Briarcliff Manor Public Library | |
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41°8′47.8″N73°49′27.8″W / 41.146611°N 73.824389°W | |
Location | Briarcliff Manor, New York |
Type | Municipal Public Library |
Established | 1914 [1] : 61 |
Collection | |
Size | 40,000 [2] |
Access and use | |
Circulation | 110,336 [2] |
Population served | 7,867 [3] |
Other information | |
Budget | $661,609 [4] |
Director | Donna Pesce [2] |
Employees | 11 (5.21 FTE) [4] |
Website | Official website |
Location in Briarcliff Manor |
The Briarcliff Manor Public Library is the public library serving the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York, and is located on the edge of the Walter W. Law Memorial Park. The library is a founding member of the Westchester Library System. It is staffed by a director and eleven employees, including reference and youth librarians, and is governed by a ten-member board, with a liaison to the village board of trustees. The library offers computer classes, book discussion groups, young adult programs, a children's room and a local history collection. The library building also houses the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society, the Briarcliff Manor Recreation Department, and the William J. Vescio Community Center.
The library was founded in 1914 in the Briarcliff Community Center. Around 1921, the library was established as the Briarcliff Free Library, an association library within the New York State library system. From the building's destruction in 1929 and over the next thirty years, the library was without a permanent location, and was moved between sites, including public school buildings and the village recreation center. In 1959, the library purchased the former Briarcliff Manor station of the New York and Putnam Railroad, which had been ordered and funded by Briarcliff Manor founder Walter Law in 1906. In 1964, the association library became a public library and adopted its current name. In 1981, the trackbed which ran alongside the building became part of a 48-mile-long (77-kilometre) rail trail, consisting of the South County, North County, and Putnam County Trailways. The biking, running, and walking trail stretches from the Bronx north to Brewster. After library renovations in the 1980s and 1990s, a significant expansion was completed in 2009, adding the section in which the library is housed today. In 2016, the village's community center opened in the original portion of the building.
Librarians (1921–1955) Directors (1955–present) [nb 1] | |||
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Name | Tenure | Notes | References |
Louise Miller | 1921–1926 | Acting while studying library service at Columbia University | [1] : 61 [6] |
Elizabeth Kelly | 1926–1927 | Part-time art teacher at Briarcliff High School | [1] : 61 [6] |
Grace Baird Hersey | 1928–1956 | Mother of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer John Hersey | [1] : 61 [7] : 137, 234 |
Mrs. William Osborne | 1956–1963 | [7] : 234 | |
Marjorie Tully Widenhorn | 1963 | [7] : 234 [8] | |
Helen Barolini | 1964–1965 | Wife of poet and author Antonio Barolini | [5] : 15 [7] : 234 |
Sally R. Dow | 1965 | Interim director | [5] : 15 [7] : 234 [9] |
Bettie Diver | 1965–1968 | [7] : 234 | |
Charles Farkas | 1968–1996 | Father of government official and journalist Evelyn Farkas | [7] : 234 [10] [11] |
Geraldine S. Mahoney (née Baldwin) | 1997–2010 | Founding director of the Desmond-Fish Library, Garrison | [12] [13] [14] |
Melinda Greenblatt | 2011–2016 | [15] [16] | |
Shelley Glick | 2016–2017 | Interim in 2011; also serving as the reference librarian | [16] [17] [18] |
Donna Pesce | 2017–present | [2] |
A public library was founded by Edward S. Arnold in 1914 within the Briarcliff Community Center (also referred to as "the Club"). The Community Center's building had been built as a Briarcliff Manor public school in 1898. [1] : 61 In the library's early years, it did not have a librarian or regular library hours. The library was significantly affected by World War I, as all volunteer efforts were refocused to aid the country's war effort. By 1921, the library was described as "practically moribund" [5] : 6 though progress resumed in 1921 largely due to the efforts of Amy Bookwalter, [6] who in that year became the first president of the library. Bookwalter was credited with reopening the library and officially establishing it as the Briarcliff Free Library on March 8, 1921. [6] She was largely unassisted in these efforts. [5] : 6 On September 1, 1922, the club's library funds were transferred to the Library Committee of the Briarcliff Free Library. [6] The library was registered with the New York state library system on September 22 of that year [1] : 61 and an eight-member board of trustees was appointed. A paid part-time librarian alongside volunteers operated the circulation desk and created the library's card catalog. [5] : 6 (Until 1955, there was only one paid librarian among a staff of volunteers. [5] : 10 )
In 1925, the village government donated US$500 ($9,100 today) [19] to the library and established an annual appropriation for it. [5] : 7 At that time, it had 1,900 volumes, which became 3,000 by 1926, 6,000 by 1939, [6] and 8,000 by 1952. [1] : 62 By 1988, the library's collections had grown to 25,000; [7] : 151 its current [update] collections contain 40,000 volumes. [2]
In its early years, the library received book donations from the village Sunday school and the club. [6] In July 1928, the library moved from the Community Center building [nb 2] to the tower room of the former Briarcliff Farms office building, currently a branch of the International Union of Operating Engineers. [6] The Community Center building was sold in October 1929 for $16,000; these funds were required to be used for recreational purposes. Thus, the organization gave $11,000 to the village for the construction of the Law Memorial Park pool, and $5,000 to the library. Upon the building's sale and the club's dissolution, the library was reconstituted as an association library with a 15-member board of trustees. [5] : 9
The librarians sought a larger and more centrally-located space than the Briarcliff Farms building. On March 18, 1930, after invitation from the Briarcliff school district's Board of Education, the library was relocated again. It moved to a large room on the main floor of Briarcliff High School's extension to its Law Park school building. [6] In August 1949, the school required more classroom space, so the Board of Education asked the library to relocate. The village board then provided the library with two rooms on the second floor of its recreation building near the village downtown on Old Route 100 (then part of NY Route 100). [5] : 8, 9 From the beginning, the recreation center rooms were too small to hold the library's collection (only holding about 7,000 of its 8,500 books), [5] : 9 had insufficient room for tables and chairs, and no space for exhibits or displays. As well, the area was busy with traffic, due to its location at the intersection of two highways. [20] It was also far from the village's public school buildings and had no sidewalks nearby, making it poorly-accessible and hazardous for children to visit. [5] : 8 [21]
One referendum proposal was to build a $50,000 library on the site of a proposed addition to Todd Elementary School. Prior to the referendum, at a school district meeting, concern was raised over the proposed location, given that it would legally be only temporary and was not centrally located in the village. The proposed building would be 1,400 square feet (130 m2) as opposed to their present 750 square feet (70 m2). [22] On March 18, 1952, the New York State Board of Regents granted the library a provisional charter. [1] : 88
On January 19, 1959, the library moved to its fifth location and first permanent home, [20] the former Briarcliff Manor station originally on the New York City & Northern Railroad (later the New York and Putnam Railroad). [23] The station had been built in 1906 by village founder Walter W. Law in the Tudor Revival style, [23] : 35 as a replacement for a smaller station, which was moved to nearby Millwood. [7] : 39, 76 In its later operation as a station, the building was rarely used, and only four trains stopped there each day. Due to the railroad's tracks ending in the Bronx and requiring a transfer to continue on to Manhattan, many Briarcliff Manor residents would drive to Pleasantville or Scarborough, which had stations along lines ending in Manhattan, and more trains ran along those lines. [20] The passenger railroad, then known as the Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad, discontinued service in 1958, [24] freeing up use of the building for the library.
With closer proximity to schools, more parking, and double the availability of shelf space, the village purchased the former station for $12,500 ($130,700 today) [19] [25] and leased the building and its acre of land to the library. [21] The library required $20,500 ($214,300 today) [19] for purchasing and renovating the building; it raised $14,000 ($146,300 today) [19] from village residents, with the remainder funded by the village board. On April 19, 1959, the refurbished building was dedicated and the village board named the street that led to the library Library Road. [5] : 12 With its own space, the library increased its collection, hired more staff, and doubled its operating hours. [5] : 12 Also in 1959, the library received its absolute charter, and transferred the charter in 1964 from a free library association to a fully tax-supported public library [5] : 13 and thus changed its name from the Briarcliff Free Library to the Briarcliff Manor Public Library. [25]
In 1963, Briarcliff resident and artist Myril Adler proposed a series of exhibits of graphic art; the first showing was in October of that year and recurred each month thereafter, each with Sunday opening receptions. Exhibitors included Adler, Michael Ponce de Leon, Seong Moy, Rodolfo Abularach, Fritz Eichenberg, Jacob Landau, George Earl Ortman, Minna Citron, and Alfredo Da Silva. Exhibited works included etchings and engravings, woodcuts, cellocuts, lithographs, collage intaglios, and serigraphs. As a result of these exhibits, the library began a collection of prints donated by the exhibiting artists. In the library's small space, Adler displayed prints between shelves and in the youth and children's reading rooms. [26]
The library, which was 3,200 square feet (300 m2), was too small for readers and events; other significant problems included no wireless capacity and poor shelving and lighting. [27] In 1980, a large interior renovation took place; former mayor Chester L. Fisher and his wife led a fundraising effort, [28] raising $50,072 ($185,200 today). [19] [29] Construction started in March 1980 and included interior painting, new shelves, cabinets, and carpeting for the main room, a mezzanine on the south side, a relocated checkout desk and remodeled children's room, and a vestibule in the main entrance designed to match the original building. [28] [29] [30] In 1981, the first section of the Putnam Division trackbed was repurposed as a trailway; the section ran from the library south to New York Route 117. The current 48-mile biking, running, and walking trail was completed in 2014, and consists of the South County, North County, and Putnam County Trailways. It stretches from Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx north to Brewster. [31] [32] In 1985, the library and the Briarcliff Lodge were among 60 sites given historical markers by Westchester County Tricentennial Commission. [33] In 1995, village residents held a referendum for a new $1.8 million library of 10,600 square feet (980 m2) to be built behind the village municipal building; it failed by 13 votes, from the 871 cast. A 1996 proposal for a smaller building, costing $1.7 million, was rejected by 199 votes. [34] From 1997 to 1999, major renovations took place on the building's interior and exterior. [25]
In the early 2000s, plans began for expansion of the library building. A modular building was set up in 2004 as a temporary children's room. In November 2006, a $4 million bond resolution ($6.05 million today) [19] for the addition passed by 228 votes, from the 2,632 cast. [34] Construction of the two-story 6,600-square-foot (610-square-metre) addition began in summer 2007 and was completed on February 19, 2009. [35] [25] The Club at Briarcliff Manor pledged 2.25 million for the renovation and sponsored its opening celebration on March 8, 2009. [36] The original station building was renovated to become a village community center in 2016. [37] The plans were in development since as early as 2013 [37] and the finished project held a cost of $1.8 million. [38] On May 30, 2016, Mayor Lori Sullivan and former mayor William J. Vescio presided [39] over the center's opening and dedication to Vescio. [40] [nb 3]
The Briarcliff Manor Public Library is located on the eastern edge of the Walter W. Law Memorial Park on Library Road, [3] and has a large parking lot accessible from Library Road. [35] : 70 The site is near the library's first and third locations and borders the pool that was constructed using funds from the sale of the Community Center. [5] : 12 The current structure consists of the 1.5-story former train station on the south end and the two-story extension on the north side. [34]
The original building's exterior was designed in an English Tudor Revival style, [23] : 35 [42] which The New York Times observed as "pseudo-medieval". [43] It features multiple gables, arcs of red-painted wood, and a gently-sloping portico. [44] When active as a train station, the timbering was painted a shade of green used for other New York Central stations. [45] When the library moved in, it spent $1,000 to repaint and clean the outside timbers and stucco. [42]
The original building's interior initially had dark wood panels [20] and was decorated with flowers, oriental rugs on the terrazzo floor, and tables and chairs in the Mission style. [23] : 35 [45] In 1959, when the library moved in, local architect and village resident William Anders Sharman planned the building's $2,000 renovation; [5] : 12 [20] he later became the first president of the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society. [46] The station's circular ticket office was replaced by the librarian's desk, bookshelves replaced station furniture, [42] and the baggage room became the children's section. [44] Former library president Theodore R. Malsin dedicated the children's room in memory of his son Donald. [5] : 12 From 1959 until 2009, the building housed a main reading room and children's room; a vestibule and second-story balcony were added in 1980. [28] [29] [30]
The community center, opening in 2016 in the same space, was designed by architectural firm Peter F. Gaito & Associates. [47] It holds a meeting room and kitchen on the first floor and an oculus opening on the full-length second floor, which is intended for presentations, exhibits, reading, studying, and computer usage. [48] The community center also has a backup generator for use as an emergency broadcast and a warming and cooling center. [39] It can hold 80 people on its first floor and 110 on its second, and has movable furniture and a large television on each floor to accommodate a variety of programming. [49]
The building's extension has the same half-timber and stucco exterior as the original structure, [50] also complementing the Law Park pavilion to form one complex. The extension houses an elevator between the basement and two above-ground floors. The first floor has a circulation desk of cherry- and caramel-stained wood with a granite countertop. It was sold to the library by craftsman and village resident Leonard Rerek at a significant discount. The first floor also includes a teen center with computers and a breakout room, as well as a children's room with its own breakout room. The second floor holds the adult fiction, non-fiction, and reference collections, as well as four computers, library offices, and a partitionable program room seating up to 80 people. [36] The extension's interior was designed by architect, village resident, and library board member Catherine Bukard. [34] The exterior was designed by Lothrop Associates. [50]
Robert Wilson Crandall, namesake of the Crandall Room and president of the library board in the 1960s, helped endow the library's capital campaign. [34] The children's room was named in memory of Juliette Wasserman, and was endowed by the Juliette Wasserman Children's Foundation. [34]
The library is chartered as a Municipal Public Library, serving residents of the village of Briarcliff Manor. The western portion of the village, in the Ossining Union Free School District, is also served by the Ossining Public Library. The Ossining library, as a School District Public Library, includes the entire school district as its service area. [51]
The Briarcliff library is open seven days per week, except in August when it is closed each Sunday. [52] The library hosts four computer workstations and eight laptops, and has its own WiFi network. [53] There are eleven staff members, including reference and youth librarians. The library employs an equivalent of 5.21 full-time employees, as most staff work part-time. The library is governed by a ten-member board, with a liaison to the village board. [2] Services include computer classes, book discussion groups, young adult programs, a children's room, and a local history collection. Library spending constitutes about four percent of the village budget. [35] Community members support the library through the Friends of the Briarcliff Manor Public Library organization. [1] : 62 [54] The organization's volunteers have helped shelve, repair, and check out books, provided art shows, sponsored adult discussion groups, and participated in all of the library's fundraising campaigns. [5] : 15
The Briarcliff Manor Public Library is a member of the Westchester Library System, the 38-member library system for Westchester County. [35] : 69 Around 1940, the library was integrated with the Union Catalog of the Westchester Library Association, [5] : 10 and it became one of the founding 31 members of the Westchester Library System in 1958. [5] : 13
The Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society (BMSHS) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization committed to local preservation, research, and education. In March 1974, after the village mayor appointed twelve people for a 75th anniversary committee, the committee began by forming the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society, which received its provisional charter around that time. [55] The historical society published an updated village history (A Village Between Two Rivers: Briarcliff Manor) in 1977, marking the 75th anniversary of the village. The organization has since published several books, including a comprehensive history of the village. The publication, The Changing Landscape, a History of Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough, was written by Mary Cheever, wife of novelist John Cheever. [56] In 2016, the society and village government created and dedicated a memorial to Medal of Honor recipient John Koelsch at Law Memorial Park. [57] [58]
The historical society was initially located at the Law Park school building; it later moved to the second floor of a realty building on Pleasantville Road, and then moved back to the school building after the building was leased by Pace University, [7] : 195 occupying that space for eight years. In September 1982, the society moved to the Weber-Tufts building at 1123 Pleasantville Road. [59] On March 21, 2010, the BMSHS was given a permanent location at the Eileen O'Connor Weber Historical Center in the library building, established as part of the library's expansion. [56] The current president, Karen Smith, heads a board of trustees, members of which have three-year terms with a required one-year recess between terms. [60]
Members of the historical society joined the nine-member Centennial Committee in 2002 to organize events for Briarcliff Manor's centennial. [61] The Centennial Committee and BMSHS helped organize several events for the village's 2002 centennial celebration, including the Briarcliff Centennial Variety Show held at the Briarcliff High School auditorium in a sold-out two-night run on April 26–27, 2002. [62] The two-act show consisted of interpretations of village life by village organizations and a revue of Briarcliff Manor history in skits and songs. [61] Other society-sponsored events have included tours of homes and churches, bus tours, Hudson River cruises on historic boats such as the M/V Commander (built in 1917 and listed on the national and state registers of historic places), dances, antique-car exhibits, day trips to historic points of interest, film and art exhibits and events with authors and elected officials. [56]
The library houses the village's recreation department, which has four employees and a six-member advisory committee, and provides recreation programming for the village. [63] This includes regular programs and special events at the pool, parks, and sports fields and courts. [1] : 60, 80 It issues about 1,400 pool permits annually and manages about 400 summer camp registrations each year. [64] The department has operated the recreation center on Macy Road since 1980, and also runs a youth center on Van Lu Van Road. [65] Its 2017–18 operating budget is $1,432,116. [4]
The department had its origins in a recreation committee formed in 1943. The first recreation center opened that year at the village's public works building. [1] : 1, 80 In 1952, among the programs held were movies, music, square dances, arts and crafts, and lessons in swimming, tennis, golf, and archery. [1] : 80
Briarcliff Manor is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, 30 miles (50 km) north of New York City. It is on 5.9 square miles (15 km2) of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor includes the communities of Scarborough and Chilmark, and is served by the Scarborough station of the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line. A section of the village, including buildings and homes covering 376 acres (152 ha), is part of the Scarborough Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The village motto is "A village between two rivers", reflecting Briarcliff Manor's location between the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers. Although the Pocantico is the primary boundary between Mount Pleasant and Ossining, since its incorporation the village has spread into Mount Pleasant.
Mount Pleasant is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 44,436. The hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne, Pocantico Hills, and Thornwood, and the villages of Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, and a small portion of Briarcliff Manor lie within the town.
Ossining is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population at the 2020 United States census was 27,551, an increase from 25,060 at the 2010 census. As a village, it is located in the town of Ossining.
Ossining is a town located along the Hudson River in Westchester County, New York. The population was 40,061 at the time of the 2020 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant. Ossining is the location of Sing Sing maximum-security prison.
Scarborough station is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line, located in the Scarborough area of Briarcliff Manor, New York. Trains leave for New York City every hour on weekdays, and about every 25 minutes during rush hour. It is 28.7 miles (46.2 km) from Grand Central Terminal, and the trip there takes about 50 minutes. Trains of electric multiple units serve the station. The Scarborough station is within walking distance of most houses in the neighborhood.
Briarcliff College was a women's college in Briarcliff Manor, New York. The school was founded as Mrs. Dow's School for Girls in 1903 at the Briarcliff Lodge. After Walter W. Law donated land and a building for the college, it operated at its location at 235 Elm Road in Briarcliff until 1977; closing due to low enrollment and financial problems. Pace University subsequently operated it as part of its Pleasantville campus from 1977 to 2015. In an effort to consolidate its campuses, Pace University sold the campus in 2017 to the Research Center on Natural Conservation, a host of conferences relating to global warming and conservation. The campus was again sold in 2021, to a Viznitz Yeshiva congregation.
Carmino Ravosa was an American composer and lyricist, singer, pianist, as well as a producer, director, and musical historian. Ravosa, who wrote music for children for decades, was one of the most popular songwriters for schools in America. He was an author and editor for Silver Burdett & Ginn's music textbook series "World of Music" and "The Music Connection", and the composer of the theme musicals in the two series. Ravosa also was the songwriter for the CBS children's shows Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room, the PBS program Shining Time Station, and the PBS publication Sesame Street Magazine.
Ossining High School (OHS) is a comprehensive public high school located in Ossining, New York, United States, along the Hudson River in northern Westchester County, New York. Serving grades 9 through 12, it is the sole high school within the Ossining Union Free School District. The school serves the entirety of the village of Ossining, portions of the Village of Briarcliff Manor, Town of Ossining, and Town of New Castle, as well as a very small southern portion of the Town of Yorktown.
The Scarborough Day School was a private school in Scarborough-on-Hudson, in Briarcliff Manor, New York, United States. Frank and Narcissa Cox Vanderlip established the school in 1913 at their estate, Beechwood. The school, a nonsectarian nonprofit college preparatory day school, taught students at pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade levels and had small class sizes, with total enrollment rarely exceeding 150 students. Since 1980, the buildings and property have been owned by The Clear View School Day Treatment Center, which runs a day treatment program for 118 students. The current school still uses the Scarborough School's theater, which was opened in 1917. The school campus is a contributing property to the Scarborough Historic District.
The Scarborough Historic District is a national historic district located in the suburban community of Scarborough-on-Hudson, in Briarcliff Manor, New York. The 376-acre (152 ha) district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and contains seven historically and architecturally significant properties dating from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. Most of the properties are domestic, or used for education or religion. The most common architectural styles within the district are Mid-19th Century Revival and Late Victorian.
Walter William Law was a businessman and the founder of the 8,000-person village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. He was a vice president of furniture and carpet retailer W. & J. Sloane, and later founded the Briarcliff Lodge, the Briarcliff Table Water Company, Briarcliff Farms, and the Briarcliff Greenhouses. He founded or assisted in establishing several schools, churches, and parks in the village, and rebuilt its train station in 1906. In the early 1900s, Walter Law was the largest individual landholder in Westchester County.
The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department (BMFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York and its hamlet Scarborough. The volunteer fire department also serves unincorporated areas of Ossining and Mount Pleasant. The fire department has three fire companies, two stations, and four fire engines; it also maintains other vehicles, including a heavy rescue vehicle. The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department Ambulance Corps provides emergency medical transport with two ambulances. The fire department is headquartered at the Briarcliff Manor Village Hall, with its other station in Scarborough, on Scarborough Road.
The Briarcliff Lodge was a luxury resort in the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. It was a notable example of Tudor Revival architecture, and was one of the largest wooden structures in the United States. It was also the first hotel in Westchester County. Walter William Law had it built on his estate, and the Law family owned it until 1937. When the lodge opened in 1902, it was one of the largest resort hotels in the world. The lodge hosted presidents, royalty, and celebrities, and was the scene of numerous memorable occasions for visitors and local residents who attended weddings, receptions, and dances in the ballroom and dining room. For a long time, the lodge was situated among other businesses of Walter Law, including the Briarcliff Farms and Briarcliff Table Water Company.
The Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District is the public school district of Briarcliff Manor, New York. The district is an independent public entity, and is governed by the district Board of Education, whose members are elected in non-partisan elections for staggered, three-year terms. The board selects a superintendent, who is the district's chief administrative official. The district's offices are located in Todd Elementary School.
The history of Briarcliff Manor, a village in the county of Westchester, New York, can be traced back to the founding of a settlement between the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers in the 19th century. The area now known as Briarcliff Manor had seen human occupation since at least the Archaic period, but significant growth in the settlements that are now incorporated into the village did not occur until the Industrial Revolution. The village, which was incorporated with one square mile in 1902, has expanded primarily through annexation: of Scarborough in 1906 and from the town of Mount Pleasant in 1927.
Archville is a hamlet in Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. The hamlet consists of residences, businesses, and a fire station on Union Street, Arch Hill, and Requa Street, all abutting U.S. Route 9. Directly across Route 9 lies Rockwood Hall, part of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. The volunteer Archville Fire Department serves the hamlet and surrounding area, from the Hudson River to Pocantico Lake and from the edge of Briarcliff Manor to the edge of Sleepy Hollow.
The history of Briarcliff Manor, a village in Westchester County, New York, can be traced back to the founding of a settlement between the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers in the 19th century. The area now known as Briarcliff Manor had seen human occupation since at least the Archaic period, but significant growth in the settlements that are now incorporated into the village did not occur until the Industrial Revolution. The village, which was incorporated with one square mile in 1902, has expanded primarily through annexation: of Scarborough in 1906 and from the town of Mount Pleasant in 1927 to its current area of 6.7 square miles (17 km2). The village has also grown in population; from 331 when established to 7,867 in the 2010 census.
Briarcliff Farms was a farm established in 1890 by Walter William Law in Briarcliff Manor, a village in Westchester County, New York. One of several enterprises established by Law at the turn of the 20th century, the farm was known for its milk, butter, and cream and also produced other dairy products, American Beauty roses, bottled water, and print media. At its height, the farm was one of the largest dairy operations in the Northeastern United States, operating about 8,000 acres (10 sq mi) with over 1,000 Jersey cattle. In 1907, the farm moved to Pine Plains in New York's Dutchess County, and it was purchased by New York banker Oakleigh Thorne in 1918, who developed it into an Aberdeen Angus cattle farm. After Thorne's death in 1948, the farm changed hands several times; in 1968 it became Stockbriar Farm, a beef feeding operation. Stockbriar sold the farmland to its current owners in 1979.
Trump National Golf Club Westchester is a private golf club in Briarcliff Manor, New York. The 140-acre (57 ha) course has eighteen holes, with a 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m2) clubhouse. Founded in 1922 as Briarcliff Country Club, it later operated as Briar Hills Country Club and Briar Hall Golf and Country Club. Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, purchased the property in 1996 and renamed the club after its county, Westchester, in a similar manner to his other golf properties. He had the clubhouse and course rebuilt for its 2002 reopening; the course was designed by Jim Fazio. Donald Trump served as president over Trump National Golf Club LLC from August 2000 until January 19, 2017, the day before his inauguration.
The Ossining Public Library (OPL) is a public library in serving the village of Ossining, New York. The library serves Ossining's school district, including the town of Ossining and neighboring areas.
Preceding station | New York Central Railroad | Following station | ||
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Former services | ||||
Millwood toward Brewster | Putnam Division | Graham toward 155th Street |