Fieldston is a privately owned
[ Hermalyn, Gary D. "Fieldston" in ] affluent neighborhood in the
Riverdale section of the northwestern part of the
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
borough of
the Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
. It is bounded by Manhattan College Parkway to the south,
Henry Hudson Parkway to the west, 250th Street to the north, and
Broadway to the east.
It is noted for its rural atmosphere, large houses and abundance of trees.
The majority of the neighborhood is included in the Fieldston Historic District, designated by the
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the Government of New York City, New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation, Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting Ne ...
in 2006.
One of New York City’s most upscale neighborhoods, Fieldston is home to two of the three prestigious "Hill Schools", the
Horace Mann School and the
Ethical Culture Fieldston School; the third,
Riverdale Country School, lies just outside Fieldston to the north.
Manhattan University
Manhattan University (previously Manhattan College) is a private university, private, Catholic university in New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the De La Salle Brothers, De La Salle Christian Brothers (Institute of the Brothers o ...
is located on Manhattan College Parkway, the neighborhood's southern boundary.
History
The land that is now Fieldston was part of the estate of Major
Joseph Delafield, who purchased in 1829, and named it after his family's estate in Ireland. The Delafield family laid out lots in 1909 – the year after the
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...
's
Broadway–Seventh Avenue line was extended to
Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt Park is a urban park, park located in the borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx in New York City. Owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, it is managed with assistance from the Van Cortlandt Park Al ...
, intending to develop the land, which at first was called "Delafield Woods". Rather than use a grid plan, civil engineer Albert E. Wheeler, following the suggestions made by
Frederick Law Olmsted and James R. Croes in 1876, designed a street plan which followed the contours of the land and preserved as much of the wooded areas as possible. The first house was begun in 1910 and finished in 1911. In 1923, after the completion of 80 houses, the Fieldston Property Owner's Association was formed.
Buyers were provided with a list of approved architects, and
historicist architectural styles – the various "revival" styles – were strongly encouraged. The
Tudor revival style was popular in houses built in the 1920s; many of them were designed by local resident
Dwight James Baum
Dwight James Baum (June 24, 1886 – December 14, 1939) was an American architect most active in New York and in Sarasota, Florida. His work includes Cà d'Zan, the Sarasota Times Building (1925), Sarasota County Courthouse (1926), early resid ...
, who was responsible for 62 houses, while Julius Gregory is credited with forty-two.
Many of the houses in the neighborhood were featured in design and architectural magazines, and the neighborhood had a reputation for having houses of quality design.
In order to accommodate the project's plan to be a neighborhood of single-family dwellings, the
New York City Planning Commission
The Department of City Planning (DCP) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for setting the framework of city's physical and socioeconomic planning. The department is responsible for land use and environmental review, ...
approved a special zoning district in 1938, which would not allow the construction of any multiple-family buildings.
By the beginning of the 21st century, Fieldston was one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in New York City.
Fieldston is one of a few neighborhoods in New York City that is completely privately owned. The streets and common areas are owned by the Fieldston Property Owners' Association, Inc. which plows the streets, does sewer repair, cares for the trees – of which there are about 1000 – and runs a security patrol as well as other usually municipal functions, such as street repair. Annual dues are paid by the approximately 250 homeowners who make up the Association to maintain the area. Once a year, the streets are closed to non-residents to legally qualify the streets as privately owned; parking is restricted to residents and their guests.
Structures
Historic district

On January 10, 2006,
[Kirshan, Virginia et al]
"Fieldston Historic District Designation Report"
. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the Government of New York City, New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation, Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting Ne ...
(January 10, 2006) the
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the Government of New York City, New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation, Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting Ne ...
designated the majority of the Fieldston neighborhood
["Fieldston Historic District" (map)]
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the Government of New York City, New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation, Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting Ne ...
(January 10, 2006) as an historic district. The district contains 252 houses and related structures.
Some of the more noted houses, with the year of completion, the architect's name and the architectural style in parentheses:
* 274 College Road (1926–28, Julius Gregory,
Medieval Revival)
** Gregory designed 42 houses in the neighborhood
* 4521 Delafield Road (1925,
Dwight James Baum
Dwight James Baum (June 24, 1886 – December 14, 1939) was an American architect most active in New York and in Sarasota, Florida. His work includes Cà d'Zan, the Sarasota Times Building (1925), Sarasota County Courthouse (1926), early resid ...
,
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
)
** received a gold medal from the
Architectural League of New York
The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construct ...
as the best two-story house built between 1926 and 1930 in the U.S.
** Baum designed 62 houses in the neighborhood
* 4530 Fieldston Road (1928–29, Gregory,
Medieval Revival
* 4599 Fieldston Road at West 246th Street (1928–29, Baum,
Mediterranean Revival
* 4600 Fieldston Road at West 246th Street (1926–27, Baum,
Norman Revival)
* 4730 Fieldston Road (1929–30, Gregory,
Georgian Revival)
* 5001 Goodridge Avenue (1916, Baum, Colonial Revival)
** Baum's own residence
* 5020 Goodridge Avenue (1914–15,
Harrie T. Lindeberg,
Tudor Revival
** the residence of Mayor
Fiorello La Guardia
Fiorello Henry La Guardia (born Fiorello Raffaele Enrico La Guardia; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the U.S. House of Representatives and served as the 99th mayor of New Yo ...
from 1945 until his death in 1947; later owned and occupied by author
Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is a prolific American science fiction author and editor. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo Award, Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a SFWA Grand ...
from 1961 to 1971
* 4538 Greystone Avenue (c.1924, attributed to R.C. Hunter)
** features "a turreted tower and a steeply pitched slate-covered roof with a deliberate sag", making it "one of the most charming" in the neighborhood
* 4550 Livingston Avenue near West 246th Street (1915-1916
Dwight James Baum
Dwight James Baum (June 24, 1886 – December 14, 1939) was an American architect most active in New York and in Sarasota, Florida. His work includes Cà d'Zan, the Sarasota Times Building (1925), Sarasota County Courthouse (1926), early resid ...
, Medieval Revival)
* 4600 Livingston Avenue near West 246th Street (1922–24,
Clarence S. Stein, Colonial Revival)
* 351 West 245th Street (1924–25, W. Stanwood Phillips, Colonial Revival)
** Phillips designed 14 houses in the neighborhood
* 355 West 246th Street (1911–12, Mann & MacNeille, Tudor Revival)
** one of the first houses commissioned by the Delafield estate; Mann & MacNeille designed 8 houses in Fieldston
* 331 West 250th Street at Fieldston Road (1918–19, Baum,
Dutch Colonial Revival)
* 4401–4403 Waldo Avenue (1913, C. Van Valkenberg; additions: 1919 & 1927, Baum; Tudor Revival)
** originally the office of the Delafield Estate, then of Albert E. Wheeler, the civil engineer who laid out Fieldston; now a private home
* 4405 Waldo Avenue (1928, Baum, Medieval Revival)
** originally the residence of Albert E. Wheeler
* C. E. Chambers House – 4670 Waldo Avenue between College Road and Livingston Avenue (c.1917, Gregory)
** reminiscent of an
English country house
image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
Outside the historic district

* Hadley House – 5122 Post Road (center: 18th century; north wing: 2nd quarter, 19th century; south wing and remodeling by Baum, 1915–1916); a
New York City landmark
** the center section is one of the oldest residences in the Bronx
*
Christ Church – 5030 Henry Hudson Parkway East at West 252nd Street (1865–66,
Richard M. Upjohn); a
New York City landmark[
** "Small, picturesque romantic Victorian ]Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
church"
* Riverdale Presbyterian Church and manse (The Duff House) – 4763 Henry Hudson Parkway at West 249th Street (1863–64, James Renwick Jr.
James Renwick Jr. (November 11, 1818 – June 23, 1895) was an American architect known for designing churches and museums. He designed the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, D.C., and St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan), St. Patric ...
, Late Gothic Revival); a New York City landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
* Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale – 475 West 250th Street at Henry Hudson Parkway (1962, Percival Goodman)[
** "Strong forms in concrete and dark red brick make this ... an unneighborly character"
* Horace Mann School – 231 West 246th Street at Tibbett Avenue, including:][
** Pforzheimer Hall (1956, Victor Christ-Janer)
** Prettyman Gymnasium (1968, Charles E. Hughes III)
** Gratwick Science Hall Addition (1975, Frost Assoc.)
** Middle School and Arts/Dining Building (1999, Gruzen Samton)
* Ethical Culture Fieldston School – 3901 Fieldston Drive at Manhattan College Parkway][
** Middle School and Athletic Building (2007, Cooper, Robertson & Partners)
* ]Manhattan University
Manhattan University (previously Manhattan College) is a private university, private, Catholic university in New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the De La Salle Brothers, De La Salle Christian Brothers (Institute of the Brothers o ...
– 4513 Manhattan College Parkway, a Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
liberal arts
Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...
college
See also
* List of New York City Designated Landmarks in The Bronx
References
Notes
External links
*
{{Bronx, state=collapsed
Neighborhoods in the Bronx
Riverdale, Bronx
Historic districts in the Bronx
New York City designated historic districts
New York City Designated Landmarks in the Bronx