Untermyer Park, it is called. Here's a brief history:
In 1865, John Meyer, who owned the largest hat factory in the world at the time, purchased 33 acres of land in Yonkers, New York. He had a 99 room mansion called Greystone built for him. But his fortunes reversed and Meyer had to move and offer the property for rent.
Greystone was rented, in 1879, to a man by the name of Samuel J. Tilden (if you study United States history, you will know the name of Samuel J. Tilden).Tilden built 13 greenhouses in the property but died in 1886. Much of his estate went to fund public libraries in Yonkers and in nearby New York City.
In 1899, at the auction of the Greystone property, it was purchased by Samuel Untermyer, a lawyer and civic leader born in Lynchburg, Virginia. As a teenager, he and his family moved to New York City, where he rose in the legal ranks and became wealthy. In 1916, Untermyer started the construction of a massive garden complex at Greystone.
Untermyer was a strong opponent of the Nazi rise to power in Germany in 1933 and spent the next few years doing what he could to sound the alarm to the American public. At the same time, he built a garden renowned in the world. But, his health declined, and he died in 1940. The city of Yonkers agreed to take on about 43 acres of what had become a 150 acre complex.
After 1940, the gardens declined and eventually fell into ruin. But, in 2011, restoration began. When I first visited them in 2015 with my spouse and his cousin who lived in Yonkers all her life, they were still mainly in ruins. Unfortunately, I can not find the photos I took back then.
We returned in March of 2019 and found a lot of progress. It's still hard to believe, though, that what I was seeing was all that was left of what was once one of the most admired gardens in the United States.
Speaking of crocus....actually there are a fair number of plantings of various types that have been put in by restorers. I hope we can return sometime this summer and check them out.
Who knows, next year I might have a sequel?
"U" day on the #BloggingfromAtoZ challenge.
What a shame thatsuch a magnificent garden was allowed to fall into ruins. I am glad to see that it is being restored.
ReplyDeleteIt adds to the enjoyment to know the history behind the property.
ReplyDeleteI was kind of wondering what you'd do for "u".
Anyone who against NAZI gets a thumb up from me.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
Hi Alana, I'm now in my 9th year of blogging. The most enjoyable part of blogging, to me, is publishing my own posts. Early on I discovered other enjoyable aspects of the hobby ... getting thoughtful comments from other bloggers. That aspect has allowed me to find interesting blogs I might not have otherwise found. Sometimes I followed blogs I found and that is the way I happened to end up following Ramblin' with AM. Over time I've discovered a shortcoming in my blogging ... I am not good at keeping up with the blogs I follow. I've not been one to use the Blogger "Reading List" where I can find all the latest posts by all those I follow. What I've done is to wait until someone comments on my blog and then, to return the courtesy, I will go to their blog, see what's new and leave them a comment. It's sort of like returning the favor. The downside of all this, for me, is that I've followed too many blogs to do a good job of looking at them every day and keeping up with them. Now, to make a long story longer, (my apologies), I've been up and down with blogging in the last couple of years. Toward the end of last year I thought perhaps it was time for me to close down John's Island and move on to other hobbies and interests. Early in 2019 I spent a good bit of time reflecting on what to do about blogging. This is where Ramblin' with AM comes in. You see, I found your blog a good while ago and have enjoyed many of your posts. You left me a comment one time mentioning that you had not heard of "ship spotting" ... something I do here ... take photos of ships I see out in the harbor and then post those pics on my blog. I wonder if you remember that? Anyway, one thing that REALLY impressed me with your blog is the way you publish daily. That requires some dedication and determination! :-) So, when reflecting on what to do with my own blog, I thought about yours and said, to myself, I should try posting daily like Alana does. I then put together a little challenge for myself ... To go for a daily walk, take some photos, and then post them. I started that on John's Island on March 1st and have not missed a day so far. Actually, I can't believe it. But, honestly, it has been pretty neat and is, I think, working out well. I was delighted to see your comment a couple of days ago ... thank you kindly for that! I'm going to try to do a better job of keeping up with your posts. You really do a great job here. Thank you for sharing. Take good care and be well. John PS ... Should have said this at the beginning ... really enjoyed this post on the history of the Garden of Love.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad how magnificent things fall into ruin. But someone has to take an interest. That doesn't always happen.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Sad that it fell into disrepair, but it's good to know that it is being restored. We need more gardens, including public gardens.
ReplyDeleteYour photos suggest the gardens have a chance to come back into favor once someone dedicates their time to the renovation. Maybe, when it is time.
ReplyDeletehttps://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com
#AtoZChallenge U is for Unusual Vision at Court
I haven't heard of Untermyer Park, but the renovated parts look lovely.
ReplyDeleteGotta love some crocus - a definite sign of spring, isn't it?
https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2019/04/under-arrest-u-is-for-us-marshal.html
I also read the post about Untermeyer Park. The story is interesting, and the photos are very beautiful, especially those from Wordless Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteHappy WW!