Untermyer Park
Why it's listed
Untermyer Park in Yonkers preserves the remaining formal gardens of Greystone, the hillside estate of lawyer Samuel Untermyer, overlooking the Hudson and the Palisades. Its features include a walled Greek Garden with a cross-shaped pool, four octagonal brick towers, and a small Greek theatre with extensive mosaics and two columns topped with sphinxes by sculptor Paul Manship. A colonnade leads down a terraced vista to a columnar ruin, while a circular marble-columned Temple, a rock garden with a stone and wrought-iron gazebo, and a stone carriage house survive nearby. Untermyer, known for investigating and regulating large corporations, bought the property in 1899 and designed the gardens himself, drawing on his botanical knowledge. The estate once held thousands of tulips, rhododendrons and orchids. The mansion has been demolished and the grounds reduced in size. Yonkers acquired the land in 1946 and has kept it open as a public park, with restoration under way.
Significance in brief: The nomination describes it as a Beaux Arts garden in the Grecian style, and as a rare expression of the idealization common in the texts of its time. The surviving gardens still reflect the hand of Samuel Untermyer, a prominent corporate lawyer who designed them and had extensive botanical knowledge. It is noted for its architecture and landscape architecture.
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 74002263, listed May 31, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Warburton Ave. and N. Broadway S. of jct. with Odell Ave., Yonkers |
|---|---|
| County | Westchester County |
| Listed | May 31, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74002263 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Designed by Samuel Untermyer; sphinx sculptures by Paul Manship |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts Garden in the Grecian Style |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the City of Yonkers since 1946 and open to the public as a park; condition rated fair, with restoration under way and a deteriorating carriage house slated for rehabilitation. The original house has been demolished. |
| Acreage | 16 |
| Coordinates | 40.96717, -73.88745 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 74002263.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7897589
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.