The Chronicle

The Bronxville Historical Conservancy

SPRING 2006 Bronxville, New York A Publication of

A Defining Moment.
INSIDE
The Best and the Brightest at the 8th Annual Brendan Gill Lecture. Rave Reviews! for the third volume of The Bronxville Journal. Gates Keeper. Dale Hanson Walker and Roland N. Britch, Jr. share their impressions of the artistic brothers Gates. Revving up Bronxville. The Conservancy adds some zoom to Bronxvilles Memorial Day Parade. Read all about it! Some ink on the long-lost Press! Can you say Schladermundt? Art historian Jayne Warman says it all about this early Bronxville artist. PLUS... New Conservancy Projects Well-Deserved Recognition Upcoming Events!

t was a Pulitzer-perfect evening. The Reisinger auditorium at Sarah Lawrence College was buzzing on March 24th -- standing-room-only for this 8th Brendan Gill Lecture generated energy and excitement. Conservancy co-chair Donald Gray warmly greeted the crowd, and introduced the new conversational format for this years presentation facilitated by Sarah Lawrence College President Dr. Michele Myers. Carlo Vittorini, whose work with PARADE magazine lead to a friendship with its contributing editor David Halberstam, introduced the Pulitzer-prize winning author. And other than a few audio glitches (that were fixed for the delayed cablecast of the program on VBC 74), the event was a major success. Defining Moments in History was the umbrella for questions posed by Dr. Myers to the noted author, whose best-sellers provided meaty material for a discussion on American post-World War II social and political developments and the challenges faced in this era by our countrys leaders. Halberstams classic book, The Best and the Brightest, explaining how and why we went to war with Vietnam, provided a comparative backdrop for the current situation in Iraq. Though all may not have shared Halberstams political stance, all did agree that he was an extremely informative speaker, and sincerely appreciated the opportunity to hear his remarks.

at the 8th Annual Brendan Gill Lecture

Some of Bronxvilles best and brightest

Keith Martin & Eloise Morgan

Carlo Vittorini

Brendan Gill Lecturer David Halberstam with Conservancy Co-Chair Marilynn Wood Hill

Sarah Lawrence College President and Moderator Dr. Michele Myers

Bronxville Judge George McKinnis

Name?

Carol Godfrey and Kathy Gray

Richard Thaler Rory Millson Liz and Biff Folberth Joe Godfrey

BY MARILYNN WOOD HILL

Front cover: Detail from Mary Fairchild Low, Childrens Regatta at Bronxville Lake, 1924

Congratulations to one & all for another superb edition of The Bronxville Journal. Your efforts have a very positive influence in strengthening the sense of community that has always existed among village residents. The overall quality of the publication, with its well written and interesting articles, reflects the high standards the BHC brings to its many endeavors.- Bob Wein

Gates Keeper.

Family ties and fabulous inheritances blended beautifully to paint a memorable impression of the Gates brothers art at the recent exhibition and lecture sponsored by the Bronxville Historical Conservancy.
It was standing room only on Sunday afternoon, April 30, in the Yeager Room at the Bronxville Public Library. The reason - a rare exhibit by two early 20th century Bronxville artists, brothers Francis and Richard Gates, presented by the Bronxville Historical Conservancy and made possible through the generosity of the collections owner, Roland Britch, of Newport, Vermont, an heir of Richard Gates daughter Frances.

The two-day exhibit of 37 paintings, several of which were landscapes painted along the Bronx River in Bronxville, opened on Saturday and a special introduction to the artists was presented Sunday afternoon by Dale Hanson Walker, a great grand-daughter of Edward Morange who, with Frank Gates, established the scenic design firm of Gates and Morange in 1894. Mrs. Walkers talk included a brief history of the firms achievements in theater scenic design, including their work with producers such as Florence Ziegfeld, Arthur Hammerstein, Harrison Grey Fiske and the Schuberts, as well as the background of the artists and their Roland N. Britch, Jr. connection to Bronxville. Morange followed Frank Gates to Bronxville shortly after the turn of the century and the two became partners with others in the development of Sagamore Park, where each built five houses located on Park Avenue, Leonard Road, Avon Road, Plateau Circle West and Sagamore Road. Their houses often included art studios on the second floor. In preparing her remarks, Mrs. Walker interviewed Richard Gates granddaughter, June Kirby, and used primary sources from the firm held by her family. A letter written five years before his death by Frank to Ed, and Eds response, highlighted the strong bond of friendship and respect for each others talents felt by the two gentlemen. Over 100 people visited the exhibition, many commenting on the beautiful colors and fascinating brush work of the Impressionist influenced works. Scenes included landscapes from Bronxville, Westchester County, Cold Springs (NY), and Europe, as well as a stunning portrait of a young woman. One of the paintings, Split Rock (San Francisco), had been shown in the 1915 Exhibition of Bronxville Artists held at the Gramatan Hotel. While largely undated, the paintings were likely executed between 1910 and 1950. Frank Gates died in 1952; his brother Richard died in 1964. A reception hosted by the Conservancy followed the lecture.

Their styles combine a sense of realism tinged with American Impressionism, using brush strokes and light to invite the viewer into their landscapes.
Dale Walker
Roland N. Britch, Dale Hanson Walker, the great grand-daughter of Edward Morange, (for whose son Leonard Morange Square in Bronxville is named) and Conservancy Co-Chair Marilynn Wood Hill.

Revving up Memorial Day

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Lost and Found! You can now read all about the news of the 20s and 30s as recorded by The Bronxville Press, thanks to the generosity of former villager, Barbara Safford.
BY ELOISE L. MORGAN
The Bronxville Press, an old Bronxville newspaper published in the 1920s and 30s, is now available on microfilm at the Bronxville Library, courtesy of a generous gift from a former Bronxville resident, Barbara Burch Safford. Published once or twice a week from 1925 through early 1937, the Press competed, and eventually merged with the Villages oldest newspaper, the Bronxville Review. Copies of the Press were long thought to be lost, but about three years ago the Gannett Company publishing chain discovered bound volumes containing 10 years of the paper at its New Rochelle office and donated them to the Bronxville Local History Room. Mrs. Safford, now a Connecticut resident, learned of the need to microfilm the old issues of the Press when she returned to Bronxville in 2005 to do research for the 50th reunion of the Bronxville High School Class of 1955. As an avid, long-time genealogist, she appreciated the importance to researchers of easy access to old newspapers. Obviously there was a need here, she said. The gift permitted three microfilm copies of the Press to be produced, one for use at the Bronxville Library, one to be held in the Bronxville Local History Room archives, and a third to be donated to the New York State Library in Albany. These old volumes were extremely fragile and difficult to handle. Mrs. Saffords generosity in underwriting the microfilming project means that the information in the papers is now readily available to researchers who visit the Bronxville Library or the New York State library. Only the issues from 1931 and 1933 remain unaccounted for. This is Mrs. Saffords second gift to the Bronxville Library, which she remembers fondly from her childhood when she would walk across the street from the School to spend time in the childrens room at the Library. The librarians upstairs in the childrens department were very special, she remembers, and she developed an early love of libraries and history. Last year she underwrote the cost of duplicating for the Library numerous microfilm reels of the Bronxville Review housed in the Local History Room. I feel very fortunate to be in a position to give something back to the Bronxville Library. It has been a warm, caring place staffed by wonderful librarians for many, many years.

Digital decisions.
BY ELOISE L. MORGAN

CHANGING FORMATS.
Local access cable TV came to Bronxville in the early 90s, and over the years hundreds of videotapes of meetings of the Village Board of Trustees and the Planning Board, along with videotapes of news and feature programs such as Marcia Lees Living History of Bronxville, Dateline Bronxville, Bronxville 10708 and The Heart of Bronxville, have piled up in the basement of Village Hall. A project to convert these deteriorating tapes into longer-lasting and more compact DVDs will begin soon with a grant from the Bronxville Historical Conservancy. The resulting DVD library will eventually be available to researchers at the Bronxville Local History Room.

Bob Riggs and Marilyn Wood Hill invite you to join us on another grand adventure!

Above: Nancy Vittorini, host and producer of The Heart of Bronxville, a VBC-74 cable program that focuses on villagers who give their time, their talents and their treasures to make a positive impact in peoples lives.

Old lyme... here we come!

CREATING SEARCH ENGINES.

The Bronxville Local History Room holds more than a century of Bronxville newspapers on microfilm or hard copy or both. But how do you find what you want in these thousands of pages? Other than obituaries, which have been indexed up through 1980, it takes a page-by-page review. A new Bronxville Historical Conservancy project may someday result in an easier way to access these rich historical records. The Conservancy has made a $6,000 grant to the Local History Room to fund a pilot indexing project this summer. An intern, working with Village Historian Eloise Morgan and the Bronxville Librarys Head Reference Librarian, Pat Root, will develop a form of computerized index and will index at least one year of the Bronxville Review to test the model. A recent Sarah Lawrence College graduate, Nicole Desharnais, will begin work on the project in early June.

Below: Mayor Mary Marvin on location to interview Village Hall construction project manager, Ken Sands, for her new television programthat focuses on village public affairs, ONE SQUARE MILE. These two series will be among the many village-produced cable programs the Conservancy will preserve for the Local History Room.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECT IDEAS?

In keeping with its mission of fostering an awareness of the villages architectural, artistic and cultural heritage, the Bronxville Historical Conservancy is looking for new projects to fund. Have some suggestions? Send Bob Wein an email: RMWDDS@aol.com

For all you do, this hugs for you!

rava to Conservancy Board members Jayne Warman and Mary Huber! Both have been recognized this spring for their commitment to increasing the appreciation of our past and preserving it for the future. On May 6th, the Rotary Club of Bronxville presented the Community Service Award to Jayne Warman, citing among her many accomplishments the work she has done on behalf of the Bronxville Historical Conservancy. This includes her long-term chairmanship of the Art Acquisitions and Art Research committee -- a dedicated group very active in scouting out paintings by Bronxville artists from the 19th/20th century for the Conservancy to purchase for exhibition in the newly renovated Village Hall. And shes heading up the Conservancy effort to re-frame the photographs of our village mayors -- also for hanging on Village Hall walls. At the 3rd Annual Benefit Historic Dinner of the Society of the National Shrine of the Bill of Rights on May 16th, former village historian and Conservancy Board member Mary Huber was recognized for her work in researching and sharing the early history of Westchester County. Included in the tribute: a letter written by Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin noting Marys service as Village Historian which she conducted ...with great skill and dedication from 1987 to 1999... Her concern for preserving Bronxvilles past focused the attention of the community to the necessity of valuing our rich history.

Jayne Warman receives the Bronxville Rotary Community Service Award

Mary Huber receives special recognition from the Society of the National Shrine of the Bill of Rights

Editors note: Other Conservancy Board members who have received the Community Service award from the Rotary Club of Bronxville include Marilynn Hill, Mary Huber, Eloise Morgan, Nancy Vittorini and Nancy Hand.

Art and soul...

The Bronxville Library was the site of an exhibition in May of oil sketches, watercolors and drawings by Bronxville artist Hermann T. Schladermundt (1863-1937). The works of art were assembled by Dean Lombardo, owner of Objects & Images gallery, from his own stock and from private collectors, and shown in the Yeager Community Room and Little Gallery. The Library sponsored the event in celebration of the Centennial of its charter.

Conservancy Board member, Jayne Warman, gave a slide lecture on the artist on Saturday, May 13, at the Library, after which guests were given the opportunity to tour the house at 8 Park Avenue where Schladermundt lived with his wife and children from 1898 until his death. The current owners, Josh and Christine Collins, had recently discovered some of Schladermundts painted decorative panels hidden for many years behind a dropped ceiling in the living room of the house. Four of the artists grandchildren attended the event and were thrilled to learn about the grandfather they never knew. Schladermundt was an architectural decorator, who was one of the earliest artists to live in Lawrence Park. He had a long and fruitful relationship with the renowned architectural firm Carrre and Hastings, for which he designed murals, stained glass and mosaics in public buildings and private houses. He received private commissions as well, notably for the 1893 Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the Library of Congress (Jefferson Building), and Missouris State Capitol.

Hermann and Anna Gardner Schladermundt at their Bronxville home. (Photograph Courtesy Bronxville Local History Room)

...OldNews...
Burgeoning filmmaker and former villager Dore Hammond Normile hits the film festival circuit this spring with the debut of PLUCK. The documentary film features John Mack Carter among the dozen or so spirited celebrities whose reminiscing becomes history in this fabulous new work about the people who gave Manhattan a creative edge in the fifties and early sixties. Also on the scene in a rare tv clip: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the beat poet and adopted son of Anna Lawrence Bisland.

Legendary magazine editor, villager and Conservancy memberJohn Mack Carterr

Rocky Gray changed the hands of time when he convinced landlord J. Gordon to get the TICK TOCK back in the vintage clock above Botticellis in Bronxville. We thank all involved for preserving this little bit of Bronxville and putting the treasured timepiece back in business.

Caught on tape before the big cover-up -- the marks of what seem to be bullet holes in the basement of Village Hall. Who was this HOLE IN THE WALL GANG? This room used to serve as the practice range for village police hoping to perfect their aim. It will soon be covered with wall board and be part of a new set of offices for policemen and women, sans the shooting gallery.
Can you see the bullet holes?

The Chronicle
Bronxville Historical Conservancy Spring 2006 Designed & Edited by Nancy Vittorini Submissions welcome!
Published by the

Save the Date! Sunday, September 24th BOAT TRIP TO OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT

The Bronxville Historical Conservancy

P. O. Box 989 Bronxville, NY 10708 The Bronxville Historical Conservancy was founded in 1998 to further the understanding and appreciation of the history and current life of the Village of Bronxville, New York. The Conservancy furthers its mission through the presentation of programs, publications, lectures and special events that foster an awareness of the villages architectural, artistic and cultural heritage and lends its support for projects designed to strengthen and preserve those legacies.