Organization Details

Wave Hill, Inc., was formed in 1965 as a non-profit corporation. Today, it is one of 34 New York City-owned cultural institutions.

A Brief History of Wave Hill 1843-1903 Wave Hill House was built as a country home in 1843 by jurist William Lewis Morris. From 1866-1903 it was owned by William Henry Appleton, who enlarged the house in 1866-69 and again in 1890. A publishing scion, Appleton brought to Wave Hill such pioneering natural scientists as Thomas Henry Huxley. Huxley was astounded by the site, declaring the Palisades across the river one of the world's greatest natural wonders.

Theodore Roosevelt's family rented Wave Hill during the summers of 1870 and ?71, when the future president was a youth of 12 and 13. Teddy's time here significantly deepened his love of nature and love of the outdoors that would later prompt him to secure the preservation of millions of acres of American parkland.

Mark Twain leased the estate from 1901-1903, setting up a treehouse parlor in the branches of a chestnut tree on the lawn. Of winter at Wave Hill he wrote, I believe we have the noblest roaring blasts here I have ever known on land; they sing their hoarse song through the big tree-tops with a splendid energy that thrills me and stirs me and uplifts me and makes me want to live always.

1903-1960 In 1903, George W. Perkins, a partner of J.P. Morgan, purchased Wave Hill House. Since 1895 he had been accumulating properties to create a great estate along the river including Oliver Harriman's adjacent villa on the site of what is now Glyndor House. Perkins devoted much of his extraordinary energy to planning the grounds so as to enhance the property's magnificent vistas. To the garden and greenhouses built by Appleton, Perkins added greenhouses, a swimming pool, terraces and the recreational facility that we now call the Ecology Building. The land was graded and contoured, rare trees and shrubs were planted on the broad lawns, and gardens were created to blend harmoniously with the natural beauty of the Hudson River highlands. Across the river, Perkin's involvement at the inception of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission was pivotal in preserving the Palisades.

The Perkins family resided in Glyndor House and leased Wave Hill House to an eminent zoologist, Bashford Dean. Dean's hobby was collecting medieval European armor, and he built Armor Hall to house his remarkable collection. A selection of 197 choice pieces was subsequently donated to or acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Other famous residents of Wave Hill House have included the conductor Arturo Toscanini (1942-1945) and chief members of the British Delegation to the United Nations (1950-1956).

Wave Hill Today In 1960, the Perkins-Freeman family deeded Wave Hill to the City of New York.

Address

675 W. 252 Street
Bronx, NY 10463
(718) 549-3200 , ext. 238

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