Riverdale Presbyterian Church & Manse

4765 Henry Hudson Parkway West 249th Street

Reminiscent of an English country church, the Riverdale Presbyterian Church & Duff House (formerly the Manse) have been mainstays in the community since the Civil War.  These ivy covered gothic Revival fieldstone structures were built on land donated by Joseph Delafield.  Five local business leaders, including William E. Dodge, Jr. spearheaded the building efforts.

 

The stone church, with its welcoming red door, has a pointed arch entranceway with a stone vestibule, a pitched slate foof, a two-story attached side tower, gables behind the porch and a large triangular window with tracery trefoil details.  The Duff House, named for a pastor George M. Duff who served from 1922 – 1954, is just south of the Church and was the former Manse.  The building no longer houses the minister, but is used instead for consulting and church administration.  Similar in scale to the church, it is in Gothic Revival style with gables and dormers.  The Duff House also it features a French Second Empire mansard roof, a style gaining popularity in the late 1860s and offers a practical solution to headroom issues in upper floors of houses.  Despite the introduction of this transitional element in the design, both the church and manse are generally representative of the Gothic Revival style and harmonize with each other.

 

Both structures were designed by architect James Renwick who was himself from an aristocratic New York family and was a favorite among many prominent citizens of the city in his day.  Renwick supervised the construction of the Croton Aqueduct Receiving Reservoir then on 42nd Street (1836-1842); and he gained international recognition for his design of St. Patrick’s Cathedral (1859-1862; 1886-1887).  In nearby Riverdale, Renwick designed Dodge’s mansion Greyston (1863-1865).

 

In 1936, a portion of the church’s property was sold to make way for the Henry Hudson Parkway.  Architect Dwight Baum was commissioned to expand seating at the church, create a new chancel and wing, the changed the entrance of the Church from the tower on the south to face the newly built parkway.  This was skillfully accomplished using the same stone work and Gothic Revival style used in the original design.

 

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Riverdale Presbyterian church and Manse as New York City Landmarks on April 19, 1966.  The National Register of Historic Place’s also gave the site official designation on October 10, 1982.

 

Janet Butler Munch

 

 

Photographs:
Tom Stoelker