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Chapel Farm records

Call Number

MS 108

Date

1911-2008 (bulk, 2000-2003), inclusive

Creator

Extent

1.29 Linear feet (3 boxes)

Language of Materials

The documents in this collection are in English.

Abstract

Chapel Farm is located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The area is a dense forest. This collection mostly contains the records of the efforts to save it from real estate developers from 1991-2003. The types of materials included in this collection are correspondence, maps, reports, appraisals, clippings, books, and legal documents.

Historical Note

Chapel Farm is located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York. The area is not actually a farm, but a forest. The property was originally a religious retreat built by the Griscom family, the founders of the Theosophical Society. Ludlow Griscom was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Audubon Society for many years. In 1969 Chapel Farm was bought by Manhattan College to build dormitories, but used it as an environmental research station. Due to declining enrollment, Manhattan College started seeking a buyer. Over the next three decades many development plans were put forth, but never went through. One deal did proceed and the College sold five acres at the northern end of Chapel Farm to SGD Corporation. This sale included the lease of the "mansion", which is a house built by the Griscom family, for 99 years and a 99 year renewal. The current owner of Chapel Farm is Villanova Estates, a corporation owned by John Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald planned to build thirteen home sites in the Chapel Farm area. Local residents and politicians opposed the development of Chapel Farm including access/roads, blasting, drainage, tree removal, and erosion control. Fitzgerald eventually started building the homes in 2005.

Arrangement

This collection is organized in four series. Within each series the materials are arranged chronologically.

Series I: Chapel Farm Real Estate Development, 1911-2005
Series II: John Fitzgerald / Chapel Farm Estates, Inc. / Villanova Estates, 1984-2003
Series III: Opposition to Development, 1984-2002
Series IV: Environmental Material Not About Chapel Farm, 1923-2001

Scope and Content Note

The records of Chapel Farm mainly consist of records to fight the development of the area by John Fitzgerald. There are limited records of previous fights against development. The issues covered in these papers include tree removal, erosion control, access/roads, blasting, and construction progress. The types of materials included in this collection are correspondence, maps, survey maps, environmental information, reports, statements of individuals and community groups, and legal information. Also included are two books, one about New York birds written by Ludlow Griscom and another about Ludlow Griscom. There is a gap in information from 1927 to 1955; the materials from 1911 to 1927 are maps and one book.

Materials added to the collection in 2008 are predominantly from Hilary Kitasei and Barbara Michael, and many are annotated in pencil in Ms. Michael's hand.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Chapel Farm Records, MS 108, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Collection processed by

Processed by Tiffany Schureman.

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:46:34 -0400.
Language: English

Edition of this Guide

This version was derivedfrom chapel.xml

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024