Decision in 1923 to Extend the As-Yet Unbuilt Hutchinson River Parkway

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During the early 1920s, the open rolling lands alongside the Hutchinson River in the Town of Pelham and the river itself were beauties to behold.  A string of reservoirs and lakes dotted the countryside throughout undeveloped lands between Pelham's border with New York City all the way north to Scarsdale.  The Hutchinson River and its watershed throughout the entire region was an important water supply system that provided drinking water to such communities as Pelham, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Eastchester, Bronxville, and Tuckahoe, among others.  

At the time, Westchester County wanted to protect the gorgeous countryside and the water supply system.  What better way than to purchase a lengthy tract along the Hutchinson River to create an undeveloped "Parkway."  The parkway would be the envy of the nation, much like the nearby Bronx River Parkway that was begun in 1907. 

The Hutchinson River Parkway was envisioned as a true park with a quiet winding road adjacent to bridle paths, pedestrian paths, reservoirs and lakes.  The roadway and its bridges and overpasses were intended to be modern but quaint-looking and aesthetically pleasing.  All expected the roadway to be a signature destination for Sunday drivers who wanted a jaunt in their fanciful early automobiles on a beautiful day through a beautiful countryside.

And then it began. . . . . . . 

Even before construction started on the new Parkway in 1924, local officials were pushing to expand the length of the roadway at both ends.  The Hutchinson River Parkway originally was envisioned to end at Lincoln Avenue, Mount Vernon (then connected to 4th Street in Pelham, now also known as Lincoln Avenue).  Their intentions were good -- at least at the outset.  They wanted to protect as much land and watershed as possible within a beautiful Parkway.  "Alea iacta est" as Julius Caesar supposedly said when he crossed the Rubicon with his legions to begin a civil war:  the die [was] cast.  There would be no return.

Thus, during the summer of 1923 while engineers were still trying to survey the expected route of the Parkway and at a time when the exact course of the Parkway had not even been determined, the Westchester County Board of Supervisors approved an extension of the planned Parkway from its planned terminus at Lincoln Avenue all the way to Pelham Bay Park at the New York City border.  

A Commission advising the Board of Supervisors recommended the extension.  The Board received the recommendation and immediately approved it for implementation.  The Commission reported to the Board of Supervisors, in part, as follows:

"While there is no question of the desirability of acquiring these lands for park use, it would not be feasible to interfere with the water supply at this time.  The important thing is to insure that this picturesque tract will eventually be available as a public park.  The Commission is, therefore, negotiating with the New Rochelle Water Company for the purchase of these lands on the basis of the Water Company's retaining the right to use the same for water supply purposes for a period of twelve to fifteen years, by which time it is assumed that the population will have so increased as to affect the purity of the water supply and at the same time the demand for park spaces will be more urgent.  Such an arrangement would operate to materially reduce the purchase price to the county and at the same time insure the county against the certain rise in value during the fifteen year period.  Negotiation[s] to this end are in progress and if satisfactory arrangements can be concluded with the Water Company, the Commission will recommend to your Board the acquisition of this tract."

The goal of preserving the additional lands to the south of Lincoln Avenue adjacent to the Hutchinson River to the New York City line seemed laudable at the time.  Indeed, construction of the Hutchinson River Parkway in the midst of a beautiful park setting began the following year in 1924 and continued for several years.

Soon, however, the automobile became king and the region throbbed with cars trying to get from one place to another using the tiny little Parkway.  As the years passed, the Parkway was expanded in sections (even as late as 1941) until it grew to become a major highway artery running north and south from New York City through Westchester County to the New York - Connecticut state line at Rye Brook.

Today the Hutchinson River Parkway is a nearly 19-mile mess of a thoroughfare that is so crowded with traffic day and night that, at times, it can be so congested that it nearly is impossible to navigate.  The narrow, winding lanes (long since expanded well beyond their original capacities) begin at the Bruckner Interchange in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx and proceed north, having junctions with I-95 (the Cross-Bronx Expressway), I-295 (Cross Bronx Expressway Extension), I-678 (the Whitestone Expressway), and I-278 (the Bruckner Expressway).  Any time issues arise on any of these connected roadways, traffic piles onto "the Hutch," often bringing that roadway to a near standstill.  To make matters worse, anytime a truck wanders onto the Hutch (trucks are banned on all New York Parkways) and smashes into any of the low overpasses built in the 1920s to allow Model-T automobiles to pass beneath, traffic comes to an absolute standstill for hours and hours.  

Savvy Pelhamites long have known to avoid the Hutch most times of the day and night.  All Pelhamites long for the good old days when the Hutch was, in fact, a Sunday parkway set in a beautiful park. . . . . . 

"Photo 42. View of the parkway looking south from the East Third

Street Bridge, August 31, 1927. This view shows workmen preparing

the roadways for paving. (Westchester County Archives, Park

Commission Photograph Collection, PPC5389)"  Source: LoRusso,

Mark S., An Historic American Engineering Record Level II Documentation

of the East Third Street Bridge Spanning Hutchinson River Parkway

and Hutchinson River NYSDOT PIN 8BOW.01.101 City of Mount

Vernon and Village of Pelham Westchester County New York, p. 94

(2017: Sponsored by The Federal Highway Administration and the

New York State Department of Transportation, Part of the New York

State Museum Cultural Resource Survey Program). NOTE: Click on

Image to Enlarge.

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"River Parkway To Go Through Three Villages
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Board of Supervisors Also Want Glen Island Bought For Bathing Park
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Definite Course Of Road Through Pelham Not Yet Determined But Surveyors Are Now At Work
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River Parkway to Go Through

At a joint meeting held in White Plains on Monday, the County Board of Supervisors formally requested the Park Commission to extend the proposed Hutchinson River Boulevard from its termination at East Lincoln Avenue all the way to Pelham Bay Park in New York City.

The exact course of the parkway has not yet been determined, but engineers are now surveying and the Park Commission will soon begin to look over the property.  The cost of acquiring land in the various localities will determine the course.  Nine hundred thousand dollars is the estimated cost of acquiring the property for the Hutchinson River Parkway.

Glen Island, if the request of the Board of Supervisors is complied with, will be purchased and turned into a public park.  A large bathing beach will be constructed and in all probability a bridge will be built from the mainland to the island.

The report of the Commission to the Board of Supervisors met with such favor that the Board went further and requested that the Hutchinson Parkway be extended and that Glen Island be purchased.  Part of the report follows:

Another project of country-wide importance and of particular interest to the Pelhams, the cities of Mount Vernon and New Rochelle and the town of Eastchester, includes a protective strip along the Hutchinson River from Lincoln Avenue, Mount 

(Continued on page 3)

Hutchinson River Parkway Approved
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(Continued from page 1)

Vernon to Eastchester Road and from thence a considerable portion of the lands in the Hutchinson River Valley now used for water supply purposes, extending to Drake Road in the village of Scarsdale and connecting with the Bronx River Parkway at the New Rochelle Water Company's crossing between Crestwood and Scarsdale.

The Commission has no doubt of the desirability of acquiring between 800 and 900 acres in this section.  The lands are particularly beautiful and for the most part already developed as a park.  The three lakes or reservoirs are splendid park features.  However, these lands and lakes now constitute the greater part of an important water supply system, furnishing water to the city of New Rochelle, the town of Eastchester and the villages of Bronxville and Tuckahoe.

While there is no question of the desirability of acquiring these lands for park use, it would not be feasible to interfere with the water supply at this time.  The important thing is to insure that this picturesque tract will eventually be available as a public park.  The Commission is, therefore, negotiating with the New Rochelle Water Company for the purchase of these lands on the basis of the Water Company's retaining the right to use the same for water supply purposes for a period of twelve to fifteen years, by which time it is assumed that the population will have so increased as to affect the purity of the water supply and at the same time the demand for park spaces will be more urgent.  Such an arrangement would operate to materially reduce the purchase price to the county and at the same time insure the county against the certain rise in value during the fifteen year period.  Negotiation[s] to this end are in progress and if satisfactory arrangements can be concluded with the Water Company, the Commission will recommend to your Board the acquisition of this tract."

Source:  River Parkway To Go Through Three Villages -- Board of Supervisors Also Want Glen Island Bought For Bathing Park -- Definite Course Of Road Through Pelham Not Yet Determined But Surveyors Are Now At Work -- River Parkway to Go Through, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 6, 1923, p. 1, col. 6 & p. 3, col. 5.

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