectionwas displayed in the Rockefeller Centeroffices of Yeager, Wood and Marshall for sev-eral decades before finding its present homeat Concordia College.

Believing that America’s rich heritage ofentrepreneurship was a distinguishing featureamong nations, Mr. Yeager felt that auto-graph material of wealth creators would be anatural collection specialty – particularlygiven his professional focus on investing ingreat American business enterprises.

The Yeager Collection is devoted to cre-ators of wealth – not owners of wealthacquired through inheritance or by marriage.It is believed that this collection represents themost inclusive aggregation of the one hun-dred wealthiest Americans born before WorldWar I.

Included in the Collection are founders ofenduring business enterprises that bear theirnames or individuals who were responsible forthe ultimate success of the companies theytransformed. Indeed, this collection may bethe most comprehensive compilation ofFortune magazine’s original National BusinessHall of Fame laureates.

The late Charles Hamilton, a leading auto-graph expert, declared in 1987: “The vastcollection of American financiers’ letters,documents and signatures assembled byGeorge M. Yeager is certainly the finestassemblage of its type in the world. In itsentirety, The Yeager Collection is a micro-cosm of the development of the UnitedStates. One might say that this impressive listof names runs the entire range of Americancurrency from J.C. Penney to Robert Dollar.”Subsequent to Hamilton’s evaluation, therehas been a notable expansion of theCollection, adding to its strength and broad-ening scope.

A SignatureAddition

to ConcordiaBY JAYNE WARMAN

BY ELOISE MORGAN

A Quasquicentennial Occasion!

The faculty of Concordia when it opened in Bronxville in January, 1910.

One of Bronxville’s oldest institutions is celebrating its 125thanniversary this fall. And getting better all the time...

Another beautiful fall

A Twist of Old Lyme.On September 24th ConHudson, we cruised alonMuseum in Old Lyme, CoConservancy members hold home overlooking thSeveral paintings by Oldare on display at the Bro

Bud Hanson and Ted Hawkins

Bob Riggs

Bob Wein

Bob Dohrenwend

Patty Dohrenwend Corky and Randy Frost

Constance and Til TothGeorge Young, Bob Warner, Carol Young, Dick Bower, Allaire Warner

day...and another fabulous boat ride aboard the“Sea Streak!”

A GREATFIND.

We discovered that thetheme painting forthe current exhibitionat the GriswoldMuseum’s KriebleGallery -- A CollectiveEndeavor: ThreeDecades ofAcquisitions -- was agift to the museum byConservancy membersBarbara andGeorge Yeager.

servancy members were served a new twist on our traditional boat tour. This year, instead of heading up theg the Long Island Sound from New Rochelle to Old Saybrook and boarded buses there to visit the Florence Griswoldonnecticut. It was our 5th year of fall boat rides to historic places, and packed in the most people ever!had the opportunity to view works of art by the Lyme Art Colony in the very setting they were created -- in a grande meandering Lieutenant River, a tidal waterway that is hugged by graceful old trees and tickled by marsh grasses.Lyme colony artists -- Bruce Crane, John Francis Murphy, Gardner Symons, William Henry Howe and Everett Warner --nxville Public Library. How interesting to be in the very place where their works were inspired!

David McBride

Challis Snyder and Susan Vojta

Conservancy Co-Chairs Don Gray and Marilynn Hill

George Vojta

Judy Unis

Barbara and George Yeager (file photo)

Bosom BuddiesThe stuff of true friendship: Elizabeth Custer’s lifelong friend shared secrets, longings, and 10-months in a Dakota Fort.

Conservancy Journal is recognized by peers as an impressive, inspiring work.The Conservancy is pleased to

announce the receipt of an HistoricalServices Award Towards Excellence forthe The Bronxville Journal, Volume 3presented by the Lower HudsonConference of Historical Agencies andMuseums. The award was given tothe Journal as "an example of keenscholarship devoted to fosteringawareness of Bronxville's architectural,artistic and cultural heritage." Onbehalf of the Conservancy, CarolynMartin, associate editor, accepted theaward on October 6 at the annualmeeting of the Lower Hudson

Conference held at the HarnessRacing Museum and Hall of Fame inGoshen, New York.

"We are, indeed, pleased to havethe careful research and hard work ofour authors and editorial staff recog-nized in this way," said Marilynn Hill,editor of the Journal and co-chair ofthe Conservancy. "It was wonderful tohave received enthusiastic commentsfrom members of our own community,but it is especially gratifying to haveour efforts recognized abroad."

Conservancy board member andDirector of the Westchester County

Archives, Patty Dohrenwend, notesthat “LHC has recognized TheBronxville Journal, Volume 3, as a spe-cial delight for its readers and for anyserious scholar of local history inWestchester County. Not only did thisedition build on the keen scholarshipand handsome design of the prior twopublications from the BronxvilleHistorical Conservancy, but it also tar-geted more recent historical events ofthe 20th Century – an area of researchand interpretation frequently nottouched upon by local historical soci-eties.”

Award-Winning Journalism!

One of Bronxville’s best known former residents,Elizabeth Bacon Custer, widow of famousGeneral Custer, was featured in the cover storyof The Westchester Historian this past summer.The article, by historian Marilynn Wood Hill,explores the friendships of Elizabeth Custerand the members of the Bates family fromher hometown of Monroe, Michigan.Several of the Bates siblings moved toBronxville in the late-nineteenth centuryand had a significant impact on the devel-opment of the village. Key among thatgroup of Custer’s childhood friends wasWilliam Van Duzer Lawrence whose wifeSarah Bates was one of seven Bates siblings.Lawrence discovered Bronxville when hecame to visit his sister-in-law and her hus-band, Agnes Bates and Arthur Wellington, whosummered in Bronxville in the late 1880s. It wasthey who persuaded Lawrence to purchase thetract of land that became Lawrence Park, and theLawrences, in turn, brought Elizabeth Custer tothe village.

The Bacon (Custer) and Bates families hadbeen friends in pre-Civil War Monroe where both fatherswere leading citizens and members of the state legislature.For Elizabeth Custer, who was the only surviving child of herfamily, the seven Bates children served as surrogate siblings,fulfilling that role for over nine decades until Elizabeth’sdeath in 1933. Of the Bates offspring, Agnes was Elizabeth’sclosest lifetime friend. This relationship was firmly groundedin the shared experiences of a ten-month period thatAgnes spent as a houseguest of the Custers in 1874 at FortLincoln, Dakota Territory. From the arrival of the two womenat the fort by a row-boat-crossing of the torrential ice-filledMissouri River, to a narrow escape from an explosive mid-night fire in Agnes’ bedroom, to the more enjoyable sleighrides, jackrabbit and wolf chases on the Dakota plains, regi-mental balls, and “Custer clan” garrison theatricals, thesetwo women had experiences that provided a lifetime offond reminiscences.

Besides Agnes, perhaps the otherBates’ sibling who had the greatestimpact on Elizabeth Custer’s emotion-al and financial well-being, wasSarah Bates Lawrence, wife ofWilliam Lawrence. After becominga widow at age 34 in 1876,Elizabeth Custer faced strainedeconomic circumstances. Shewas encouraged by the Batesand other friends to move to NewYork City where she felt she wouldfind more opportunities foremployment and could build anew life. Working first as a secre-tary to women’s societies, then asan author and lecturer, Elizabeth

Custer began to improve her circum-stances. Very important in that process

were real estate and investment oppor-tunities that William and Sarah Lawrence

made available to their friend. In the mid-1890s, after both Elizabeth and Agnes Bateshad been widowed, Lawrence built two

houses for them, side-by-side on Park Avenue in LawrencePark. Those shingle-style homes, and a second Custerhome, still stand today as a reminder of the nearly fortyyears Elizabeth Custer was associated with the Bronxvillecommunity.

The above Custer-Bates stories and many others —including one about Elliott Bates who was rejected as ahusband by Elizabeth Bacon in favor of the more dashingCivil War “boy general” Custer — are all discussed in detailin Hill’s article, “A Circle of Friends.” Copies of TheWestchester Historian can be purchased by contacting theWestchester Historical Society at 914 592-4323.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in a 1999 issue ofResearch Review, a national journal of the Little Big HornAssociates. Hill received the 1999 John M. Carroll LiteraryAward for the article.

Elizabeth Custer and Agnes Bateslooking at a picture of General Custer.

BY ROBERT WEIN

BY JAYNE WARMAN

BY ELOISE MORGAN

Our Village has several annual events that add to therichness of life during the year. The Memorial Day Parade &Cookout, the children’s Halloween Day Parade onPondfield Road, and the High School GraduationCeremony all come to mind. Our oldest tradition, datingback nearly 100 years, is the Christmas Pageant held everyDecember 24th on the Reformed Church lawn. This pastyear it was apparent that the audio system, so vital to theenjoyment of the performance, needed renewing.

In keeping with its mission of preserving and strengthen-ing cherished legacies, the Conservancy is researching thepurchase of a new audio system for use by the Pageant aswell as by any other civic organization that would benefitfrom its availability. In concert with this support, thecreation of a booklet documenting the history of thePageant has also been discussed as another means ofcontributing to this Bronxville tradition.

Editors note: If you have ideas for other new Conservancyprojects, Bob Wein would like to hear from you. You canemail him at: RMWDDS@aol.com

Emily LaBorde, a juried local artist who had exhibited atthe Huntington Hartford Museum in New York City,wandered into her neighbor’s property one day in the1960s with her paintbrushes and easel. She was attracted,no doubt, as much by the unusual and historic barn as bythe esteemed resident who lived there, a potent force inBronxville history. The address was 90 White Plains Road

and the resident none other than MissAmie Dusenberry. The subject of herpainting -- a century-old woodenbarn that was the domain of Daisy,Miss Amie’s milk cow.

As the story is told, the artist wasroundly reprimanded for trespassingon Miss Amie’s property, but neverthe-less was allowed to complete hercanvas (with the proviso that she askpermission next time).

The barn no longer exists, the unfor-tunate result of an overzealous bull-dozer.

However, the Conservancy is fortunate to have been givenEmily LaBorde’s rendering of the historic barn, a gift fromPamela Wace Lalumia. Mrs. LaBorde lived next door to theLalumias on White Plains Road and gave the painting toPam as a gift of appreciation before she moved awayfrom Bronxville.

The painting will hang in Village Hall as an aide-memoireof a now-lost village treasure and of the kindness andgoodwill of its donor.

When lack of a sound system gave a whole new meaning to“Silent Night,” the Conservancy researched a way tohelp this community with its beloved holiday tradition.

What happened here in 1928?

For one thing, a lot of new construction, including theGirl Scout Cabin, the First Church of Christ Scientist and agymnasium at Concordia College. There was an epidemicof measles. People were concerned about illuminated sig-nage on the downtown shops. Citizens were debating alocation for a new public library (it had outgrown its spacein the old Village Hall at Pondfield and Kraft). The BronxvilleSchool was overcrowded, causing talk of building a newelementary school on White Plains Road. The School Boardopened bids for an addition (where the flagpole entranceis now) to connect the separate elementary and highschool buildings. Members of the Women’s Club raisedmoney to furnish their brand new building at the corner ofMidland and Tanglewylde. Controversy erupted over ultra-violet light experiments in science classes at the School.

How do we know?

From an index to the 1928 Bronxville Review weeklynewspaper, which was prepared by a summer intern at theLocal History Room. In a pilot project funded by theHistorical Conservancy, Nicole Desharnais, a 2006 graduateof Sarah Lawrence College, spent hundreds of hours creat-ing the 180-page index, with the use of Cindex, a softwareprogram designed for newspaper indexing. TheConservancy is currently considering additional indexing ofBronxville’s newspapers so that researchers could more eas-ily access Bronxville’s past.

Emily LaBorde, “Miss Amieʼs Barn,” oil on board,19 1/2 x 28 inches. Gift of Pamela Wace Lalumia.

Our Picturesque Past

Daisy’s Days

That Was the Year That Was

Miss Amie Dusenberryʼshistoric barn pictured in

Building a Suburban Village.

Thank you, Pamela Lalumia, for sharing thebeauty of a barn and yet another Dusenberry yarn.

Angels We Have Heard on High

...OldNews...

The ChroniclePublished by the

Bronxville Historical Conservancy© Fall 2006

Designed & Edited by Nancy VittoriniSubmissions welcome!

The Bronxville Historical Conservancy wasfounded in 1998 to further the understanding andappreciation of the history and current life of the

Village of Bronxville, New York.The Conservancy furthers its mission through thepresentation of programs, publications, lectures and

special events that foster an awareness of thevillage’s architectural, artistic and cultural heritage

and lends its support for projects designed tostrengthen and preserve those legacies.

The BronxvilleHistorical Conservancy

P. O. Box 989Bronxville, NY 10708

WE WANT YOUto be a member of theBronxville HistoricalConservancy!Call 793-2336 for membership information

BronxvilleA MODEL FOR NANTUCKET? Yes! According to the recently published book,Tom Never’s Ghost written by Jack Warner, when Bill Lawrence of the Bronxville Lawrence family wascreating his master plan for Nantucket Beach Properties, he used the elements common to Bronxville andother Lawrence developments -- “meandering roads that emulated old country lanes, underground power

and telephone lines, and a building code that assured both variation and architectural harmony.”

NOW SHOWING AT THE MET Two important works of Bronxville’s early artistMary Fairchild Low are now on display at the “Americans in Paris, 1860-1900” exhibition at theMetropolitan Museum of Art. “Portrait of Mademoiselle Sara Hallowell” and “In the Nursery --Giverny Studio” were painted in Paris where Low studied on a scholarship from 1885-1888.

Sister to President John F. Kennedy, and sixth of nine children born to Joe and Rose Kennedy, PatriciaKennedy Lawford died this September at the age of 82. While the Kennedy family lived in Bronxville,

Ms. Lawford attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart school in the Bronx. “Of thefive Kennedy sisters, she was considered the most BEAUTIFUL AND

SOPHISTICATED, with the aristocratic air of her mother,”noted The New York Times in her obituary.

William McGough, member of Bronxville Troop 5 and sophomore at Bronxville High, took on

A DEADLY CHALLENGE to earn an Eagle Scout award. He developed a data base for theBronxville library to allow researchers to find more than 8,000 obituaries of former residents. Williamand his team worked with reference librarian Christine Utchel to develop a computerized file that willsoon be linked to the library’s website for easy access on the Internet. It is already available on the web-site William created for Scout Troop 5. Click on http://www.troop5.net/obituaries/

“In the Nursery” depicts aroom that doubled as a studiofor Bronxville artist MaryFairchild MacMonnies (laterLow) at her home in Giverny.Betty, her daughter, sits in thehighchair next to her Frenchnursemaid while thegoverness sews.

Patricia Kennedy Lawford,former Bronxville resident.

Did you know that Thomas Nast was the cartoonist who created the image of Uncle Sam asa symbol for the U.S. government? Visit the OʼSilas Gallery at Concordia College where aspecial selection of his works are now on exhibit through December 21st.