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A vision of paradise in Yonkers By Isabel Angell iangell@riverdalepress.com
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andscapist William Welles Bosworth modeled the Untermyer Gardens’ Walled Garden to look like the biblical Garden of Eden. A visit to the facility at 945 N. Broadway in Yonkers makes a strong case that the designer achieved his goal. Approaching the Walled Garden, a door offers a small glimpse of the beauty inside. “When you walk through those gates, you’re walking through the gates of paradise,” said the Untermyer Gardens’ Chairman Stephen Byrns, who lives in Riverdale. Once inside, two massive weeping beech trees create a relaxing shade, with the branches reaching low to the ground. Four long, rectangular ponds with fountains cross each other at the center of the garden. Mr. Byrns said the ponds are styled after the four rivers of paradise. He explained that Bosworth organized the garden’s walls and quadrants in keeping with Indo-Persian style. “If you go to the Taj Mahal, you’ll see the exact same layout,” he said. At the edge of the Walled Garden, there is a magnificent set of stairs that end in a viewing platform called the Overlook. Offering sweeping views of the Hudson River and the Palisades, the Overlook is decked with two huge monolithic columns. The structures were carved from a single piece of stone. “They are the greatest ancient columns in the western hemisphere,” Mr. Byrns declared.
Restoration in progress Gardeners are still restoring the Vista, which leads to the Overlook, planting cypress and other plants to line the walkway. The Vista fell into disrepair with the rest of the garden when the city of Yonkers couldn’t afford to maintain it after the death of the original owner, Samuel Untermyer, in 1940. The Untermyr Gardens Conservancy was founded four years ago to raise money to bring it back to life. Mr. Byrns said after workers complete work on the Vista [WHEN?], they will turn their attention to other neglected parts of the garden. Even though it’s far from finished, Mr. Byrns still recommends checking out the full grounds. “This is great for kids because they can go explore it like a hidden ruined world,” he said. “It’s very secret and mysterious.” The Temple of Love is particularly eye-catching. A short walk from the Walled Garden, the temple is a big stone structure that used to include a waterfall. It is still easy to imagine a mermaid relaxing on the rocky columns supporting a small temple on top. Once the water starts flowing again, it should be spectacular.
Where to see it The Untermyer Gardens are located at 945 N. Broadway in Yonkers. The site is open from 7 a.m. to sunset every day until winter. There is no entry fee. Each Sunday, docents give tours of the grounds for $10. One Sunday a month, Chairman Stephen Byrns leads a special tour, which costs $20. To learn more, visit www. untermyergardens.org. THE VOLUNTEER chairman of the Untermeyer Gardens Conservancy, Stephen Byrns, above, gives a tour of the gardens on May 22. He works one day a week in the gardens and spends the rest of his time as an architect working in Manhattan. A REFLECTING pool, near right, shimmers in front of a classical folly. THE WALLS of the garden complex, far right, are modeled, in part, on Byzantine and Greco-Roman styles.
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