The Estate and Home of W. T. Grant that Became the Grounds of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Pelham Manor

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William Thomas Grant, Jr. was the founder and Chairman of W. T. Grant Co.,  one of the most successful retail chains in the United States for many decades. William T. Grant’s success enabled him to build a lovely estate on the north side of Boston Post Road where Our Lady of the Perpetual Help stands today. 

In the early years of his company, Grant worked long hours and opened stores in the northeast. He handled his own buying for the stores and negotiated leases for each store that he opened. Within ten years, he had opened thirty-six stores. By 1918 he raised the 25-cent price limit on the retail chain’s merchandise to $1. 

By about this time, W.T. Grant and his wife, Lena Blanche Brownell Grant (whom he married in 1907), were residents of Pelham Manor where they lived thereafter for many years. The couple, who adopted two children, built a lovely estate on the north side of Boston Post Road. The estate consisted of about six acres of property on which stood a large Manor House and two smaller houses. Records in the possession of the Library of Congress indicate that work on the estate continued for many years and that the beautifully-landscaped grounds were designed by “Lundquist, L., landscape architect.” The architect of the home was the noted Howard Major.

I have written a number of times about W. T. Grant and his company. See, e.g.:  

William Thomas Grant Jr. and His Estate in Pelham Manor, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 33, Aug. 20, 2004, p. 6, col. 1.

Mon., Apr. 02, 2018:  Pelhamite William T. Grant, Founder of Grant's Dime Stores, Donated Land for Our Lady of Perpetual Help - St. Catharine Parish in 1939.

W.T. Grant lived an exemplary life in Pelham as one of its leading citizens. He served as president of Pelham’s Men’s Club, an important civic and social organization. He was a member of the original board of directors of The Pelham Sun Publishing Company established in 1919 (only a few years after The Pelham Sun first began printing). He continued as a member of the board of directors until 1925. He also provided much needed financial support for Pelham’s Boy Scout program in its early years. 

William T. Grant, Jr.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

In about 1937, St. Catharine’s Parish served Catholics throughout the entire Town of Pelham and was experiencing a “rising number of standees at all Masses”. Grant, a Protestant, offered to give his estate to the Archdiocese of New York. According to a history of the church, the initial offer was refused because the diocesan office already had arranged an option on a piece of property at Hazen Street and the Esplanade for a proposed new parish. But, “[d]uring ensuing meetings with the village board of Pelham Manor, the idea met strong opposition, zoning permission was not granted, and eventually the option was dropped.” 

St. Catharine’s arranged an intermediary to approach W.T. Grant about his previously offered gift. The approach was successful and on May 27, 1939 a portion of the estate containing the Manor House and the land on which it stood was deeded for $1.00 to St. Catharine’s Parish as the gift of “Wm. T. and Beth B. Grant”. Approvals and legal technicalities required months of effort, but on December 8, 1939, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, at 11:00 a.m., worshipers celebrated the first Mass in a tiny chapel created within the Manor House. William and Beth Grant deeded a gift of the remainder of the estate on December 31, 1940. 

W.T. Grant served as President of his company until 1924. Thereafter he served as chairman of the board. After the company went public in 1928 he controlled about 25 percent of the stock. In 1966 he retired as chairman at the age of 90, but remained as honorary chairman until his death on August 6, 1972. 

Only three years later, W.T. Grant Co. declared bankruptcy – the largest retailing bankruptcy in history up to that point.

The home that William T. Grant built in Pelham Manor in 1918 and 1919 was rather fascinating.  The architect, Howard Major, was inspired to design the home after seeing former slave quarters while visiting historic manor homes in Maryland.  Yet, the large estate home evoked an English cottage.  It was a low, unimposing structure with six bedrooms and servants' quarters on the second floor.  Great care was taken to preserve foliage and shrubbery on the estate grounds as the home was built to give the home an immediate country estate feel without the need for extensive additional plantings on the grounds.

The seemingly modest exterior belied a grand and elegant interior.  As one article about the home published shortly after it was built stated:

"With the simple exterior one is not quite prepared for the elegance of the interior, suggestive as it is of the best English and Italian decorative periods.  One enters a formal hall with the stair hall opening off, floors of which are black and white marble squares laid diamond wise.  This feature gives not only a feeling of palatial beauty but one of cool refreshment as well.  The walls of the halls and of most of the rooms are of rough finished plaster in a soft gray and the wood trim is painted a Colonial white.  The woodwork in the small hall, from which the staircase rises, is pure Colonial, with charmingly proportioned doors and a panelled archway between the top of which is ceiled, as are the sides."

Images of the home are maintained in the collections of the Library of Congress and are included immediately below.  Today's Historic Pelham article also transcribes the text of an article about the W. T. Grant home shortly after it was built with three images of the home that appeared with the article.  The text is followed by a citation and link to the source.

William T. Grant Home on Boston Post Road in

Pelham Manor in an Undated Photograph.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Estate Fountain on Grounds of the William T. Grant Home

on Boston Post Road in Pelham Manor in an Undated Photograph.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*           *          *           *          *

"W. T. GRANT'S HOME at PELHAM, N. Y., VIEWED FROM ITS

INFORMAL GARDENS.  HOWARD MAJOR - ARCHITECT."

Source:  PICTURESQUE LINES OF OLD SLAVE QUARTERS

FURNISHED ARCHITECT WITH MOTIF FOR DESIGN OF SUBURBAN

HOME, New York Herald, Jul. 13, 1919, p. 44, cols. 1-8 (NOTE:  Paid

subscription required to access via this link).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"ENTRANCE HALL WITH ITS FLOOR of BLACK and WHITE

MARBLE SQUARES LAID DIAMONG WISE."  Source:

PICTURESQUE LINES OF OLD SLAVE QUARTERS FURNISHED

ARCHITECT WITH MOTIF FOR DESIGN OF SUBURBAN HOME,

New York Herald, Jul. 13, 1919, p. 44, cols. 1-8 (NOTE:  Paid

subscription required to access via this link).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"AN ADDED TOUCH of PRIVACY is GIVEN the ENTRANCE

by the DORMERS FLANKING IT."  Source:  PICTURESQUE LINES

OF OLD SLAVE QUARTERS FURNISHED ARCHITECT WITH

MOTIF FOR DESIGN OF SUBURBAN HOME, New York Herald,

Jul. 13, 1919, p. 44, cols. 1-8 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required

to access via this link).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"PICTURESQUE LINES OF OLD SLAVE QUARTERS FURNISHED ARCHITECT WITH MOTIF FOR DESIGN OF SUBURBAN HOME

Howard Major Received Inspiration for Novel Plan During His Rambles Among Historic Manors in Maryland -- Later Embodied Crude Beauties of Outbuildings in Construction of House for W. T. Grant at Pelham, New York

It is safe to say no architect ever designed a house around such unique a motif as did Howard Major when he planned the long, low, rambling and altogether delightful dwelling for W. T. Grant at Pelham, N. Y.  Hugging the ground closely it stretches out over a hundred feet of pretty country, showing a contour of low gables and simple roof lines, of sturdy chimneys and quaint dormers that manifestly belong to the site.

At first glance the house does not seem to be made up of the various types from which our modern, domestic architecture is drawn, although it suggests the English cottage idea more than any other.  And it is only after Mr. Major -- one of the younger of New York architects, whose work is bound to enhance in value as time goes on, since he builds not for evanescent popularity but honestly with a vision for the future -- tells you how the idea for the Grant home took shape in his mind and gradually grew until it developed into this picturesque and livable home that the layman fully understands the inspiration that suggested it.

It was while visiting friends at Havre de Grace, Md., that Mr. Major, in prowling around among the famous old manors of that historic State, was struck by the exceedingly picturesque quality of the old slave quarters, always an adjunct to the 'big house.'  Invariably of brick and whitewashed with native materials that weathered into soft, mellow tones, these quaint little structures had a character peculiarly their own.  Sometimes they resembled the first Dutch Colonial houses of New Amsterdam and again the main unit had built against it the typical lean-to or additions graded down in size to small sheds.  Generally crude in form and shape, they nevertheless served to emphasize the picturesque character of the whole.

Masonry Haphazard.

As a rule there was a stanch though irregularly built chimney at one or both ends and the haphazard method of masonry added a distinction of its own.  Not only were those quaint little dwellings in harmony with their surroundings but they seemed to form a connecting link with nature and become a part of it, a feature all too often lacking in the fine country estates of to-day.  The more the architect saw of these simple native cottages the more he became imbued with the desire to build a suburban home around the motif.  The opportunity offered itself when a client, W. T. Grant of Pelham, sought his services to design for him a home.  Mr. Grant was delighted with the suggestion and soon the picturesque dwelling was under way.

The site for the new home bore all the evidences of having served for an earlier habitation and it seemed peculiarly suitable for the development of this novel idea.  The aspect of the surrounding country was essentially a domestic one, for the trees -- oak, maple, the elm -- were all native to the vicinity, and there were huge trees of box and giant bushes of lilacs already there that demanded a house of a simple, unpretentious sort.  The way the plan worked out and the manner in which the architect kept it all in 'key' combine to make it one of the most charming and essentially livable houses to be found anywhere.

House Set Close to Ground.

The house, with its delightful planes and roof surfaces, its gables and quaint dormers, is set close to the ground and field stone wall that follows the contour of the land encloses it in an intimate, friendly way that serves to emphasize the sweet, domestic character of the whole.  A flagstone pathway leads up through a country lot to the door and a grass path, rose bordered, offers another method of approach.  Only a little planting has been done, but that is of an effective sort such as the introduction of dwarf and blue spruces and dwarf Norway pines or vines planted in the angle of a gabled wing that climb up to the weathered , shingled roof and form a splash of green against the silvery surface that is as refreshing to the eye as it is picturesque in effect.  

With the simple exterior one is not quite prepared for the elegance of the interior, suggestive as it is of the best English and Italian decorative periods.  One enters a formal hall with the stair hall opening off, floors of which are black and white marble squares laid diamond wise.  This feature gives not only a feeling of palatial beauty but one of cool refreshment as well.  The walls of the halls and of most of the rooms are of rough finished plaster in a soft gray and the wood trim is painted a Colonial white.  The woodwork in the small hall, from which the staircase rises, is pure Colonial, with charmingly proportioned doors and a panelled archway between the top of which is ceiled, as are the sides.

Stairs in Fine Proportion.

The staircase itself is well worthy of comment.  Broken midway by a landing and a sharp turn, it forms a particularly interesting detail.  Slender spindles, delicately carved, are surmounted by a modest mahogany handrail and a crystal ball takes the place of the usual wood newel post.  The stairs are perfectly designed with broad treads and low risers, making the ascent to the upper story a real pleasure by reason of its fine proportions.  A simple crystal chandelier, small and unusual in design, suggests the type of lighting fixture carried out in the main living room on the first floor.

The main floor plan, built on one level, is simple but comprehensive, the living room, dining room and stair hall opening off the main hall.  The enclosed porch, which forms a gabled wing, is reached from the living room.  The service portion has ample space for its own needs.  The second floor contains six bed chambers and an equal number of baths.  The servants' quarters are arranged in the floor of the high portion.

Since Mr. Major is one of the architects who not only design their houses but furnish them as well, his work invariably has a charm of its own, dependent upon his fine decorative taste.  In the past an architect faced the possibility of having his work spoiled by the decorating, but nowadays it has become the custom for him to develop the furnishing to suit the design, and as a result there are far fewer failures to record.  Mr. Major depends more upon composition and arrangement to get his effect than upon the usual 'color schemes' of which we have, unfortunately, heard far too much in the past.

Dining Room Elegant but Simple.

Elegant simplicity prevails in the huge living room, lighted by four windows, which, furnished in Italian style with a predominance of green in the upholstery, harmonizes well with the gray rough plaster walls.  William Odom collected the furniture for this room while travelling abroad, and it includes some rare tapestries, furniture and draperies.  A number of fine canvases cover the walls, one of which is used as an over-mantel.  Mr. Major himself discovered some wonderful Italian polychrome sidelights, which he has used to good effect against the plain wall surfaces.

No room in the house is more effective than the Georgia dining room, which is panelled from floor to ceiling and painted in soft green, which has been rubbed down to a dull antique finish.  Against this background Mr. Major has placed the most delightful of furnishings in the shape of gilt consols used as side tables, a set of black and gold chairs, an ancient gilt mirror, an over mantel painted with gay flowers on a black background, and other similar fittings.  It is at once both simple and luxurious, and satisfies the taste for the elegant and refined without introducing anything obtrusive either in color or design.

Faithful devotion to an idea is one of Mr. Major's particular characteristics.  He believes, above all, in building honestly and well and in undertaking no more than he can personally carry out.  

'I never take more work,' he says 'than can be done under my direct supervision.  It must bear the imprint of my own taste and skill and so I never turn work over to others to execute for me.'

Just at present the architect is engaged on a $250,000 job at Southampton, L. I., besides the remodelling of a town house in the Empire period and several other contracts in the suburbs.  As to the continued high cost of building construction Mr. Major believes there is little if any chance of its coming down for some time to come.

'I believe we will see the present high rates for both labor and materials maintained for the next seven or eight years,' remarked Mr. Major in this connection.  'It looks to me as though the present inflated values will continue, but I don't believe that will have any effect in restricting building operations.

'There is an immense amount of work going on now and there is every reason to believe it will keep on, for in the majority of instances the incomes have increased with the high cost of living and so the people who want new homes will have them just the same.  The tendency to drop to normal will be gradual and it will be a number of years before this really happens, according to my judgment.'"

Source:  PICTURESQUE LINES OF OLD SLAVE QUARTERS FURNISHED ARCHITECT WITH MOTIF FOR DESIGN OF SUBURBAN HOME, New York Herald, Jul. 13, 1919, p. 44, cols. 1-8 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

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Three Important 19th Century Structures That Stood in Pelham

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As in most towns, many storied structures that once stood within the Town of Pelham no longer exist.  Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog celebrates three such storied structures that once stood in our town.

The first was the old "Grenzebach Homestead."  It once belonged to Henry Grenzebach and stood on the hill where the chapel of today's Our Lady of Perpetual Help now stands. The main house commanded a large farm with rolling meadows that extended from today's Boston Post Road beyond today's Colonial Avenue, all the way to the new Haven Main Line tracks.  I have written about the storied Grenzebach Homestead before.  See, e.g., Wed., Aug. 02, 2006:  The 19th Century Grenzebach Homestead in Pelham.  

The photograph below shows the Grenzebach Homestead in 1889.  It appeared in the December 16, 1927 issue of The Pelham Sun with a brief caption prepared by then-Town Historian William R. Montgomery.  The text of the caption is transcribed and appears after the photograph and the related image of a painting of the same scene.

The Grenzebach Homestead.

Source:  Montgomery, William R., Do You Remember When - ?,

The Pelham Sun, Dec. 16, 1927, p. 3, cols. 1-2.

The image below shows a detail from an oil painting by former Pelham Town Supervisor John M. Shinn, who served as Town Supervisor from 1895 until 1904, showing the Grenzebach Homestead.  Clearly the painting was created from the photograph above.  The painting is one of a number of paintings by Shinn that hang in Peham Town Hall on Fifth Avenue.

Detail from Painting of Grenzebach Homestead by John Shinn.

Original in Town Hall, Pelham, NY.  Photo by the Author.

"DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN - ?
By William R. Montgomery

THE GRENZEBACH HOMESTEAD

Do you remember the old house that once stood on the Boston Post road at the corner of Fowler avenue, on the site of the residence of Mr. Wm. T. Grant?

It was originally the farm house of the Grenzebach family, who owned a large farm which extended north crossing the old Boston Post road (now known as Colonial avenue) to the New Haven R. R. tracks.  The part of the farm which was north of Colonial avenue is now included in the village of Pelham [i.e., today's Pelham Heights].

The property later was transferred to Robert Mitchell and by him to David I. Carson.  This photograph was taken in 1889 when the place was owned by Mr. Carson.  Afterward it was transferred to Dr. Fowler and about eight years ago it became the property of Mr. Wm. T. Grant, who replaced it with the present building.  [Editor's Note:  William T. Grant was a multi-millionaire who owned the nationwide chain of W. T. Grant's Five and Ten Cent Stores and who built his mansion -- now torn down -- on land owned by today's Our Lady of Perpetual Help].  

We are indebted to Mrs. D. I. Carson of Atlanta, Ga., for the above picture."

Source:  Montgomery, William R., DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN - ?, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 16, 1927, p. 3, cols. 1-2.  

Another storied structure in the 19th century history of Pelham, New York was the grocery built and operated by Loftus Brotherton.  Before the incorporation of the Village of North Pelham in 1896, the area north of the New Haven Main Line railroad tracks was known as Pelhamville. During the 1880s, Loftus Brotherton ran a tiny grocery store located on 5th Avenue near what was then known as 4th Street (today's Lincoln Avenue).  I have written before about Brotherton's Grocery Store.  See, e.g., Fri., Sep. 08, 2006:  An Image of The Brotherton Store in Pelhamville Before It Burned in 1890.  The store burned to the ground in May 1890.  

The photograph below shows Brotherton's Grocery in 1889. The photograph was taken during a gathering of The City Island Social Club at the grocery which was often used as a local gathering place.  The large banner held by the crowd on the left of this photograph is blowing in the wind and, thus, is seen from behind.  It reads "CITY ISLAND SOCIAL CLUB."  The image appeared in the December 16, 1927 issue of The Pelham Sun with a brief caption prepared by then-Town Historian William R. Montgomery.  The text of the caption is transcribed and appears immediately below the photograph.

The Brotherton Store.

Source:  Montgomery, William R., Do You Remember When - ?,

The Pelham Sun, Dec. 16, 1927, p. 3, cols. 1-2.

"The Brotherton Store.

Do you remember the old Pelhamville grocery store that was situated on 5th Avenue near 4th Street, long before the [trolley] car tracks were laid there?  It belonged to Mr. L. Brotherton and was noted for its high grade groceries.  It was well patronized by many families from Mount Vernon, New Rochelle as well as Pelham.  

The City Island Social Club, then a very flourishing organization made Brotherton's store its headquarters.  In May, 1890, the building was destroyed by fire, and the community lost its treasured village flag, which had been placed in the care of Mr. Loftus Brotherton.

We are indebted to Mr. John Rohr for the above picture."  

Source:  Montgomery, William R., DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN - ?, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 16, 1927, p. 3, cols. 1-2.  

A third storied structure in the 19th century history of Pelham, New York was a hotel operated by Fred Case and called, appropriately, "Fred Case's Hotel."  The hotel was located on Fifth Avenue near today's 3rd Street.  I have written before about Fred Case's Hotel.  See, e.g., Mon., Sep. 11, 2006:  An Image of Fred Case's Hotel on Fifth Avenue Near 3rd Street Before it Burned in About May 1892.  The hotel burned to the ground in about May 1892.

The photograph below shows Fred Case's Hotel in an undated image. The image appeared in the December 16, 1927 issue of The Pelham Sun with a brief caption prepared by then-Town Historian William R. Montgomery.  The text of the caption is transcribed and appears immediately below the photograph. 

Fred Case's Hotel.

Source:  Montgomery, William R., Do You Remember When - ?,

The Pelham Sun, Dec. 16, 1927, p. 3, cols. 1-2.

"FRED CASE'S HOTEL.

Do you remember the old hotel that stood on 5th avenue near 3rd street on the site of the Pelnord Apartments?  It was called Fred Case's Hotel and was built about 1852 being destroyed by fire about 1892.  In its early days it was a rendezvous of the old time peddlers and sporting men.  On part of a crusade by the then village of Mount Vernon against loads of peddlers and out of town sportsmen, these people came to Pelhamville, as North Pelham was then called.  I have been informed that it was a common sight to see three or four men leave Fred Case's each evening in hired hacks to canvass nearby places, including Mount Vernon.  Fred Case's hotel was well known throughout the county for the high standard it maintained in both dry and wet goods.  It was at this hotel in October 1855 that Samuel J. Tilden, then a young lawyer made several addresses.  He was running for Attorney General on the ticket of the Liquor Dealers and the Constitutional Rights Party.  

Fred Case's Hotel was likewise noted for its many cock fights which were conducted by the sporting element from the nearby communities.  It was the destruction of this old hotel that stimulated the people of the village of Pelhamville to organize a regular fire department.  

We are indebted to Mr. Frederick Case for the above picture."

Source:  Montgomery, William R., DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN - ?, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 16, 1927, p. 3, cols. 1-2.  

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Pelham Opposed Plan by Lawmakers to Consolidate Westchester Towns Into "Westchester City"

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In 1922, lawmakers floated a plan to consolidate a large number of Westchester communities including the three villages of the Pelhams and the Town of Pelham to create a Westchester City.  Known as the "City Plan in Westchester," the proposal faced intense opposition from prominent Pelham residents including William T. Grant (head of the famous Grant's "twenty five cent" nationwide store chain), Lockwood Barr (former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal and head of investor relations at General Motors) and others.

The article below details the opposition to the City Plan in Westchester.

"Home Builders Fear 'City' Plan In Westchester
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Commuters Can See Equity Swept Away by Greater Tax Burdens if Project of Politicians Succeeds
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Anti-Ward Revolt Spreads
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Civic Groups Throughout County Join in Denouncing Scheme as Vicious
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[This is the second of a series of articles on 'The City of Westchester' plan.  The third article will appear in The Tribune to-morrow.]
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The most important aspect of the campaign that is developing against the City of Westchester project is the situation of thousands and thousands of persons who earn their living in New York, but who are trying to create homes for themselves in Westchester County.

Ordinarily the mass of these persons take little interest in the affairs of the politicians of the county.  For some of them, however, the difference between a Westchester County and a City of Westchester might be the difference between possessing an equity in their homes and not possessing one.  A sharp rise in taxes might upset the calculations of countless adventurers in the field of domestic economics.

That is a hazard, though, that has not been dwelt upon in the numerous condemnatory resolutions that have been adopted recently by civic bodies and other organizations recording themselves as opposed to a City of Westchester.  The consensus as expressed in these documents is that the plan would be destructive of all hope of intelligent application of the principle of self-rule.

Few Openly Champion Project

There is so little feeling favorable to the City of Westchester scheme that it is difficult to get any one to say a kind word for it.  Even Surrogate George L. Slater, whose prophecy, made last January, that Westchester would be a single municipality within two years has had surprisingly little to say about it.  Nevertheless, the Republican organization, headed by William L. Ward of Port Chester, is not permitting any of its members to participate in the attacks upon this plan.

There was a meeting of the Republican City Committee of Yonkers on April 17 in which there was a demonstration of the vitality of the City of Westchester project.  Ulrich Weisendanger, formerly sheriff of Westchester, introduced a resolution denouncing the city government scheme.  The Ward forces knew that the resolution was to be introduced and they were prepared for it.  The chairman of the meeting was Wade Hampton, of Yonkers, a Ward supporter.  One of the Ward men moved to table the resolution and it was tabled with the assistance of about thirty proxies, which were voted over the vociferous protests of the anti-Ward crowd, a group generally referred to as the Sutherland-Weisendanger forces.

The tabling of the resolution was declared by persons hostile to Ward to be a complete demonstration of the actual sympathy entertained by Ward for the plan to fuse the scattered towns

(Continued on page six)  [Page 1 / Page 6]

Home Builders Fear 'City' Plan In Westchester
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(Continued from page one)
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and villages of Westchester into a single municipality.

The resolution that was defeated by the Ward forces was as follows:

'Whereas, Statements have appeared in the public press which indicate that a movement is on foot for the creation of a so-called City of Westchester, into which shall be incorporated all the towns and cities in the southern part of the county; and

'Whereas, The establishment of such an institution would take away from the people of the City of Yonkers the right to govern themselves and to exercise control over their own local affairs; and

'Whereas, The right of local self-government is one of the oldest established principles of our democracy and necessary to the continued existence of our form of government; and

'Whereas, There has been established a county government commission which exists for the purpose of formulating a proposed new plan of county government, of which commission ex-Mayor Wallin of this city is a member; and

'Whereas although the law provides for a referendum to the people of the county on the question, it also provides that the adoption by the county of any new plan of government shall not preclude the Legislature from amending or modifying such plan; therefore be it

'Resolved, That the Republican City Committee of the City of Yonkers does hereby express its unqualified disapproval of the creation of a City of Westchester, and that it further urges the County Government Commission to adopt no plan of county government which may include the transfer to the county or county officers of any functions now exercised by the city or city officers; and be it further

'Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the chairman of the County Government Commission and to the members of the State Legislature representing the territory included within the limits of the City of Yonkers.'

Called Ward Patronage Scheme

Ward's opponents say he favors this scheme because in no other way can he continue to be the patronage dictator of the county, Yonkers, a city of 115,000, and Mount Vernon, a city of approximately 50,000, are growing rapidly and in both places there are vigorous revolts against Ward's exercise of power revolts, moreover, which menace the rest of the county with infection.

The first revolt was five years ago when Lee Parsons Davis, then Assistant District Attorney ran for District Attorney in the primaries, beating Francis A. Winslow, the Ward candidate.  The next revolt came in Yonkers when Ward refused to nominate for Sheriff Robert Ferguson, an under-sheriff.  This attempt to depose Ward was even more successful.  About 40 per cent of the enrolled Republican vote in the county was gained by Ferguson.  Last year the Wallin-Ward forces in Yonkers were beaten in the primaries by the Sutherland-Weisendanger 'rebels.'  Ulrich Weisendanger, running for Mayor, carried the city by 2,000 votes, but was defeated in the election by the Democrat, Walter M. Taussig.  'Knifed,' was their succinct explanation of this curious defeat in a city normally Republican.  Robert Ferguson, in the same election, was elected Comptroller.

All of this demonstrates the metal of the politicians fighting Ward, but now they have found in the city of Westchester project an issue that is unpoplular in every town and village in the county, and they are preparing to make the most of it.

It is their contention that Ward, and Ward alone, wants a City of Westchester in order to suppress the Yonkers and Mount Vernon insurrections by bringing these cities under a larger tent.  As proof that the Ward forces are not sitting idly by the Sutherland-Weisendanger forces point out that in recent months nineteen Federal state and county jobs have been created in Yonkers.  All of these places have been filled with Ward men.

Arthur W. Lawrence, of Bronxville, also classed as loyal to the Ward organization, recently lent a hand by purchasing 'The Yonkers Statesman.'  The price was said to have been $100,000.  There are scores of other incidents, all of which have a bearing on this fight to give a city government to nearly 500,000 people, who, if allowed to vote on the question would probably be overwhelmingly opposed to it.

Whatever the motives behind the actions of the politicians engaged in these skirmishes there can be no question about the sincerity of some of the organizations that have attacked the scheme.  For example, the Men's Club of Pelham, with a membership of nearly 500, is reported by the president, W. T. Grant, as being strongly opposed.  Mr. Grant is the owner of the chain of twenty-five cent stores that bear his name throughout the country.

'The executive committee of the club is against the plan to a man,' said Mr. Grant.  'Among these men are James Elliott, an advertising man; Lockwood Barr, of the General Motors publicity department; D. H. H. Brown, a minister; Walter S. Findlay jr., and James R. Gerry, an attorney.

Informal Plebiscite To Be Taken

'We are trying to figure out ways of aligning all the churches, social organizations, chambers of commerce, secret orders and other bodies of citizens in Westchester County.  For Pelham we are planning to conduct a straw vote.  A resolution for this purpose is being drafted.  Just as soon as we get one which all can approve it will be mailed out to the people of Pelham, and if other committees want to use the same ballot we'll be glad to assist them.

'I haven't heard a kind word for this proposal since it was broached.  But the people have got to get up on their hind legs about it if they want to kill this most absurd and vicious plan.'

The Board of Trustees of the Village of Ardsley adopted a resolution placing that community's feeling on record.  The village government there is an excellent example of the thing the people would lose if a City of Westchester were created.  They are getting 100 cents' worth of government for a dollar's worth of taxes, because the officials of the town serve without pay.  Their resolution is as follows:

'Resolved, That the Village of Ardsley, its board of trustees and a large majority of its resident inhabitants are unalterably opposed to any legislation having for its purpose or intent the establishment in Westchester County of a commission form of government in the place and stead of the present local self-government therein, or to any legislation looking to the consolidation of the several municipalities in the County of Westchester into one city to be known, as currently reported, as the 'City of Westchester,' believing that such legislation would be highly detrimental to the best interests and upbuilding of the several municipalities proposed to be included therein, thereby in a great measure at least depriving each municipality of the time-honored privilege of local self-government as exemplified in the Americanized ideals of unabridged home rule.'

In the northwest section of Yonkers the Moresmere Community Brotherhood, including about two hundred men in its membership, adopted a resolution protesting against the project on the ground that it would increase the cost of government and militate against democratic institutions, and that the proposed city would include large unpopulated areas.

William H. Anderson, state superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League, is a vice-president of the Central Brotherhood of Central Methodist Episcopal Church of Yonkers, which organization has joined the anti-City of Westchester forces.  Others in this organization are Frank Fowler, president; Alfred M. Reeves, chairman of the Automobile Chamber of Commerce of the United States, and James A. Jarvis, of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The resolution the brotherhood adopted at a meeting held March 20 follows:  'We approve any proposal in good faith to make a study of governmental conditions within Westchester County, and the various subdivisions thereof, with a view to consolidation of activities, where such consolidation will save money and increase efficiency.

'However, we oppose any attempt to revive the scheme for the so-called City of Westchester, which involves setting up of a government in the entire county, or in a considerable portion thereof, containing the largest cities of the county.  In our judgment it would aggravate the situation already existing in Yonkers, where there are large unimproved areas, which impose a burden out of proportion to their ability to support their fair proportion of same on a reasonable basis of taxation.'

There are more resolutions on record, but altogether they are but a start in the campaign, for this is a fight in which there can be no neutral person in Westchester."

Source:  Home Builders Fear 'City' Plan In Westchester, New York Tribune, Apr. 25, 1922, Vol. LXXXII, No. 27,554, p. 1, col. 3.

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