Trove of Historic Photos Uncovered at Village Hall

Bronx River Parkway, July 30, 1922. Courtesy of the Westchester County Archives.You never know what you’ll l find if you clean up. Assistant Village Manager Emily Giovanni came upon a box of 50 photo prints in the Village Hall server room. Originally used in a 1991 display created by then–Village Historian Richard Lederer, the photographs document the transformation of land along the Bronx River between 1912 and 1922.

Giovanni explains, “I came across the box in one of the upstairs server rooms while we were replacing old equipment - it had slipped off a shelf and was wedged in the corner. When I opened it, I found photographs dated from the 1920s! There was even a letter inside suggesting that someone from the Village had obtained the prints from the County sometime in the 1990s.

Deputy Mayor Gruenberg happened to be in the building, and when I showed her the photos, she connected me with Leslie from the Historical Society. Leslie identified them as prints from the Westchester County Archives’ Bronx River Parkway Photograph Collection. The Historical Society went above and beyond to review each print and uncover the stories and locations behind them. The images are incredible - it’s fascinating to see how the area looked over a century ago and how many locations are still recognizable today. I’m so glad these photos can now be enjoyed by the public at the library instead of sitting forgotten in a box!”

Jordan Copelalnd, Emily Giovanni and Leslie Chang
A curated portion of the collection is now on view in the Local History Center at Scarsdale Public Library.

The photos come from the Bronx Parkway Commission Photograph Collection, courtesy of the Westchester County Archives. Established in 1906 to address the severe pollution of the Bronx River, the Commission soon broadened its mission to include creating a scenic parkway and public recreational space along the river’s banks. It meticulously photographed parcels along the river to show progress in cleaning up the land and developing the new parkway.

A major success, the pioneering Parkway set a precedent for future parkway developments in the U.S. At least 3 leaders of the Bronx Parkway Commission were Scarsdale residents: James Cannon (Commissioner) and Frank Bethell (Commissioner) and Jay Downer (Chief Engineer).

Visitors will see everything from polluted riverbanks in White Plains, to the Commission’s cleanup operations, to the restored and scenic landscapes of Scarsdale. Among the scenes are Scarsdale Falls and the Greenacres Tea House, two of the most popular attractions for motorists during the early days.

Learn more about the Scarsdale Historical Society here:

A curated portion of the collection is now on view in the Local History Center at Scarsdale Public Library.