Wave Hill
Why it's listed
Wave Hill is a 20-acre estate on the highlands of Riverdale in the Bronx, with sweeping views of the Hudson River and the Palisades. Its oldest part is a fieldstone Greek Revival house built in 1843-44 for William Lewis Morris, later enlarged and altered for publisher William Henry Appleton, then remodeled in the early 1930s in Georgian Revival style. Additions include a neo-Gothic armor hall of 1929 built for Dr. Bashford Dean. The grounds also hold Glyndor II, a brick Georgian Revival mansion of the 1920s, a 1909 recreation building built largely underground, greenhouses, gardens and a fieldstone perimeter wall. Residents and tenants over the years included Theodore Roosevelt's family, Mark Twain and Arturo Toscanini. Financier and conservationist George W. Perkins unified the estate in 1903 and shaped its landscaping. The property is significant for these associations and for its architecture and landscape, and it now operates as a city-owned park and environmental center.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that Wave Hill is the southernmost of the nineteenth-century Hudson River Valley estates and is tied to notable figures including William Lewis Morris, Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain and conservationist George W. Perkins. Its buildings and landscaping show an early nineteenth-century manor evolving into a turn-of-the-century estate and then a public park and environmental center. It also contains work by prominent architects and an early underground recreation building.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83001646, listed September 9, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 675 W. 252nd St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | The Bronx |
| Listed | September 9, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001646 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Babb, Cook & Willard; Oliver Perry Morton; Butler & Corse; also Dwight James Baum, Heins & LaFarge, Lord & Burnham, Robert M. Byers |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Georgian Revival, neo-Gothic |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by New York City Parks and operated as a public park and environmental center; condition listed as excellent and altered. |
| Acreage | 20.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.89819, -73.91256 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83001646.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q3089144
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.