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Clockwise from top left: a Gothic folly echoes the style of Greyston, the landmark home, it complements; Richard Upjohn fashioned the stone facade of Christ Church; Perkins Eastman designed the new student commons at Manhattan College; Percival Goodman was the architect of the Conservative Synagogue on the parkway; Fieldston’s Dwight Baum was a master of styles, whether Medieval, bottom right, or Dutch Colonial, bottom left; the whimsical Villa Charlotte Bronte was the work of Robert W. Gardner; masonry and stained glass were the stock-in-trade of James Renwick, architect of the Riverdale Presbyterian Church.
‘The goal of the architect is to create a paradise. Every house, every product of architecture should be a fruit of our endeavour to build an earthly paradise for people.’ — Alvar Aalto
From the divine to the ‘quirky’ Expert shares her knowledge of local architecture By Isabel Angell iangell@riverdalepress.com
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rom the old mansions of Wave Hill to the towering apartments of Sputyen Duyvil, Riverdale is home to a wide array of architectural styles. “I think the first thing everyone thinks of is driving down the Henry Hudson Parkway and you see these distinctive old buildings,” said Sherida Paulsen, a local architect who chairs the Riverdale Nature Preservancy. Ms. Paulsen was talking about beautiful old buildings like the Riverdale Presbyterian Church, built in 1863 by James Renwick, the designer of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Christ Church, built by renowned Gothic Revival architect Richard Upjohn, with windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany, in 1866. Both sites are designated historical landmarks. The Fieldston Historic District is also a prime location to check out local gems. “It’s interesting, because in Fieldston, which is a planned community, most of the houses were designed by one architect [Dwight James Baum] and he worked in all styles,” she said, naming Mediterranean, English Gothic and Craftsman as examples. “But it’s not a mishmash. It’s beautiful,” she added. As for more up-to-date buildings, Ms. Paulsen named two synagogues for having particularly interesting mid-century modern architecture, Riverdale Temple — perhaps the finest work of Riverdalian Simon B. Zelnick, whose Jewish religious structures are dotted throughout the city — and the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, the work of Percival Goodman. He, too, specialized in synagogues, but he is probably best known for writing an urban manifesto known as Communitas. “Both [buildings] were designed by very, very good modern architects,”
she said. When asked if she had a favorite building in Riverdale, Ms. Paulsen, the former chairwoman of the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, laughed. “Oh, my God,” she said. “I try not to play favorites.” She admitted she likes her own home, which she called “one of the weirdest houses in Riverdale.” It has two parts: one from the late 19th century, the other a modern addition from the 1970s. “It makes for a great living experience,” Ms. Paulsen said. She also singled out the Alderbrook House at 4715 Independence Ave. as a particularly good example of a Hudson River villa. With Gothic gables and towering chimneys, the house certainly impresses. “There’s a lot of interesting stuff. When you’re walking down the road, you can see a group of houses that are very beautiful,” she said.
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he architect added that people can find plenty of interesting architecture beyond the stately mansions and impressive houses of worship. “There are some quirky apartment buildings that are kind of fun, too,” she said. One of those “quirky” buildings is 2400 Johnson Ave., better known as the Blue Building. A co-op located in Spuyten Duyvil overlooking the Harlem River, the structure gets its name from its distinctive blue tiles. “There are people who want to come up here and see it because it’s such an unusual residential building,” Ms. Paulsen said. According to Ms. Paulsen, one thing holds all these styles and types of buildings together and makes them special: Riverdale’s natural landscape. With its hills, winding roads and open spaces, architects in Riverdale have worked with the terrain to stunning ends. “We have a setting for all these beautiful buildings,” she said.
‘We require from buildings two kinds of goodness: first, the doing their practical duty well: then that they be graceful and pleasing in doing it.’ — John Ruskin
‘We shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us.’ — Winston Churchill
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