Briarcliff Lodge
April, 2004


Briarcliff Lodge From the Tennis Courts, undated postcard.

    Demolition of the remaining sections of Briarcliff Lodge began the afternoon of the fire, September 20, 2003. The original 1902 wing was completely destroyed in the fire, but the 1907 north wing and the 1909 west tower wing, framed with steel and designed to be fireproof, survived. The demolition process continued into the new year, and the last section of Briarcliff Lodge came down on January 16, 2004. All of the buildings on the campus have since been demolished as well. As of April 2004, the Briarcliff Manor Police Department, the village Fire Chief, and Barrington Venture, LLC, have all refused to comment regarding the origin of the fire of September 20.

    Other buildings that stood when Briarcliff Lodge burned included: the Amusement Building (1902), Steam Plant (1909), Squire Hall (1959), Miller Circle (1970), and the Cook Academic / Science Building (1979). The Briarcliff Garage (1902, expanded 1909) was demolished in the winter of 1999/2000, and the Laundry (1909, later the Music Building for The King's College) was demolished in the summer of 2002.

    The new plan for the campus is "The Garlands at Briarcliff," a continuing care retirement community proposed by Barrington Venture of Illinois. 315 independent-living units consisting of 288 apartments and 27 villas, and a 70-unit health center are planned for the property. It is also believed that Barrington plans an underground parking facility for the site of Briarcliff Lodge, above which a new building would rise. This parking garage was cited by the Village of Briarcliff Manor Board of Trustees as an attractive feature of the Barrington plan. Essentially, Briarcliff Lodge may have been traded away for this garage. 

    I called Barrington Venture in April of 2004, and was told by a spokeswoman that the development was "on hold." She would not specify, only saying that it was an internal matter. That month, Bruce D. Nickles (The Kings College 1978) was allowed to visit the property and took the following photographs showing the site of the Lodge. I am grateful to post his images here. 

The King's College Entrance Sign, Scarborough Road.





Gate Pillars, Scarborough Road Entrance.





View Towards Site of Briarcliff Lodge, From Lodge Road.





First Tee. 





First Tee. 





Site of Briarcliff Lodge, from the Water Tower Looking North.





Site of Briarcliff Lodge, looking Southeast.





Retaining Wall Behind Site of Cook Academic / Science Building. 





Foundation, Site of 1909 Tower Extension. 





Ruined Bench and Outdoor Swimming Pool.