Category Archives: Westchester County

General Motors Redevelopment, Sleepy Hollow

Posted on August 12, 2016 by HV-Rob

Redevelopment of the General Motors property in Sleepy Hollow (North Tarrytown) is about to begin, twenty years after the factory closed and was subsequently demolished. Nearly 1,200 residential units, a hotel, and retail space will be constructed on 67 acres … Continue reading →

Posted in Westchester County | 8 Comments

Brandreth Pill Factory demolished

Posted on March 13, 2016 by HV-Rob

In a true crime-against-architecture, Ossining’s Brandreth Pill Factory has been demolished. The 1872 factory building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as one of Westchester County’s most significant industrial buildings, and it was an especially handsome example … Continue reading →

Posted in Demolition Alert, Westchester County | 10 Comments

Teaching From Ruins – Lecture March 18

Posted on March 12, 2016 by HV-Rob

Irvington Historical Society presentation by Thom Johnson and Rob Yasinsac. “Teaching from Ruins” is dedicated to Irvington’s Peter K. Oley whose “out-of-the-box” teaching of history inspired Yasinsac to learn about ruins in and around the village. At Irvington High School, … Continue reading →

Posted in Tours Lectures and Events, Westchester County | 4 Comments

Harmon Railroad Shop

Posted on January 15, 2016 by HV-Rob

Commuters along the MTA Metro-North Hudson Line should have noticed that the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Maintenance Shop at Harmon (Croton-on-Hudson) is undergoing substantial demolition and reconstruction. The work will include demolition and replacement of the eastern … Continue reading →

Posted in Demolition Alert, Non-ruins, Westchester County | 3 Comments

Shadyside, Tarrytown

Posted on June 13, 2015 by HV-Rob

Up the hill from where I grew up in Tarrytown was an old estate whose mansion was demolished about 1980. The property was left undeveloped and it reverted to woods, though traces of the estate could still be found. Actually … Continue reading →

Posted in Demolition Alert, Westchester County | 9 Comments

Demolition Day

Posted on April 16, 2015 by HV-Rob

Just a quick post to update you all on the rough weekend in Ossining. The biggest news is that the owner of the Brandreth Pill Factory, the Stolatis family/Plateau Associates, demolished the west facade of the c. 1872 factory building. … Continue reading →

Posted in Demolition Alert, Ulster County, Uncategorized, Westchester County | 3 Comments

The Croft at Teatown

Posted on January 26, 2015 by HV-Rob

This past week I was alerted a distressing story of a potential teardown of a beautiful, intact mansion at Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining. January 25, 2015. The Croft, as it is known, was built c. 1914 by Arthur Vernay, … Continue reading →

Posted in Demolition Alert, Westchester County | 12 Comments

Halloween Blog Part 5 – Rockland’s Sleepy Hollow Murals

Posted on November 14, 2014 by HV-Rob

Welcome to the (Post)-Halloween Blog Part 5, the final installment I have planned for this year’s series. Halloween is rapidly becoming something of a new national holiday, and an expensive holiday too – not to mention another PR opportunity for … Continue reading →

Posted in Rockland County, Westchester County | 3 Comments

Halloween Blog Part 3 – Wisteria Cottage

Posted on October 19, 2014 by HV-Rob

The Daily Argus, Mount Vernon, NY. January 9, 1935. (Image source: www.fultonhistory.com) “Finding bodies is old tale to Greenburgh cops.” Maybe so, but I imagine that the story of Grace Budd and Irvington’s Wisteria Cottage must have been one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Westchester County | 16 Comments

Richmond Hill, Irvington, NY

Posted on February 23, 2014 by HV-Rob

Or, “How a near-obsolete piece of technology helped identify a box of mystery photographs.” In 2004 or 2005 I received email from Oliver Parsons in England. He recently came across a set of photographs of a magnificent mansion but the … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic Photographs and Documents, Westchester County | 10 Comments