Riverdale, New York encyclopedia topics

Demographics

Riverdale has a population of around 45,000. The neighborhood is predominantly White, most of whom are of Irish, Jewish, German, or Russian ancestry. Over the recent years, Riverdale has attracted many families from Manhattan. With an average income of $60,000 it is easily one of the more upscale areas in The Bronx.

In 1974, a large residential compound and school was established in North Riverdale by the Permanent Mission of the USSR to the United Nations (now the Russian Mission to the UN) to house diplomats and their families. The 20-story building was constructed from the top down, with the upper floors built first.

Geography

Riverdale is about three square miles in area. It is bordered on the north by the city of Yonkers, Westchester County, New York; to the east by Van Cortlandt Park and the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx; to the west by the Hudson River; and to the south by the Harlem River.

The subsections of Riverdale are:

Spuyten Duyvil / South Riverdale (Riverdale below West 232nd Street)
Central Riverdale (The "downtown" of Riverdale - from Manhattan College Parkway to West 232nd Street and from the Henry Hudson Parkway to Riverdale Avenue and Waldo Avenue)
Fieldston (Riverdale south and east of the Henry Hudson Parkway, north of Manhattan College Parkway and west of Tibbett Avenue)
Estate Area West of the Parkway (Riverdale west of the Henry Hudson Parkway, north of West 246th Street and South of West 254th - also known as Riverdale Estates)
North Riverdale (Riverdale above West 254th Street)

The leafy, scenic enclave of Fieldston, a private community, was designated as an historic district by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2006.

Cityscape

Housing in Riverdale ranges from multi-story apartment buildings dating from the 1950s and 60s to large, architecturally distinguished houses built in the early 20th century, mostly in Georgian- and Tudor-revival styles. It is also home to the modernist landmark Saul Victor house, designed by Ferdinand Gottlieb in 1967. Other famous mansions in Hudson Hill include: Greyston (1864), Alderbrook (1880), Stonehurst (1861) and Oaklawn (1863). Since 2005, Central Riverdale has experienced a building boom with the addition of many mid- and high-rise condominium buildings.

Riverdale is in a sense the closest northern suburb of New York City although it is not its own municipality. Administratively, Riverdale is part of Bronx Community Board 8. Wave Hill, a combination botanical garden and outdoor art gallery, is located in the so-called Estate Area overlooking the Hudson River. Two weekly newspapers, the Riverdale Press and the Riverdale Review, focus on news of interest to residents of the neighborhood.

Churches and synagogues

CSAIR - The Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale
Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
Riverdale Jewish Center
Young Israel of Riverdale (Fieldston)
Young Israel Ohab Tzedek (North Riverdale)
Riverdale Temple

Riverdale in literature and movies

The exteriors of many of Riverdale's mansions have been used in movies; most notably, the "Corleone House" located on Independence Avenue (across from Wave Hill) was used for the exterior shots in the film The Godfather. Dorney and Malone's Tavern on Broadway was also filmed in the 2007 romantic comedy The Accidental Husband, starring Uma Thurman.

Education

Riverdale is home to three prominent private schools (Horace Mann, Riverdale Country, and Fieldston), and two Roman Catholic colleges, (Manhattan College and the College of Mount Saint Vincent). The Academy for Jewish Religion is one of two similarly-named transdenominational rabbinical schools, the other located in Los Angeles, California.

The public elementary schools are the Spuyten Duyvil School (P.S. 24) and the Robert J. Christen School (P.S. 81). The public middle school and high school is M.S./H.S 141, The Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy. Nearby high schools that also serve the community include the Bronx High School of Science and John F. Kennedy High School.

Riverdale is also home to SAR Academy, a private Jewish day school near the Riverdale train station, and SAR High School as well as the Yeshiva of Telshe Alumni and Yeshiva Ohavei Torah of Riverdale. Kinneret Day School, is a private Jewish day school in Spuyten Duyvil, serving grades K through 8 in addition to pre-school. Catholic elementary schools in the area are St. Gabriel's School and St. Margaret of Cortona School.

Also in the area are several pre-schools including the Riverdale Temple Nursery School, Spuyten Duyvil Preschool,, Kinneret Day School,, SAR Academy (Early Learning Center), Riverdale Nursery School and Family Center, and the Riverdale Presbyterian Church Nursery School.

Transportation

The northern terminal station of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway is located at the intersection of 242nd Street and Broadway. The tracks and stations are elevated along Broadway in Kingsbridge. Riverdale is accessible from Kingsbridge and from Inwood by city bus lines that run throughout the Riverdale area. Metro-North commuter railroad service is available at the Spuyten Duyvil station, located underneath the Henry Hudson Parkway and alongside the shore of the Harlem River at Edsall Avenue. Metro-North service is also available at the Riverdale station, located between West 254th Street and West 255th Street. The 242nd Street elevated subway station is served by the , while the Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale railroad stations are served by the Hudson Line. Metro-North commuting time from the Spuyten Duyvil station to Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan is around 22 minutes.

Manhattan can also be reached by MTA Bus Company's (formerly Liberty Lines) express routes. By car, Riverdale is commonly reached by the Henry Hudson Parkway (Route 9A), which bisects much of the neighborhood. This major thoroughfare connects it to Manhattan over the Henry Hudson Bridge to the south.''' One can also drive between Manhattan and Riverdale via the Broadway Bridge, which is on Broadway, by the Harlem River.

Historical Significance

The rich history of portions of Riverdale has led to the creation, by unanimous vote, of the Riverdale Historic District. The exact area is bound roughly by 252nd and 254th Streets and Palisade and Independence Avenues. Leland Weintraub, the commissioner who moved for the district's creation, noted that "most of the features commonly associated with the American romantic suburb of the mid-19th century," including "a picturesque site, landscaping and architecture; connection to the city by accessible transportation and a layout adapted to the topography" are present in the area.

Notable residents

Sean Altman (1961-), musician, songwriter and founder of Rockapella.
William Henry Appleton (1814-1899), publisher, lived at Wave Hill.
Béla Bartók (1881-1945), composer and pianist, lived at 3242 Cambridge Avenue.
Rudolf Bing (1902-1997), former General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera. lived at the Hebrew Home for the Aged from 1989 until his death.
June Bingham Birge (1919-2007), author and playwright.
Ron Blomberg (1948-), first DH in baseball history, former NY Yankee, lived at the Whitehall (3333 Henry Hudson Parkway).
Ted Brown (1924-2005), charismatic radio personality, worked at several stations in New York City including WMGM, WNEW and WNBC.
Chris Chambliss (1948-), former Yankee first baseman and hitting coach.
Yvonne De Carlo (1922-2007), movie and television actress, lived at the Whitehall.
Joey Donovan, (1967-, birth name Joey Reynolds), founder and president of Ad Astra Radio; nationally broadcast radio talk show host, lived at 2800-2810 Bailey Avenue from 1967-75.
Seth Farber, rabbi and historian.
Fernando Ferrer (1950-), former Bronx Borough President.
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), jazz singer, lived at the Colored Orphan Asylum in Riverdale.
Julio Franco (1958-), former New York Mets first basemen, lived in the Century.
Sidney Frey (1920-1968), Audio Fidelity Records, producer of the first stereo record, lived at Highpoint.
Fred W. Friendly (1915-1998), former president of CBS News, lived at 4614 Fieldston Road.
Lou Gehrig (1903-1941), New York Yankees baseball star, lived at 5204 Delafield Avenue.
Jordan Gelber, actor who inaugurated the role of "Brian" in the Broadway production of Avenue Q.
Desmond Harrington (1976-), actor.
Nat Holman (1896-1995), innovative basketball player and CCNY coach; lived at the Hebrew Home for the Aged.
Charles Evans Hughes, III (1915-1985), architect.
H. Stuart Hughes (1916-1999), professor and activist.
Richard Joel (1950-), President of Yeshiva University.
Laura Kam (1958-), Key Israel Advocate, Senior Adviser at The Israel Project
Eric Kandel (1929-), Columbia University neuroscientist, winner of the Nobel Prize for his work on learning and memory.
Joan Bennett Kennedy (1936-), spouse of Senator Ted Kennedy.
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), U.S. President, lived at 5040 Independence Avenue, across the street from Wave Hill.
Bernard Kerik (1955-), former New York City Police Commissioner.
Theodore Kheel, labor lawyer.
G. Oliver Koppell (1940-), member of the New York City Council.
Fiorello H. La Guardia (1882-1947), Mayor of New York City during the 1930s and 1940s. He lived at 5020 Goodridge Avenue.
John L. Lahey (1946-), president of Quinnipiac University.
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt (1934-), journalist, critic and novelist.
Timothy "Speed" Levitch (1970-), tour guide and voice actor.
Sal Maglie (1917-1992), pitcher who played for both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees during his career.
Willie Mays (1931-), baseball star, lives at The Whitehall.
Tracy Morgan (1968-), starred on Saturday Night Live and appears in 30 Rock.
Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), Polish/American sculptor lived at the Alderbrook Estate on Independence Avenue near Wave Hill.
Philip Nadelman (1955-), accomplished songwriter and artist lives on Johnson Avenue, he is the grandson of Elie Nadelman the artist.
George Walbridge Perkins (1862–1920), first president of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.
Jennifer Raab, president of Hunter College.
Ed Rendell (1944-), Governor of Pennsylvania
Sugar Ray Robinson (1921-1989), said to be "pound for pound the best" boxer in history.
Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. (1831-1878), banker and father of the U.S. President.
David Shapiro (1947-), poet and literary critic.
Carly Simon (1945-), singer/songwriter, lived in Fieldston.
Joanna Simon (1940-), Mezzo-soprano.
Lucy Simon (1940-), composer.
Richard L. Simon (1899-1960), co-founder of Simon & Schuster.
Eliot Spitzer (1959-), Former Governor of New York, was born in Riverdale.
Ed Sullivan (1901-1974), television personality, lived at the Whitehall.
U Thant (1909-1974), former United Nations Secretary-General.
Kool Keith Thornton (1964-), prolific hip-hop artist and founding member of the Ultramagnetic MCs.
Richard Tofel, president and CEO of the International Freedom Center.
Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957), Conductor, lived at Wave Hill.
Mark Twain (1835-1910), author, lived at Wave Hill from 1901 to 1903.
Steven Tyler (1948-), American musician and songwriter (Aerosmith), lived in Netherland Gardens.
Abe Vigoda (1921-), movie and television actor.
Alexander S. Webb (1835-1911), Union Army general who was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Avi Weiss (1944-), activist Modern Orthodox Rabbi.
Mordechai Willig (1947-) Rabbi of the Young Israel of Riverdale.
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (1921-), Nobel Laureate.