Yonkers in the Twentieth Century

Marilyn E. Weigold

Description

Yonkers in the Twentieth Century chronicles the decline and rebirth of the fourth largest city in New York State, once known as "the Queen City of the Hudson" and "the City of Gracious Living." Previously an industrial powerhouse, the city's factories turned out essential items that helped the United States win two world wars. Following World War II, the industrial base of Yonkers eroded as companies moved away, contributing to an increase in poverty. To address the housing needs of its low-income residents, Yonkers built public housing, resulting in a nearly thirty-year court case that, for the first time in United States history, linked school and housing segregation.

The case was finally settled in the early years of the twenty-first century, a time that also witnessed the continuation of the city's economic redevelopment efforts along the Hudson River and contiguous downtown area. Striving to once again become "the Queen City of the Hudson," Yonkers is being rebuilt beginning at its historic waterfront.
Preface
Introduction

1. “Queen City of the Hudson”: Yonkers in the Early Twentieth Century

2. The Great War and Its Aftermath

3. Years of Pain and Glory: The Great Depression and World War II

4. The Remaking of Yonkers: The Postwar Years

photo gallery follows page 168

5. An Urban/Suburban Metropolis: Yonkers in the Sixties and Seventies

6. A City in Transition: Challenges and Opportunities in the Decade of the Eighties

7. Toward the Millennium: The Nineties

Notes
Bibliographic Note
Yonkers Speaks: Excerpts from Oral History Interviews
Donors
Index

Sujets

• Local history
• Region
• History of the Americas
• Regional

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 30 octobre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438453941
• Langue: English

Extrait

YONKERS

IN THE
TWENTIETH
CENTURY
YONKERS

IN THE
TWENTIETH
CENTURY
Marilyn E. Weigold
and the
Yonkers Historical Society
Cover image credit: An aerial view of West Yonkers in the 1920s. Courtesy of the Yonkers Historical Society; Mary Hoar, Executive Illustrations Editor, Marianne Winstanley, Assistant Illustrations Editor.
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2014 Yonkers Historical Society
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
Excelsior Editions is an imprint of State University of New York Press
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Eileen Nizer
Marketing, Kate R. Seburyamo
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Weigold, Marilyn E.
Yonkers in the twentieth century / Marilyn E. Weigold and the Yonkers Historical Society.
pages cm. — (Excelsior editions)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-5393-4 (hardcover : alk. paper)
E-ISBN 978-1-4384-5394-1
1. Yonkers (N.Y.)—History—20th century. I. Yonkers Historical Society. II. Title. F129.Y5W45 2014 974.7 3043—dc23
2014002123
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedicated to the memory of Yonkers Historical Society President Emeritus John F. Prill
Without his commitment, leadership, guidance, and passion for Yonkers history, this book would not have been possible.
Our special thanks to the Hudson Valley National Foundation and the late William E. Griffin. His leadership of the Foundation and faith in the Yonkers Historical Society and the History of Yonkers enabled us to tell this story.
Contents
Preface
Introduction
C HAPTER 1
“Queen City of the Hudson”:
Yonkers in the Early Twentieth Century
C HAPTER 2
The Great War and Its Aftermath
C HAPTER 3
Years of Pain and Glory:
The Great Depression and World War II
C HAPTER 4
The Remaking of Yonkers: The Postwar Years
photo gallery
C HAPTER 5
An Urban/Suburban Metropolis:
Yonkers in the Sixties and Seventies
C HAPTER 6
A City in Transition:
Challenges and Opportunities in the Decade of the Eighties
C HAPTER 7
Toward the Millennium:
The Nineties
Notes
Bibliographic Note
Yonkers Speaks: Excerpts from Oral History Interviews
Donors
Index
Every effort has been made to ensure the historical accuracy of the materials presented in Yonkers in the Twentieth Century and to include major events in the evolution of the city during the period covered in this volume. There are many stories still to be recounted by individuals who lived through the period, and it is the hope of everyone involved in making this book a reality that these stories will be compiled in the future.
Preface
W hen the uncovering of the long-submerged Saw Mill River began in 2011, as part of a project to create a four acre park in downtown Yonkers not far from where the Saw Mill (also known as the Nepperhan River) empties into the Hudson River, The New York Times observed that Yonkers would “be better with a river running through it.” 1 At the same time the paper noted that Yonkers was “a work in progress.” 2 Although this remains the case in the early twenty-first century, it was even more relevant throughout the twentieth century, the period that is covered extensively in this book. The decline of New York State’s fourth largest city, a metropolis once known as the “Queen City of the Hudson” and the “City of Gracious Living,” from the pinnacle of industrial output and economic vitality and its rebirth, characterized by the redevelopment of a waterfront long dominated by factories, occurred within the ten decades highlighted in this work.
In recognition of the historical significance of the transformation the city had undergone since 1900, in the waning decade of the century John F. Prill, who served as president of the Yonkers Historical Society until 1999, conceived the idea for a comprehensive history of the city’s evolution during the twentieth century. After retiring as president, John F. Prill continued to chair and spearhead the society’s book committee. It is because of his vision and perseverance that the book became reality.
The volume for which John F. Prill deserves the gratitude of present and future Yonkers residents was to be one of several initiatives aimed at preserving and disseminating information about the rich history of Yonkers. Chief among them were the efforts of the Yonkers Historical Society, which in addition to maintaining extensive documentary and photographic archives at its headquarters in the Grinton Will Library, has a well-designed, user-friendly website containing interesting and informative data, including pictures and articles from its quarterly publication. Illustrations from the society’s photographic collection were utilized for Then and Now: Yonkers (2008), a collaborative work of the Yonkers Historical Society and the Blue Door Artist Association. This book was a welcome addition to a collection of works on Yonkers that includes Frank Walton, Pillars of Yonkers (1951), Yolanda Johnson, Mary E. Lawson, Lillian Reilly, Loraine Spencer, Ethel Thibault, and Emelyn Webster, Yonkers Through the Years (1962), Warren G. Halliburton, A Pictorial Story of Yonkers and Its People (1987), and the Reverend Charles E. Allison, The History of Yonkers: Westchester County, New York (1896).
Building upon the foundation laid by previous authors, the current project has benefited from their work and from the unstinting support of the trustees of the Yonkers Historical Society and the Society’s History Committee. The individuals who have served as trustees are: Gregory Arcaro, James Blanchard, Susan Blanchard, Symra Brandon, Richard Carlson, John Constantine, Msgr. Hugh Corrigan, Mina Crasson, Carol McEwan Daly, Edward Dee, Suzanne Dottin-Ramirez, Tom Dunn, John Favareau, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Rosalie Flynn, Tom Flynn, Ira Goldman, Joan Hanrahan, Teresa Hennelly, Mary Hoar, Joan Jennings, Jeremiah Jerome, Kathleen Kelleher, Rudy Kern, Dewey Lohrfink, Maureen McAllister, Darryl Mack, Stephen Macknowski, Mary Madden, Patricia Mangold, Phil Matthews, Elizabeth McFadden, Richard Moore, Peg Murphy, Joseph Nocca, Christine Kenney O’Rourke, Jerry Ostroff, Joyce Pidel, Terrence Price, John F. Prill, Nancy Lee Racassi, Margaret Reilly, Georgiana Reynolds, Andrew Romano, Deirdre Hoare-Rylander, Stephen Sansone, Nancy Sarmast, Nortrud Spero, Josephine Tienken, Lucia Trovato, William Watson, Jeffrey Williams, Robert Wilson, and Marianne Winstanley.
The following individuals, some of whom are trustees of the society, have served on the History Committee: John F. Prill, chairman, Mina Crasson, Benedetto “Ben” Ermini, John Favareau, Rosalie Flynn, Tom Flynn, Teresa Hennelly, Mary Hoar, Joan Jennings, Jeremiah Jerome, Elizabeth McFadden, Richard Moore, Andrew Romano, George Rutledge, Deirdre Hoare-Rylander, Jennie Tritten, Jeffrey Williams, Robert Wilson, Leonard Winstanley, and Marianne Winstanley.
Trustees and committee members, as well as members of the community, shared their recollections of Yonkers in a series of interviews. Their insights were invaluable, and for that reason the author wishes to acknowledge and thank the following individuals who were interviewed: Gregory Arcaro, Sylvia Banks, Symra Brandon, Rhoda Breitbart, Mario Caruso, Alfred DelBello, Norman Downes Jr., Dorothy Dunn, John Favareau, Tom Flynn, Anna Hawkins, Rosanna Hirschkind, Walter Hlewicki, Mary Hoar, Milton Holst, Joan Cahraman Hull, Joan Jennings, Jeremiah Jerome, Royden Letsen, Gerald Loehr, Stephen Macknowski, Angelo Martinelli, Joseph Pastore, Edward Petti, Sal Prezioso, John F. Prill, Arlene McCann Reden, Andrew Romano, John Romano, John Rossell, George Rutledge, Nicholas Spano, Corinne Thomas, Jennie Tritten, Jeffrey Williams and Leonard Winstanley.
The author wishes to acknowledge Jeffrey Williams not only for taking time for an interview but for the support he demonstrated for the twentieth-century history project during his tenure as president of the Yonkers Historical Society. His successor, Mary Hoar, who had previously served as president beginning in 1999, following the passing of Patricia Mangold, John F. Prill’s successor, has been extremely supportive and during her second term as president has devoted considerable time to reviewing the manuscript. The following individuals, to whom the author also owes a debt of gratitude, reviewed portions of the manuscript: John F. Prill, Mina Crasson, Benedetto “Ben” Ermini, John Favareau, Rosalie Flynn, Teresa Hennelly, Mary Hoar, Joan Jennings, Jeremiah Jerome, Richard Moore, George Rutledge, Deirdre Hoare-Rylander, Leonard Winstanley, and Marianne Winstanley The author is most grateful, as well, for the invaluable assistance provided by John Favareau, reference librarian at the Yonkers Riverfront Library, who not only read the manuscript but made the many archival treasures found in the library’s superb local history collection available. The staff of the Grinton Will Library, where microfilms of Yonkers newspapers were consulted, were also very helpful.
In addition to all of the wonderful Yonkers people who facilitated this project, including the generous donors whose names