North Riverdale, Bronx

Coordinates: 40°54′32.07″N 73°54′13.47″W / 40.9089083°N 73.9037417°W / 40.9089083; -73.9037417

North Riverdale is the northernmost part of the Riverdale neighborhood of the borough of the Bronx in New York City, particularly above 254th Street.[1] It is a residential sub-neighborhood, and shares its northern border with Yonkers, New York in Westchester County.

Description

One of the geographic characteristics which gives all of Riverdale its suburban quality is that it lies on a high ridge which separates it from the rest of the city.[2] The highest part of the ridge, at 284.5 feet above sea level, lies in North Riverdale, near Iselin Avenue and 250th Street.[3] North Riverdale has been described as "leafy" and "sleepy" and, by one resident, "the last bastion of gracious living in New York City."[4] The neighborhood is generally wealthy and mostly free of serious crimes, with the exception of grand theft auto. It features a mixture of private residences and apartment buildings.[4]

Traditionally a bastion of Irish Catholics, since 2003 and the building of the Salanter Akiba Academy (SAR) High School, the neighborhood has seen an influx of Orthodox Jewish families. While Riverdale as a whole has long had a sizable Orthodox Jewish population – and overall is predominantly Jewish – North Riverdale has not.[5][6]

In 1998, residents of North Riverdale joined citizens of Yonkers in protesting the building of the Riverdale Classic Residence, a 17-story retirement home which would be located on Riverdale Avenue. Although the building would be sited in Yonkers, because it would sit on the top of a hill, North Riverdale residents feared that it would tower over the smaller apartment buildings and single family residences there.[7] Despite the protests, the building, which did not require a hearing to be approved, was built at its intended height.[8]

Notable places

Points of interest in the neighborhood include the Hillside Residential Enclave on Ladd Road and the James Strain House, both listed by the AIA Guide to New York City;[9][10] the Monastery of the Visitation on Arlington Avenue at West 256th Street;[10] the Riverdale Yacht Club on the Hudson River at West 254th Street, built c.1880;[10] the Passionist Fathers and Brothers Monastery on Palisades Avenue;[10] the Riverdale Neighborhood House, founded in 1920 and located at 5221 Mosholu Avenue;[10] the former Diplomatic Residence of the United Nations Mission of the U.S.S.R, a 19-story apartment building designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and built in 1975;[10] and the Riverdale Branch of the New York Public Library on Mosolu Avenue at West 256th Street;[10] Just south of 254th Street, along Sycamore Avenue, lies the 15-acre Riverdale Historic District, which consists primarily of estates on landscaped sites.[11]

P.S. 81 serves elementary school children in North Riverdale,[6] and the neighborhood is home to the College of Mount Saint Vincent.

Places of worship in North Riverdale include St. Margaret of Cortona's Church Roman Catholic, Congregation Shaarei Shalom and Young Israel Ohab Zedek of North Riverdale.

The Mt. St. Vincent Metro North station on the New York Central Railroad, which closed in 1979, was located in North Riverdale.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Kurutz, Steven. "Real Estate Observes a Law Even Higher", The New York Times, December 11, 2005. Accessed March 9, 2008. "Lately, the boundary of the area considered suitable for Orthodox Jews has shifted to include North Riverdale, the area above 254th Street."
  2. ↑ Ultan, Lloyd. "Riverdale" in Jackson, Kenneth T. (ed.), (2010) The Encyclopedia of New York City (2nd edition). New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11465-2, p.1109
  3. ↑ Federal Writers' Project. (1939) New York City Guide. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-403-02921-X (Reprinted by Scholarly Press, 1976; often referred to as WPA Guide to New York City), p. 510
  4. 1 2 Kugel, Seth. "Nighttime Robberies Put a Sleepy Neighborhood on Edge" New York Times (May 18, 2003)
  5. ↑ Bleyer, Jennifer. "Going Kosher and Signaling a Change" New York Times (February 4, 2007)
  6. 1 2 Buder, Leonard. "If you're thinking of living in: Riverdale" New York Times (August 29, 1982)
  7. ↑ Weir, Richard. "No Border War as Residents In 2 Counties Fight Building" New York Times (August 2, 1998)
  8. ↑ Bing Maps image
  9. ↑ White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot with Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195383867., p.871
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Krugman, Mary Delaney. "The Architectural and Historical Resources of Riverdale, The Bronx, New York: A Preliminary Survey" Riverdale Nature Preservancy, 1998.
  11. ↑ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Postal, Matthew A. (ed. and text); Dolkart, Andrew S. (text). (2009) Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.) New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1, p.342-44


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