Program for Laying the Cornerstone of Today's Manor Club in 1921

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Late in the afternoon on June 28 1921, hundreds gathered to lay the cornerstone of today's Manor Club located at the intersection of Esplanade and Black Street.  The clubhouse was the club's second.  The cornerstone of the first clubhouse was laid on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1887.  See Mon., Feb. 08, 2016:  Laying of the Cornerstone of the First Manor Club Clubhouse on Thanksgiving Day in 1887.  

Photograph of the Manor Club's "Manor House" Published

in 1892.  Source:  Manor Club "Memory Book."  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

By 1921, the Manor Club had 433 members and had outgrown its beautiful clubhouse designed by Pelham Manor architect F. Carles Merry.  On that early summer evening in 1921, members of the club gathered at the site to lay the cornerstone for the clubhouse that replaced the first one designed by Merry.  As with the cornerstone laying ceremony for the first clubhouse in 1887, we know much about the cornerstone laying ceremony for today's clubhouse in 1921.  

Significantly, Henry Waters Taft of Pelham Manor delivered the keynote address at the laying of both cornerstones in 1887 and in 1921.  Taft served as the first President of the Manor Club before the organization evolved into a women's club.  

Henry Waters Taft was a brother of William Howard Taft who served as 27th President of the United States.  Henry was an attorney who began his career in 1884 as a “salaried” associate with the New York City law firm of Simpson Thacher & Barnum, now known as Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.  In 1889 he joined the law firm of Strong & Cadwalader, known today as Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP.  Although late in life Taft had a residence in New York City, he lived for many years in Pelham Manor and even served on the Executive Committee of the Pelham Manor Protective Club during the 1880’s before the Village of Pelham Manor was incorporated.

Henry Waters Taft in 1908.  Source: Wikimedia Commons,

from the U.S. Library of Congress Division of Prints and

Photographs Under the Digital ID ggbain.03468.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Famed Pelham Manor resident and Manor Club stalwart, Mrs. Robert C. Black, used the same silver trowel from the first cornerstone laying in 1887 to lay the cornerstone in 1921.

The program scheduled for the cornerstone laying on June 28, 1921 was as follows:

• Mrs. James F. ("Joan") Secor, president of the club, presided  
• The Gloria Trumpeters furnished some music
• Invocation by the Rev. Lewis Gaston Leary, minister of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church
• Hymn:  "O Lord of Hosts" (Duke Street version) 
• Address, Henry W. Taft, first president of the Manor Club
• Vocal solo, Miss Rose Wirthlin 
• Laying of the cornerstone by Mrs. Robert C. Black
• Short salute by the Gloria Trumpeters and a moment of silence observed in memory of the departed members of the Manor Club listed as Robert C. Black, John H. Dey, James F. Secor, Sr., William K. Gillette, James M. Townsend, Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Roper, William Allen Smith, Mr. and Mrs. G. Osmar Reynolds, Ezra T. Gililland, Charles H. Coffin, George Barnett and Charlotte Cowles
• Song:  Should Auld Acquaintance be Forgot  
• Address by Joseph C. Wilberding
• Benediction by the Rev. Herbert H. Haight, Rector of the Church of the Redeemer
• More music by the Gloria Trumpeters 

As one might expect, the program of the cornerstone laying ceremony in 1921 was very similar to the first ceremony in 1887.  The clubhouse built on the site following the 1921 ceremony stands today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"THE MANOR CLUB," an Architectural Rendering Prepared by

William H. Orchard, Architect, in 1921.  Source:  Manor Club National

Register of Historic Places File (Reference No. 14000207), Enhanced

with Adobe Photoshop.

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Below is the text of a brief article published in 1921 that describes the planned program for the laying of the cornerstone of the new Manor Club building later the same day.  It is followed by a citation and link to its source.  

"Pelham Manor
-----

Miss Helen Walker was the guest of Miss Cockle of the manor last week.

Witherbee Black was president of his class at the reunion held at Princeton University.  

Mr. and Mrs. J. Frank Duffy have returned from Asheville, N.C. where they spent one week.

Mr. and Mrs. Edgar H. Laing have as their guest Miss Emily Goldthwait, of Hanover, N.H.

Harris B. Fisher, Jr. has returned to his home on the Shore road for the summer vacation period.  

Dr. and Mrs. Percy Norman Williams have closed their home in Siwanoy place for the summer and gone to their summer home at Lake Cayuga.

Mrs. Robert C. Black and Mrs. James F. Secor attended the lecture given yesterday at Rye by Mrs. Morrill Hamlin on 'The Japanese Monroe Doctrine.'

Miss Marie Fenlon, of 167 Secor lane, sailed Saturday on the steamship Calamards to visit Miss Mercita Hornsby, whose father is the president of a trust company in Cuba.  Miss Fenlon will probably be away about six weeks.

Village president H. W. Nuckols attended the installation of Rowland Angell as President of Yale Universtiy last week in New Haven.  Mr. Nuckols was designated as the representative of Indiana State University, his alma mater, at the exercises.

Prior to her departure for Allenhurst, N.J., Mrs. George W. Grote gave a bridge party at her residence 554 Fowler avenue last Wednesday afternoon.  The friends present were Mrs. John Heck and Mrs. Edwin Romaine of Jersey City, Miss Hastings and Mrs. H. C. Dornhelm of Bronxville, Mrs. G. Hirsch, Miss Mirriam Harris and Mrs. Edna Horton, of Pelham Manor.

The corner stone of the new Manor club will be laid at 5:30 o'clock this afternoon with appropriate ceremonies.  The program will include an address by Henry W. Taft, brother of ex-President William Howard Taft, who was the first president of the Manor club.  The corner stone will be laid by Mrs. Robert C. Black, using the same silver trowel used by her at the laying of the corner stone of the old building on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1887.  There is also an unusual coincidence in connection with the ceremony.  At the first corner stone laying ceremony, it was intended originally to hold the program outdoors, but after the laying, the party repaired to the residence of one of the members, John H. Dey, and had them there.  The date of this year's ceremony, June 28, is the birthday anniversary of Mr. Dey.  The program will start promptly at the hour set and will begin with Mrs. James F. Secor, president of the club presiding.  The Gloria Trumpeters will first furnish some music, then will come the invocation by the Rev. Lewis Gaston Leary, minister of Huguenot Memorial church; Hymn, O Lord of Hosts (Duke street); address, Henry W. Taft, first president of the Manor club; vocal solo, Miss Rose Wirthlin; Laying of the Corner Stone by Mrs. Robert C. Black; song, Should Auld Acquaintance be Forgot; address, by Joseph C. Wilberding; benediction by the Rev. Herbert H. Haight, rector of the church of the Redeemer; music, by the Gloria Trumpeters.  Immediately after the laying of the corner stone, the Gloria Trumpeters will give a short salute and a moment of silence observed in respect to the memory of the departed members of the Manor club.  These are Robert C. Black, John H. Dey, James F. Secor, Sr., William K. Gillette, James M. Townsend, Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Roper, William Allen Smith, Mr. and Mrs. G. Osmar Reynolds, Ezra T. Gililland, Charles H. Coffin, George Barnett and Charlotte Cowles.  The membership of the Manor club is at the present time composed of 433 women, the men joining the Pelham Country club."

Source:  Pelham Manor, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jun. 28, 1921, p. 11, col. 3.

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I have written about the Manor Club and its history on a number of occasions.  See, e.g.:  

Bell, Blake A., Early History of the Manor Club, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 20, May 14, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.

Tue., Dec. 13, 2005:  The Manor Club's First Clubhouse Built in 1887-1888. 

Wed., Dec. 28, 2005:  The Mystery of the "Manor Club Girl" That Set Pelham Tongues Wagging in 1913. 

Fri., Aug. 4, 2006:  Early Images of the Original and Current Clubhouse Structures of the Manor Club in the Village of Pelham Manor, New York.

Mon., Feb. 15, 2010:  Early History of the Manor Club in the Village of Pelham Manor.

Thu., Sep. 25, 2014:  The Manor Club's Celebration of its Golden Anniversary in 1932.

Mon., Feb. 08, 2016:  Laying of the Cornerstone of the First Manor Club Clubhouse on Thanksgiving Day in 1887.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

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Laying of the Cornerstone of the First Manor Club Clubhouse on Thanksgiving Day in 1887

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

The Manor Club, located at 1023 Esplanade in Pelham Manor, is a cultural, civic and social club for women. Although it had its beginnings in the 1870s, it was not organized formally until January 10, 1882. 

The precise origins of the club, unfortunately, are shrouded in the mist of time. Some believe that in 1878, only five years after the Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association formed to develop the area, a few local residents began gathering socially in local homes. This group, with no organizational structure, is believed to have evolved into the Manor Club. See The Manor Club, THE HISTORY OF THE MANOR CLUB, p. 6 (Pelham Manor, NY: 1973).  See also Barr, Lockwood Anderson, A Brief, But Most Complete & True Account of the Settlement of the Ancient Town of Pelham Westchester County, State of New York Known One Time Well & Favourably as the Lordshipp & Manour of Pelham Also The Story of the Three Modern Villages Called The Pelhams, pp. 160-61 (The Dietz Press, Inc. 1946).

Despite such humble beginnings, what these early residents of Pelham Manor crafted has since become a social and cultural force in Pelham. 

The “Reorganization” of the Club in 1882 

On January 10, 1882, “the greater part of the residents” of Pelham Manor gathered at the home of Mr. E.E. Hitchcock.  See id.  Their purpose was to “reorganize” the Manor Club which, for some unknown reason, “had formally been disbanded at a meeting held December 9, 1881” according to the minutes of the January 10 meeting.  Id.  A history of the club published in 1973 says that during the “reorganizational” meeting: 

“a constitution and by-laws were drawn up and unanimously adopted. Mr. John H. Dey, temporary chairman of the meeting, appointed a committee to nominate the officers of the new club and said officers were elected by acclamation. This new constitution provided that the offices of vice president and treasurer must be filled by ladies.”  Id.  

Early meeting minutes suggest that the club held monthly meetings in various members’ homes. Entertainment included recitations, singing and – even as early as 1882 – simple plays such as “a serio-comic representation of Oscar Wilde’s Dream”.  Id.   

Efforts to Influence School Elections Prompted Creation of a Clubhouse 

There is a fascinating story about the origins of the Manor Club’s first clubhouse. According to William Barnett, a member of the original Club and an early Club historian, it seems that Pelham Manor residents were unhappy with their lack of influence in local school affairs.  They decided to acquire lands, erect a clubhouse and give all members a "freehold interest" in order to qualify all members (including women) to vote as property owners during school elections.  

It appears that residents of Pelhamville (the area north of the New Haven line) dominated school affairs. In the fall of 1882, residents of Pelham Manor supported one of their own, Mr. George H. Reynolds, as a candidate for the school board. At about this time, it was “suggested that lands be purchased under the auspices of the Club and freehold interest conveyed therein to each member, in this way qualifying all members (including the ladies) to vote at school elections.”  Id., p. 7.  

In effect, Pelham Manor residents had formed a plan to stuff the ballot box in school elections. To implement that plan, however, they needed a large number of landowners. Common ownership of land set aside for a new clubhouse seemed to be the perfect solution. According to a history of the Club prepared by Mrs. Earle E. Bradway: 

"In May 1883 the Club voted to purchase, for three hundred dollars, two lots of land on the Esplanade, numbers 161 and 162. In order to effectuate the object of the purchase, it was desirable that an incorporate institution should first take title to the land from Mrs. [Robert C.] Black and then convey undivided interests therein to the voters. Accordingly, Mr. Robert C. Black, Mr. John H. Dey, Mr. W.R. Lamberton, Mr. George H. Reynolds and Mr. G. Osmar Reynolds signed and filed articles of association under the provisions of an Act of the Legislature passed in 1875, and on the 28th day of May 1883 became incorporated under the name of the Manor Club. This incorporated club in June 1883 took title to the land referred to and carried out the intention of the purchase by conveying life interests to the several members of the old Manor Club.”  Id.

Example of One of Many Deeds Issued as Part of

the Manor Club's Scheme to Stuff the School Elections

Ballot Box.  (Page 01 of 02)  By This Deed the Manor

Club Conveyed to One of Its Members, Henry Dey,

"During the Term of his Natural Life, One Undivided

One-Hundredth Part" of Two Lots Owned by the Manor

Club.  Source:  Manor Club "Memory Book."

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Second Page of Deed Granted to Henry Dey as Part of

the Manor Club's Scheme to Stuff the School Elections

Ballot Box.  (Page 02 of 02)  Source:  Manor Club 

"Memory Book."  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge. 

At a meeting of the club held on June 7, 1883, members voted to build a permanent clubhouse.  Mrs. Robert C. Black, whose family founded the settlement and owned large swaths of land in the area, donated a lot on the Esplanade as the site for the new clubhouse.  

During the summer of 1887, the Club raised $10,000 by subscription to fund construction of the new clubhouse.  Club members selected Pelham resident F. Charles Merry as the architect. He designed a lovely shingle-style building with a large auditorium in the center and a deep “piazza” (porch) that surrounded nearly the entire building. 

The Laying of the Cornerstone of the First Clubhouse in 1887

On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1887, a crowd gathered for the laying of the cornerstone of the Manor House, the new clubhouse. The Order of Exercises for the ceremony suggests that those who participated believed that they were shaping the history of their village – three of the speakers addressed the following topics: “History of Pelham Manor”, “The Early History of The Manor Club”, and “The Later History of The Manor Club”.  See Order of Exercises at the Laying of the Corner Stone of the Manor House at Pelham Manor, N.Y., on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 1887 At 10 o’clock, A.M. (Handbill in Memory Book of the Manor Club). Construction proceeded smoothly and the new clubhouse opened in June 1888.

A brief announcement of the cornerstone laying appeared in one New York City newspaper.  The reference read as follows:

"SUBURBAN NEWS. . . . 

New York.

A NEW CLUB-HOUSE AT PELHAM.

The Manor Club of Pelham Manor, in Westchester County, is erecting a very picturesque and substantial club-house to be called the Manor House, from plans furnished by Mr. F. Carles Merry.  The material is the rough stone found upon the place, and it has been treated in a simple but very effective manner.  The Club subscribed $10,000 for building purposes during the summer, and broke ground this fall.  Yesterday the corner-stone was laid by Mrs. Robert C. Black with appropriate ceremonies."

Source:  SUBURBAN NEWS. . . . New York.  A NEW CLUB-HOUSE AT PELHAM, The Evening Post [NY, NY], Nov. 25, 1887, p. 3, col. 5.  

Immediately below is the program entitled "ORDER OF EXERCISES" provided at the laying of the cornerstone of the Manor Club clubhouse on November 24, 1887.  Below the image I have transcribed the text of the program.

"ORDER OF EXERCISES AT THE LAYING OF THE

Corner-Stone of the Manor House, At PELHAM MANOR,

N.Y. ON THANKSGIVING DAY, NOV. 24, 1887, At

10 O'Clock, A.M."  Source:  Manor Club "Memory Book."

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"ORDER OF EXERCISES AT THE LAYING OF THE Corner-Stone of the Manor House, At PELHAM MANOR, N.Y. ON THANKSGIVING DAY, NOV. 24, 1887, At 10 O'Clock, A.M.
-----

1.  INVOCATION, by the Rev. Charles Higbee, Rector of Christ Church.
2.  CONGRATULATORY REMARKS,.....Mr. Henry W. Taft, President.
3.  SINGING,
4.  HISTORY OF PELHAM MANOR,.......Mr. David M. Johnson.
5.  THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE MANOR CLUB,.......Rev. Henry Randall Waite.
6.  SINGING,
7.  THE LATER HISTORY OF THE MANOR CLUB,.......Mr. Wm. E. Barnett.

[NOTE. -- Should the weather prove stormy or chilly, the proceedings up to this point will take place at the residence of Mr. Dey -- the procession thence proceeding to the site of the Manor House for the purpose of laying the corner-stone.  The architect, Mr. F. Carles Merry, will supervise any arrangements necessary at the building.)

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE.
-----

8.  ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONTENTS, WITH ANY PARTICULARS, Mr. Robert C. Black.
9.  LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE,.......Mrs. Robert C. Black.
10.  POEM,............Mr. Wm. Allen Smith.
11.  SINGING,
12.  VOLUNTEER REMARKS, as may be invited by the President.
13.  THE LORD'S PRAYER, AND BENEDICTION, Rev. D. N. Freeland, Pastor of the Huguenot Memorial Church.

Mr. Charles F. Roper and Mr. Wm. Allen Smith have kindly consented to take charge of the singing.  

All former and present members of the Club, any residents of the Manor, and all to whom this Order of Exercises is addressed, are cordially invited to be present on this occasion.

By order of the Board of Directors,

ROBERT C. BLACK,   )
                                     }  Committee.
JOHN H. DEY              )

PELHAM MANOR, 
NEW YORK, Nov. 21st, 1887."

The new Manor House that opened in June 1888 was two stories in height plus a basement.  The building was eighty feet by sixty-five feet.  On the first floor was the "Main Room," 30 x 32 feet with a stage that was sixteen feet deep and with an inglenook (a fireplace corner) on the south side of the room, 7 x 16 feet.   The first floor also included a billiard room, 16 x 28 feet, a card room, 16 x 20 feet, and:  a gentleman's dressing room, a "green room," kitchen, and pantries.  The second floor included a ladies' dressing room, a stage dressing room and gallery.  In the basement there was a bowling alley.  See COUNTY NEWS, The Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Jun. 23, 1888, Vol. XLIV, No. 12, p. 3, cols. 3-4.  

Conclusion

Though the original Manor House of the Manor Club was razed to make room for today's clubhouse opened in 1922, the original Manor House cornerstone laid by Mrs. Robert C. Black on November 24, 1887 with its time capsule contents remains part of the building today.

Image of the Manor Club's "Manor House" Taken as a Detail

from an Engraved Membership Certificate (No. 11) Issued to

Mr. Robert C. Black on February 24, 1888.  Source:  Manor

Club "Memory Book."  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Photograph of the Manor Club's "Manor House" Published

in 1892.  Source:  Manor Club "Memory Book."  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

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I have written about the Manor Club and its history on a number of occasions.  See, e.g.:  

Bell, Blake A., Early History of the Manor Club, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 20, May 14, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.

Tue., Dec. 13, 2005:  The Manor Club's First Clubhouse Built in 1887-1888. 

Wed., Dec. 28, 2005:  The Mystery of the "Manor Club Girl" That Set Pelham Tongues Wagging in 1913. 

Fri., Aug. 4, 2006:  Early Images of the Original and Current Clubhouse Structures of the Manor Club in the Village of Pelham Manor, New York.

Mon., Feb. 15, 2010:  Early History of the Manor Club in the Village of Pelham Manor.

Thu., Sep. 25, 2014:  The Manor Club's Celebration of its Golden Anniversary in 1932.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

"The Dogwoods," Known as the Old Black Mansion on Esplanade, Was Razed for Property Development in 1931

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Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

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Robert C. Black, a member of the well-known Fifth Avenue jeweler Black Starr & Frost, lived with his wife, Mary Witherbee Black, in a splendid mansion that stood on a large tract (sometimes described as six acres and, sometimes, eight) where the homes between 958 and 1000 Esplanade now stand.  The couple moved to Pelham Manor in the 1870s and originally lived in the home that still stands at 1057 Esplanade, an example of the "Esplanade Villa" style of home offered  in the early days of the development efforts of the Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association. 

Robert and Mary Black built their splendid home in about 1886.  They called it "The Dogwoods."  In 1892, the couple hired noted architect Clarence S. Luce of New York City to enlarge the home by adding two wings.  The western wing addition was two stories high with the upper story being devoted to a "music-room" about 40 feet in length and 20 feet in width.  The room was used as a ballroom and became the center of the Pelham Manor social scene for decades..  The room included a musician's gallery and "a superb mantel reaching nearly from floor to roof with an immense brick open fireplace and tiled hearth."  

At the time the home was enlarged, Real Estate Record and Builders Guide published an article that included a photograph of the home under construction and an architect's rendering of the music room.  (Both images appear below.)  The article further noted:  

"SOME RESIDENTS AND RESIDENCES.

The Esplanade is lined with pretty cottages and attractive villas, the majority of which are the all-year-round homes of their owners.  By far the largest and most costly of these is the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Black, which is shown below.  This structure was recently enlarged by the addition of two wings, from plans by Clarence S. Luce of New York.  The western wing is two stories high, the upper portion being devoted to a music-room, about 40 feet in length and about 20 feet in width.  This is just about completed, and its distinguishing features are a musicians' gallery and a superb manel reaching nearly from floor to roof, with an immense brick open fireplace and tiled hearth.  It is to be decorated in white and gold and furnished artistically.  The building occupies a total frontage of 135 feet and there are numerous reception-rooms on the first floor, which connect with the music-room by a grand stairway."

Source:  "PELHAM MANOR, PELHAM HEIGHTS AND VICINITY.  A Delightful Suburban Section Described. -- With Eleven Illustrations" in Real Estate Record and Builders Guide Supplement, Dec. 17, 1892, Vol. L, No. 1292, pp. 1-8.

"Residence of Mr. Robert C. Black (From photograph before completion.)"

Source:  "PELHAM MANOR, PELHAM HEIGHTS AND VICINITY.

A Delightful Suburban Section Described. -- With Eleven Illustrations" 

in Real Estate Record and Builders Guide Supplement, Dec. 17, 1892, 

Vol. L, No. 1292, p. 3.  NOTE:  Click Image to Enlarge.

"Music Room in residence of Mr. Robert C. Black."

Source:  "PELHAM MANOR, PELHAM HEIGHTS AND VICINITY.

A Delightful Suburban Section Described. -- With Eleven Illustrations" 

in Real Estate Record and Builders Guide Supplement, Dec. 17, 1892, 

Vol. L, No. 1292, p. 4.  NOTE:  Click Image to Enlarge.

After the Death of Robert C. Black, The Dogwoods passed to his son, R. Clifford Black.  With the onset of the Great Depression and the death of R. Clifford Black, the property taxes on the magnificent home and its surrounding six-acre lot became burdensome.  

R. Clifford Black died on January 26, 1931.  Within months, the estate of R. Clifford Black announced that the home would be razed and the six-acre tract would be broken into smaller lots for the development of twenty smaller residences.  Plans also were announced to auction much of the contents of the home, including a magnificent "pipe organ which graced the huge ballroom where 200 or more guests have danced at many of the Manor's brightest social events."

By late September, 1931, the Black Mansion was being razed.  One of the last remaining grand mansions of Pelham Manor would be no more.  The matter was not, however, over.

Detail of 1914 Map Showing Location of

"The Dogwoods," Listing It as "Mary G. W. Black."

Source:  Plate 129 in Atlas of Westchester County,

N.Y. Pocket, Desk and Automobile Edition. Vol. I,

Mount Vernon, Pelham, New Rochelle, Mamaroneck,

Rye, Harrison, White Plains, Scarsdale and

Eastchester, Vol. I, p. 129 (NY, NY:  G.W. Bromley & Co., 1914).

NOTE:  Click Image to Enlarge.

Twice in 1931, as the mansion was being torn down, attorneys for the Black family presented plans to develop the property to the Planning Commission of Pelham Manor led by William B. Randall.  On both occasions, the development plans were rejected by the Planning Commission.  See PLAN FOR TEN ACRE DEVELOPMENT IN MANOR APPROVED; MARINER IS SPONSOR -- Planning Commission Rejects Plan for Improvement of Black Estate Property Again; New Development Projected Between Pelhamdale Avenue and Pelham Country Club, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 20, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 35, p. 1, cols. 1-2.  

According to one account, the Planning Commission of Pelham Manor concluded that the proposed plan to build twenty smaller residences on the former Black estate "was not in keeping with the high priced residential district in which the mansion" was located.  See Black Development Plan Is Rejected; To Raze Mansion, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 21, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 21, p. 1, cols. 7-8.

The battle raged for a number of years.  A member of the Black family and heir of Mary G. W. Black and R. Clifford Black named Witherbee Black was involved in the plans for developing the six-acre tract.  Among other things, Witherbee Black requested the Village of Pelham Manor to make changes to applicable zoning ordinances to permit the construction of multiplex houses on the property.  Village residents rose up in protest and created a taxpayers' activist organization named the Pelham Manor Property Owner's Association.  See Property Owners Rally To Support New Pelham Manor Taxpayers' Ass'n -- Many Offers of Financial Support Received by Joseph Carreau, Chairman of Organization Committee; Incorporation Meeting Monday; Public Session to be Held Next Week, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 29, 1936, Vol. 27, No. 39, p. 1, col. 1.    

The Pelham Manor Property Owner's Association and the Planning Commission of Pelham Manor battled valiantly, but the property eventually was subdivided and about twenty or twenty one beautiful homes relatively large for the size of their lots were constructed.    

"Pelham Manor

BLACK MANSION TO BE RAZED
-----
Esplanade Landmark Must Make Way for New Development
-----

In the razing of the old Black mansion on Esplanade, Pelham Manor, to make way for a development of the six-acre tract upon which the mansion stands, the village will see its most ambitious development in five years.

It was reported today that the venture by the owners of the property will also entail auctioning many valuable furnishings of the home, including the large pipe organ which graced the huge ballroom where 200 or more guests have danced at many of the Manor's brightest social events.  

It is expected the work of tearing down the 45-year-old home, valued at $75,000, will be started within two weeks, after its contents have been removed.

Two streets will be cut through the six acres, according to the plans of the developers, and the property will be divided into 20 building lots.  In real estate circles, it is spoken of as close to a million dollar development, in view of the type of homes which must necessarily be built to conform to zoning law provisions, by the buyers of the lots.  

The property is owned and will be developed by the estate of the late R. Clifford Black.  The Black family have been prominent through several generations in the social life and physical growth of the village.  

Originally 80 acres were held by the family, extending over the land now traversed by Esplanade, one of the village's most beautiful thoroughfares.  Mary G. W. Black gave the land now occupied by the Manor Club and her father was the donor of the land to the Huguenot Memorial Church, which is the site of the church edifice now standing at the corner of the Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue."

Source:  BLACK MANSION TO BE RAZED, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Aug. 17, 1931, p. 9, col. 1.  

"Black Development Plan Is Rejected; To Raze Mansion
-----
Black Estate to Develop Six Acre Tract in Pelham Manor; Mariner Also Plans Development of Another Large Parcel of Property; Mansion Was Scene of Many Important Social Gatherings.
-----

Plans which included the razing of the famous old Black Mansion on the Esplanade and the development of the six acre estate with the construction of a group of twenty small residences have been rejected by the Planning Commission of Pelham Manor, The Pelham Sun learned this week.  William B. Randall, former village president, chairman of the Planning Commission announced that the proposed plan was not in keeping with the high priced residential district in which the mansion is located.

Witherbee Black, heir of the estate of Mrs. Mary G. W. Black and R. Clifford Black, who is responsible for the proposed development was asked to submit a more favorable plan.  Mr. Randall expressed an opinion that the property could be properly developed along the lines of the existing residential district of Pelham Manor, without loss to the owner.  

Announcement of the development of the Black property on the Esplanade was followed this week by a report that another Black tract is soon to be subdivided and developed by Guy C. Mariner.  this property is situated opposite the Black Mansion on Pelhamdale avenue and extends to the Pelham Country Club golf course.  Mariner who was responsible for the Bonmar addition plans to include the Black property in this section.  The Black mansion which was for many years the home of Mrs. Mary W. G. Black, widow of Robert C. Black, is fifty years old.  It was one of the show places of Westchester County and its spacious rooms were the rendezvous of the elite of Westchester.  Mrs. Black was a prominent figure in the Westchester County social swirl, and the leader in the benevolent activities of the Pelhams.  The large ballroom was frequently the scene of receptions to distinguished figures of the United States and Europe.

The handsome furnishings of the building have been removed and will soon be sold at public auction.  A massive pipe organ is still in the music room of the house.  It was at this console that the best musicians were heard in receptions before the music lovers of Westchester society.

The Black estate once covered the greater portion of Pelham Manor.  It extended from the 

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BLACK MANSION, ONCE CENTER OF SOCIAL LIFE IN PELHAM MANOR WILL BE RAZED
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(Continued from page 1)

Esplanade across the property which is now the Pelham Country Club, and across the branch line of the New Haven Railroad.  Another large section on Prospect Hill was held by Mrs. Black.  In 1874 when there were only ten homes in Pelham Manor, Silas Witherbee, father of Mrs. Black financed the development company which laid out the village.  At the failure of this company Witherbee took over the property and it was purchased by his daughter who had faith in the rising community.  She immediately moved to Pelham and began the career which has had much to do with the development of the village, its social life and charity activities.  

Mrs. Black took an active part in the organization of the Manor Club, and was one of the charter members of the Pelham Home for Children.  She was a member of the Huguenot Memorial Church and donated part of the property on which the church now stands.  

Robert C. Black, husband of Pelham Manor's dominant figure, died in 1907.  Mrs. Black continued to maintain her residence here until she died in 1928.  The property was bequeathed to her two sons R. Clifford Black and Witherbee Black.  The former died early this year. 

The furniture which includes several handsome antique pieces will be sold at public auction at the Neptune Storage Warehouse in New Rochelle early in September.  

Charles D. Fiske, president of Fish & Marvin, who are agents for the property announced that the work of razing the mansion will be started next week.

The plans for the new residential development included the construction of two streets from the Esplanade to Pelhamdale avenue.  The property will be divided into twenty building lots.

In his rejection Mr. Randall expressed an opinion that the property could be developed in large tracts and suggested that a winding road be laid out across the property instead of the two short streets.  He expressed the hope that the several splendid trees now on the property be preserved in the development."

Source:  Black Development Plan Is Rejected; To Raze Mansion, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 21, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 21, p. 1, cols. 7-8 & p. 4, cols. 1-2.

"BLACK MANSION IS BEING RAZED
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Famous Old Social Center of Pelham Manor Will Be Removed to Make Way for Residential Development.
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The most brilliant page in the social history of the Pelhams was turned on Monday when work of the razing of the Black mansion on the Esplanade was begun.  The handsome old residence which was at one time the social stronghold of the late Mary G. W. Black, is being removed to make way for a modern residential development.  Witherbee Black and the Estate of R. Clifford Black is responsible for the new development.  

Application for approval of the plan for the new development has been rejected by the Planning Commission."

Source:  BLACK MANSION IS BEING RAZED, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 25, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 26, p. 1, col. 3.  

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I have written about "The Dogwoods" and members of the Black Family on a number of occasions.  For more, see:

Wed., Apr. 13, 2005:  "The Dogwoods" - The Estate of Robert Clifford Black of Pelham Manor.

Thu., Jan. 29, 2015:  R. Clifford Black of Black, Starr & Frost Bought the Martin J. Condon Mansion in 1913.

Fri., Aug. 01, 2014:  Obituary and Photograph of R. Clifford Black, a Prominent Pelham Manor Resident in the Early 20th Century.

Wed., Jun. 27, 2007:  Dissolution of Firm of Black, Starr & Frost and Reconstitution of the Firm as Corporation After Robert Clifford Black's Death.

Thu., Sep. 28, 2006:  A Brief Biography of Mary Grace Witherbee Black of Pelham Manor. 

Tue., Apr. 11, 2006:  April 20, 1875 Marriage Certificate of Robert C. Black and Mary Grace Witherbee Black. 

Thu., Feb. 9, 2006:  Cortlandt W. Starr of Black Starr & Frost. 

Thu., Jun. 7, 2005:  Obituaries of Robert C. Black and His Wife, Mary Grace Witherbee Black. 

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"Stone Croft" on the Esplanade, Once the Home of Henry B. B. Stapler

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"Stone Croft" is a beautiful home with a beautiful stable (later, a carriage house) that still stands on the Esplanade not far from Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church.  It once was the home of Henry Beidleman Bascom Stapler.  Stapler was an attorney who also served for a time as Assistant District Attorney in New York City.  

Stapler was an important early resident of Pelham Manor who was actively involved in the Pelham Manor Protective Club for several years before the incorporation of the Village of Pelham Manor in 1891.  I have written about Stapler before.  See Fri., Apr. 03, 2009:  Biography and Photograph of Henry Beidleman Bascom Stapler, an Active Member of the Pelham Manor Protective Club in its Latter Years.

Henry Beidleman Bascom Stapler

Stapler owned a lovely home that still stands on the Esplanade.  He named the home "Stone Croft."  

Stone Croft with Stables (Later, Carriage House)

Partially Visible to the Right of the Home.

Stone Croft was one of a group of three "country homes" built in Pelham Manor in the late 19th century.  The other two were:  The Dogwoods built by Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Black adjacent to and somewhat "behind" Stone Croft; and "Myne Owne," once the home of Benjamin F. Corlies.  Neither The Dogwoods, nor Myne Owne still stands.  The carriage house that served The Dogwoods still stands.  It has been converted into a beautiful home located at 1 Country Club Lane, Pelham Manor.  

I recently ran across a very brief newspaper notice with important information about the stables built to serve Stone Croft.  The item mentions the architect, the masons, and the carpenter who built it.  It is quoted immediately below.

"Pelham Manor.
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H.B.B. Stapler is about to build an elegant stable.  F. Carles Merry prepared the plans.  The material will be native stone; the style to match the house.  John New & Son, masons, and Samuel W. Dassler, carpenter, have the contracts."

Source:  Pelham Manor, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 18, 1892, Vol. 1, No. 92, p. 1, col. 2.

What follows is a brief biography of H.B.B. Stapler published in 1907.

"HENRY BEIDLEMAN BASCOM STAPLER, son of James and Maria (Beidleman) Stapler, was born February 24, 1853, at Mobile, Ala.  His parents died during his early life, and he entered college under the guardianship of Miss Sarah Stapler, an aunt, from Wilmington, Del.

The year after graduation he was classical instructor in the Hartford (Conn.) High School, and at the same time began his course in the Yale Law School, which he completed in 1876.  During his college course he won several prizes in English composition, and at the end of the Second year in the Law School the Jewell Prize for the highest marks in examination.  During the second year of his law course he was also instructor in history in the Hopkins Grammar School.

After a clerkship with Fowler & Taylor in New York city, he was admitted to practice in May, 1878, and the following September formed a partnership with his classmate, John L. Wood, which continued ten years, after which he practiced alone.  From 1891 to 1893 he was Assistant District Attorney of the City and County of New York, and was then with George P. Breckenridge in the law firm of Stapler & Breckenridge.

Mr. Stapler died of pneumonia at his home in Pelham Manor, Westchester County, N. Y., December 1, 1906, at the age of 53 years.  He was a vestryman of Christ Church.

He married, November 10, 1880, Helen Louisa, daughter of J. T. and Martha J. Gause, of Wilmington, Del.  She survives him with a daughter and three sons."

Source:  Obituary Record of Graduates Of Yale University Deceased During the Academical Year Ending In June, 1907, Including The Record Of A Few Who Died Previously, Hitherto Unreported [Presented at the Meeting of the Alumni, June 25, 1907], pp. 755-56 (New Haven, CT:  Yale University, 1907).

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