Hutchinson River Parkway Granted Historic Place Designation

VILLAGE OF PELHAM MANOR, NY — The Hutchinson River Parkway is now officially more than just the bane of your morning commute.

The Village of Pelham Manor announced on Tuesday that the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Division for Historic Preservation State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) determined that the Hutchinson River Parkway meets the criteria to be listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

Pelham Manor says that it is proud of its historical roots in Westchester County and felt that the Hutchinson River Parkway particularly held significant historical value. The village submitted a determination of eligibility on June 9, 2022 and a final revised submission on January 2 of this year.

After months of review, the SHPO determined that the Hutchinson River Parkway does indeed meet the criteria for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places under Criteria A and C in the areas of transportation, recreation, landscape architecture, and engineering as a representative, intact example of an early 20th century, limited-access, automobile parkway. The SHPO is currently updating their Cultural Resource Information System to reflect this recent determination.

The village says that the NYS Department of Transportation, who is the owner and thus has jurisdiction over the parkway, has also been involved in the determination process and issued a concurrence letter.

Pelham Manor says that "as a result of the determination of eligibility, NYSDOT will need to manage the roadway with additional care to consider the historical resource. It will not impact NYSDOT's ability to make safety or efficiency decisions, but it will mandate that the heritage of the parkway is taken into consideration."

The SHPO and NYSDOT will be working together to develop a comprehensive inventory of contributing features to this historical designation, according to Pelham Manor officials.

According to the SHPO, the section of the parkway included in the evaluation extends from the intersection of US Rte. 1/Boston Post Road in the village of Pelham Manor to the intersection with the Merritt Parkway (Connecticut State Route 15) at the Connecticut State line, and travels through Pelham Manor, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Bronxville, Eastchester, Harrison, Scarsdale, White Plains, Purchase and Rye Brook.

The boundary excludes the Bronx County section of the parkway due to loss of integrity of the key features of the historic roadway.

Constructed during the years 1924 - 1941, the Hutchinson was modeled after the Bronx River Parkway (1922), the first limited-access automobile parkway in the U.S. According to NYS, the parkway's character-defining features include restricted access, smooth driving surfaces, elimination of cross-traffic, a naturalistic setting, scenic vistas, recreational facilities and harmoniously designed architectural and engineering features.

The SHPO stated that the Hutchinson River Parkway was built in four stages:

• The original parkway, extending 11 miles from Boston Post Rd. (US 1) in the Town of Pelham to Westchester Ave. in White Plains, was completed in 1928.
• An extension from Westchester Ave. to the Connecticut state line was completed in 1937.
• A southern extension from Boston Post Rd. to the Whitestone Bridge was completed in two stages in 1937 and 1941.

The Hutchinson River Parkway was specifically conceived in response to the rapid development of Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, following the Hutchinson River to the reservoir lands of the New Rochelle Water Company, according to the SHPO. The parkway provided an important route from these reservoirs to Pelham Bay Park and its planners intended that additional recreational features would incorporate these important water bodies. Four parks were developed in conjunction with the Hutchinson River Parkway: Saxon Wood (1931), Wilson’s Woods (1924), New Rochelle Lake Parkway (1927) and Maple Moor Public Golf Course (1927).