The History of Riverdale: The Memoirs of Robert Munson

By Zachary G.

Preface: As far as forms of expression go, writing has always been my method of choice. When I decided to write about my life in Riverdale, I knew my resources would be plentiful. Ever since I was 15, I have been writing in my diary almost daily. It is a great way to remember my life as well as a great resource on the history of Riverdale. I knew enough about Riverdales history to notice interesting things that occurred in its history, and since I had written in my journal, it would be easy to gauge exactly what was and was not in Riverdale at each time period. Once I found journal entries that displayed both my way of life at the time and some of Riverdaleâs history, I came up with the concept of comparing these journal entries to my own recollection of events in order to either prove my memory correct, or supplement ideas and postulations stated in the entries.

Chapter 1

I began writing my diary more than 60 years ago, when I was in my late teens. I thought it would be interesting to document my adventures on trips with my father. We lived in Riverdale, New York, or the Bronx to be more precise. No one from Riverdale says that they are from the Bronx because frankly, it is a bit misleading. Currently Riverdale is the only place in the Bronx that does not have an ãurban feel.ä Prior to the 1970âs it may have even been considered suburban. This is what has made Riverdale a unique place to live.

My grandparents were immigrants from Germany and luckily found fortune in a successful furrier business. They lived in Manhattan all their lives but after they passed, my father inherited a small fortune from them and invested it into the stock market. Following World War I, my fatherâs assets grew in the stock market, and he was lucky enough to pull out just before the market crashed. We moved up to Riverdale when I was nearly ten, in 1929. We were one of the few families of German origin to live in Riverdale, as the majority of families were of Anglo decent. My father continued to run the fur business, and with his new fortune was able to expand to the surrounding states. After I finished high school, I began traveling with him in an attempt to sell contracts to coat makers. This is what made me decide to begin a Diary, but most of my prose was best expressed in Riverdale on the few days a month my father and I were back home.

Lately, I have noticed that many of my childhood memories are fading. In addition I recently came across my diary in an old box when I was moving to a new home. After finding my diary, I thought it would be interesting to contrast my memories of important days in my life in Riverdale to what I actually wrote about these events more than sixty years ago.

It was 1938, I donât remember what day specifically, but it was early into the New Year. I believe it was January 5th or 6th. I was with my friend Jimmy. He was a short kid, scrawny, and two or three years younger than I was. I was 19 then, without a care in the world. At the time, the Statue of Henry Hudson had not yet been hoisted onto the column made to support it. I remember walking up the incline to where the column stands, because we saw lots of people there. We had no idea what was going on. It was 1938, a cold January day and I was complaining to Jimmy about something.

ãI hate walkinâ over Îere Jimmy.ä

ãYeah, but I wanna know, whatâs, happerninâ over there.ä Said Jimmy breathing heavily.

ãThis had better be good Jimmy, I donât have no time to waste.ä I replied

At the time, I had been working with my father in the Fur business. We traveled a lot, and I liked to take walks across the newly built Henry Hudson Bridge over to Inwood on the few days a month that I was back home in Riverdale.

As we got closer to the monument, we saw what all the commotion was about. It was a statue of some kind, with scaffolding providing support to it from every angle. There was a photographer there, and many people.

ãWhat the hellâs that?ä I asked impatiently

ãTheyâre finally gonna put up a statue of Hudson.ä Stated Jimmy

I replied: ã Its about time, they been sayinâ they would since before I was even born!ä

As we got closer to the monument, we noticed that a crowd had gathered.

ãIt looks like theyâre all here, they mustâve crawled up the hill!ä I joked

Jimmy and another man in the crowd laughed. I was referring to people from Kingsbridge, the community just east of Riverdale. Riverdale is set on a hill, and was where many of the richer people lived. Many Riverdalians felt as though they were better than those who lived ãdown the hill.ä They valued the fact that Riverdale was isolated, and prior to the middle twentieth century this made Riverdale a popular place for the rich to have country homes.

As I looked at the statue, I continued to make comments about the poorer people. ãSince they cut the Parkway through here, Iâve been seeing um everywhere. I wish there was a fence at the bottom of the hill, to keep um outta here!ä

Everyone was laughing, except for the 3 or 4 Kingsbridge families that were walking by. Everyone stopped to gaze at the statue. It was an awe-inspiring sight. The man who sculpted it was there that day. There was a photographer taking pictures of him. I remember Jimmy asking me about the man, and a friend told me he was the sculptor.

ãYou ever hear the story about this statue Jimmy?ä

ãNope, donât really care to neither.ä Replied Jimmy, in an innocent yet sarcastic tone.

ãWell, my old man once told me that the original one was supposed to go up on the pillar back in â15, they had it all worked out but the sculptor got killed by an automobile. You believe that?ä

ãWell couldnât they find some other guy?ä asked Jimmy

ãI guess they did, just took them 20 years.ä

ãGuess so.ä Jimmy replied.

ãHey, Jimmy, thereâs your girl over there by the other end of the park.ä

We walked over to Jimmyâs girlfriend Sarah and chatted for a while, I canât quite remember what we talked about, but Jimmy left me and went off somewhere with her. I was glad he left. I liked going on walks by myself without Jimmy following me around. I continued on my walk and strolled over to Inwood, taking in the sights from atop the newly constructed Henry Hudson Bridge. It was quite impressive.

The Following is and excerpt from my diary. Reflecting on the same day in January: January 6, 1938

ãToday I strolled by the monument on my way to Inwood with Jimmy. It seemed like a normal one of our leisurely walks until we noticed a crowd of people surrounding the Hudson monument, which in is in memoriam of the great explorer Henry Hudson. There was scaffolding surrounding a statue, of which I assumed was in the image of Hudson, but as I walked up the small incline I could not be sure. Their were many people their, mostly Riverdalians, although I noticed a few drab families and assumed an origin of Kingsbridge. In recent years, since the Parkway was built, I have noticed more and more of the ãdown-and-out,ä as my father calls them, infiltrating my community. This nickname is rather ironic, I believe, as Kingsbridgers are both down-and-out in the sense of poverty, as well in the sense of geography; as the community of Kingsbridge rests down a hill from Riverdale. As we brushed past the families who were staring at the monument, I was finally able to identify the person being immortalized by the statue. It was in fact a statue of Hudson, and a grand one at that! A man was made to stand beside it and he was a mere third the size of the imposing figure. I noticed my neighbor Mr. Corday there and inquired to him about the man standing near the figure. He revealed that it was the sculptor himself, Karl Gruppe, a pupil of the man who was originally commissioned to sculpt the image of Hudson. I remember the story of the original sculptor, as my father told me when I was just a boy. Apparently, the man originally commissioned to sculpt Hudson, Mr. Karl Bitter, was run over by a car in 1915. Funding then ran out due to the construction of the great column, and the statue was never finished. It astounds me that today twenty-three years later, the statue is finally completed. This was my first surprise on my walk today. Jimmy left after we walked past the Hudson monument, and ran to see his girl. I donât really know her too well. As I continued on my walk to Inwood, I noticed how barren the trees were that dominated the area surrounding the monument. As I reached the entrance to the bridge, I took pride in how isolated I was even in the biggest city in the world. I stepped out onto the bridge and started my stroll across it. I tried to look forward, but noticed the frames of buildings being constructed in the distance to the east. They were near the other bridge connecting Manhattan to the north Bronx, the Kingâs bridge. I took a deep breath and smiled, realizing how excellent life is for me as a young man living in Riverdale. I am a beneficiary of both types of living, urban and rural; often my father and I lodge in large cities such as Philadelphia and Boston during our travels but always come home to quaint Riverdale. As I looked back at Riverdale I could barely see any large structures, except a few homes and a few two-story buildings. This is what makes Riverdale so special to me, it is a rural area, but is so close to metropolitan city of Manhattan.ä

After writing down my memories of the event, and then reading my actual diary from that day, I noticed striking differences. First, My memory of Jimmy is very strong, and I remember him as a greater part of my walk then I wrote he was in my journal. I was also surprised at how good my writing was and how eloquently I wrote. I remember my language as being much cruder and less proper than it is today. Perhaps my speech at the time was dreadful, but my writing was definitely more impressive.

Chapter 2

Prior to World War II, Riverdale had retained a certain rural element to it. Its only hints of urban life were its view of kingsbridge and the transportation system that extended into it once it became part of New York City. At twenty years old, a few months after my experience at the Henry Hudson Monument, I enlisted into the Army. I was sad to leave Riverdale, but I felt a duty to enlist. My farewell was upsetting. As I reflect on the days prior to my trip to basic training, I remember feeling extremely upset about the fact that I had to leave home. There was one particular day that sticks in my memory.

It was a sunny day in October, and autumn was upon Riverdale. I remember the way the flowers looked, they were dying, and many of the petals had been shed off for the upcoming winter. They looked tired to me, like a thousand old men who were ready to call it a day. I remembered the way they looked because I felt the same way. I had struggled for many months about enlisting into the Army. I was not sure what I wanted in life, and my parents encouraged me to continue to run the family business. However, I had no urge to live at home for the rest of my life. I decided that I needed a new experience, one that would change me in a way Riverdale could not. Prior to my stroll that day, I had an argument with my parents Samuel and Annette.

My parents were in the den, listening to the radio, when I entered to inform them that I was leaving for a walk.

ãGoodbye.ä I said.

My fatherâs expression did not change as he read a book and listened to a show on the radio. My mother, however, quickly perked up.

ãAnd where are you going?ä

ãJust for a walk.ä

ãMake sure you take your coat.ä

ãI will mother.ä I said as I began to walk out of the room.

ãWait Bobby!ä my father yelled, ãHave you decided about the army?ä

ãYes.ä

ãAnd will you be going?ä he asked

ãYes, I will.ä I replied

ãThis disappoints me Bobby, I thought you had the wisdom to make the right decision. Your twenty years of age now. You have a duty to continue in our business. I wanted you to follow in my footsteps.ä

ãI know but·ä

My Father cut me off. ãYou obviously donât know much, a war is brewing, the Germans are invading, and if you enlist you will surely be sent overseas if a war develops. Youâd be better off at home.ä

ãDonât stifle me father, I canât stay in Riverdale my whole life, I want to have opportunities, options, I want to be my own man.ä

ãYou are a man, donât worry on that, and you certainly have all the opportunities you will ever need in Manhattan.ä

ãThatâs not what I mean father, I want to experience the world, and I feel the army will provide that for me.ä

ãLook Bobby, I want you to have your mind changed when you return from your walk.ä He said

ãI wonât.ä I said under my breath as I walked out of the room.

I began on my walk at midday, and the chilly October air cut through me like a knife. The sun was struggling to shine through the clouds, and as I walked up Palisade Avenue, I noticed hundreds of leaves falling around me with every gust of wind. It was the feeling I needed as I came to terms with my decision to leave home.

I headed west on two hundred and forty Sixth Street until I hit the community of Fieldston, formerly called the Delafield Woods. More houses were being built, in addition to the few that already existed. It upset me a bit, that they were building more houses in the woods, but I knew it was inevitable. Riverdale would have to be built up to an extent, but as I looked around, I noticed that there was not one tall building in sight.

In my journal, my description of the day is quite different then I remember it:

October 13, 1938

ãToday was a tough day. I made a decision that I knew could tear my family apart, but Iâm proud of my choice. I decided to enlist in the army, which Iâve wanted to do since I was only a child. I hope my father understands my choice, even though he is set in his ways. I guess that being a man of business, my father never really cared to serve his county, heâs been a capitalist since birth. He says itâs my ãjuvenile na•vetŽä that makes me want to go ãfight a war.ä But I just want to do my duty, gain worldly experience. After the fight with my parents, I took a walk, one of my aimless walks around Riverdale. I thought Iâd walk to the Delafield Woods; I heard that many more houses are being built there. Itâs always neat when something happens out here, and since theyâre not building any skyscraper, Iâm not terribly dismayed to see something new being put up. After all, everyoneâs been saying the new community will be beautiful, with brand new houses and more members of the beau monde. Maybe Iâll even meet a nice girl. As I got to the woods, I noticed a few stone foundations, a few beautiful homes and plenty of cleared spaces; I guess the community was well on its way to being completed. I remember as a young man that these woods were densely packed with huge oak trees and a few dirt paths. Homes began to pop up in the Delafield Woods ten years ago, however it is not until recently that the name was changed to Fieldston and many new homes have been built. My feelings are mixed as the community is built here, as I am excited to see what it will bring to the area, and particularly whom, but also whether it will change Riverdale in any meaningful ways.ä

Only a few weeks after I wrote this journal entry, I enlisted into the army. I was sent to England when we entered World War II, and remained there until 1946 when I was sent to a military base in Charleston, South Carolina where I met the woman who would be my future wife Daisy. I did not return home to Riverdale until 1951, and it had been almost 12 years since I had been to Riverdale.

Chapter 3

In 1951 I received an honorable discharge from the army after 12 years of service, and decided that my family and I would return to Riverdale where I could take over my fathers fur business. I was hesitant to return home at first, but I felt that I needed a break after spending almost a third of my life in the army. I thought Riverdale would give me rest from the hustle and bustle of daily life. I arrived by train in Penn. station at 9:00 am on March 10th, 1951 with my wife and newborn child. It was raining hard, and I thought it would be hard to get a cab to take us up to Riverdale. We walked out of the station and hailed a cab on 34th, praying the driver would be willing to take the 30-minute journey up to Riverdale. I didnât know quite what to expect, I hadnât seen my parents for a while, and I never came home to visit them when I returned to the United States after the war. They were the ones who always took trips to visit my wife and me. I guess I provided them with a way of escaping, and as they got older, they appreciated it even more.

It was a curious experience to return home. I remember feeling nervous the entire trip. I wondered, would everything be the same? I was a grown man, with a wife and child, but I still retained some degree of youthful impatience, and I could not wait to see my neighborhood. As we drove up the parkway towards Riverdale, I reflected on my childhood, and my time in the Army.

As we got onto the Henry Hudson Bridge, I noticed the glistening river below. As we got off the bridge, I saw Riverdale. I felt sick to my stomach. I saw buildings, some only a few stories, but several that were huge, surrounding the highway. This was not the place I remember. My wife Daisy leaned over and asked:

ãBobby, are you ok, you look like youâre upset.ä

ãItâs nothing honey, I just havenât been home for a while, its just hitting me now, I guess.ä

ãFunny, I thought this place would be a little more suburban, at least thatâs how you described it.ä She said

I shifted in my seat, without responding, I yelled to the cab driver:

ãGet off at 232nd street please.ä

ãBobby, where do your parents live?ä My wife asked

ãA few blocks from here, weâre not far.ä

My parents had bought us a house when I told them I would like to take over the family business, and we still hadnât seen it. We were heading to their house first to settle in, and then would move into our house over the next several weeks. As we got closer to my childhood home, I was excited but scared. I hoped it would be the same as I remembered it, but as I looked around Riverdale, I braced myself for a change.

As we drove through the streets on our way to my parentâs house my wife began asking questions:

ãFor a suburban place, their sure are a lot of buildings here, and this seems like a pretty major highway.ä My wife said referring to the Henry Hudson Parkway

ãIts funny actually, we all thought the highway would be a blessing; easy connection to the city with out taking the subway and easy connection to Westchester. Iâd actually like to ask my parents whether they enjoy the benefits of the highway, or whether they think itâs been a catalyst in urbanizing Riverdale.ä I responded

As we got closer to the house, I noticed more and more changes. I noticed fewer trees, more shops, and a few apartment buildings. It was a bit frustrating, my community was becoming a part of the city; the rusticity I had always loved about Riverdale was becoming enveloped by urbanized New York. The only distinction was a few opulent mansions, which could not be found anywhere else in the city in such great numbers. What saddened me most about returning home was not the change that had already taken place, but the change that I knew was yet to come.

We pulled into my parentâs driveway, and I felt the lump in my throat grow larger. I was nervous to see them, see how well they had aged.

We knocked on the door and waited, seemingly an eternity, for my parents to open the door.

The door opened, and the next thing I heard was:

ãOh hand me my grandson!ä

It was my mom, exactly as I remembered her from her last visit to the military base.

ãOh come in, sit down!ä She yelled

We walked into the house and sat down. My mom served my family coffee, and we settled in. It felt good to be in my old house. As everyone began to sit down and relax, I began to ask my mom questions.

ãMom when did all these buildings go up along the highway.ä My Mom answered: ãOnly recently, after the war, everything here changed. Families grew and people needed more space to live. Stores went up on 235th street and Netherland Avenue, and a 7-story building was built right near it. Small old houses and large trees were torn down to make way for buildings; it was sad, but exciting at the same time. Its funny though, at the beginning we were afraid Riverdale was becoming as urban as Kingsbridge.ä

ãIt was such a shock when we first got off the highway.ä I said

ãWell, I guess when you havenât been here for everything, the change is more dramatic. Donât worry about it sweetheart, hopefully they wonât put up any more buildings.ä Said my mother reassuringly

I knew she was being unrealistic, but I didnât want to be a pessimist within 10 minutes of arriving home. My journal entry for this day is short, but explains strong opinions on the growth in Riverdale and displays a large degree of frustration:

March 10, 1951

ãI arrived home today to a changed landscape. From the moment we reached the northern tip of the Henry Hudson Bridge, I knew home was not going to be the same. Buildings now could be seen driving north on the highway, and Riverdale was beginning to resemble Kingsbridge when I left for the army. Buildings are now being built at a staggering place, and what was once woodland is now cleared for homes that are already or have yet to be built. I prayed that my home had not changed because I had changed; I needed something that was constant, and in the past, could have always counted on Riverdale for that.

I always like to think of Riverdale as 50 years behind the rest of the city, but I think itâs catching up. I feel like knocking on peopleâs doors, and yelling: ãget outta my town.ä I fear that Gotham is creeping slowly north and in doing so annexing my town in its vast urban empire. I hope Riverdale does not soon take on the facade of Manhattan, with its rigid street grids and huge buildings. The streets in Riverdale, much like the paths in central park, are often windy and narrow, making Riverdale appear more natural and more rustic. Hopefully this rural charm is not lost as these buildings are built.ä

Chapter 4

Perhaps the largest period of growth in Riverdale took place in the late 1960âs and early 70âs. Houses were torn down and plots of land were sold in order to make way for huge luxury apartment buildings. I continued to write in my journal throughout this period, and did not discontinue that practice until my retirement in 1984. I remember as a 52-year-old man walking around Riverdale in the early 1970âs that I was astounded by the huge amount of growth that was taking place in Riverdale. A vast amount of urbanization had occurred in Riverdale in the 20 years I had been here since my discharge from the military.

I remember a specific incident in 1973 on my 25th anniversary of marriage to my wife. We were walking around Kappock Street, through Henry Hudson Park and such, when we passed where my friend Jimmyâs house had been. I hadnât thought about his home until I saw it was no longer there. Jimmy had died in World War II in the Pacific and I never kept in touch with his parents although I had always said hello to them when I saw them at church. They moved away in1959 and another family had bought their home.

When I passed the place where his house had been I saw an apartment building in its place. It upset me a lot. The building had to have been put up fairly recently, but I had never noticed it before. I told my wife about the situation: ãHe was my best bud, that kid would follow me around all the time, he looked up to me like a brother; look at what they did to his land. They put up an ugly brick apartment building that wonât do anything good for this neighborhood. Ever since they built the parkway up through here, itâs been downhill.ä I said in sadness

ãOh, câmon Bobby, itâs not that bad, weâve been here for twenty years and it hasnât changed all that much. After all, we are in New York City!ä my wife responded

ãI know, but·I just always have thought of Riverdale as a suburb, but with these new buildings being constructed everywhere, it doesnât seem like itâs going to end. Were being covered by the black cloud of urbanization.ä I said in defiance

My wife tried to dull my defiance: ãBobby, Iâm getting tired, letâs walk home and we can take a ride around, Iâll prove you its not that bad.ä We walked home, only about three or four blocks away and got into our car. We decided we would drive along the Parkway north and see what had changed.

ãEverythingâs changed!ä I said as we drove north from Two-thirty-second Street.

ãNothingâs changed, that much, youâre just being dramatic.ä Daisy responded

ãLook, thereâs the new building the Whitehall, built just two years ago, its huge! 40 years from now, all of Riverdale will look like that!ä I said

We continued to drive north and more and more huge buildings continued to strengthen my argument. They had all been built along the highway, and the oldest was only about 8 years old. When we reached 246th street, we decided to turn around, when we reached what would be the southern most street of our miniature road trip, Kappock street, I continued to prove my point. A huge building at 555 Kappock Street was there, and it was so mammoth in size that it could be seen from the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx. It was frustrating to see such an unregulated rate of growth occur in my hometown, although I should really call it just a part of my home city.

Riverdale was becoming more and more a part of New York City, and less and less a place that one could say was ãSUB-urban.ä In fact, it was inevitable, and in the proceeding journal, I am very accepting of the fact that Riverdale was growing and changing quite rapidly in the 1970âs.

April 27th, 1973

ãI took a walk today, and came to a striking conclusion. My small town on the outskirts of the city is quickly becoming an urban metropolis of its own, with its growth rivaling a small country after an economic boom.

As Daisy and I walked up the street to where my old friend Jimmy once lived, I could not overcome the sorrow I felt as I saw the new building on the property where we once played catch. It was upsetting for me, not only because it showed that I was getting older, but it also showed me just how much Riverdale had changed. It was one of those days where I felt as though a fog had lifted, that I was finally able to see the world clearly again; I was able to understand it. I could see why Riverdale had changed, it was such a desirable place to live, and raise a family.

After walking by Jimmyâs old property, Daisy and I decided to get into the car and drive around Riverdale, to really note what had changed. She kept saying she had ãsomething to prove,ä that ãRiverdale had not really changed all that much.ä However, I knew her attempt was futile. She had not been here as long as I had, experienced the true metamorphosis that had come over Riverdale like a plague of conurbation. As we drove up and down Riverdale, I only became saddened to a greater degree. The place where I grew up was becoming a place indistinguishable from the huge city 5 miles south of it.

As I thought back on all the spaces that were once open, without huge concrete structures upon them, I began to tear up, as I realized that if Riverdale could not escape from the city, no suburb was safe.ä

Conclusion

In writing my memoirs of my life in Riverdale, I stirred up memories of people and places that I had long since forgotten. When I look back on the sum total of all that has occurred in my life, how much I have grown and changed, it does not surprise me that Riverdale has done the same. Having been in such a desirable location just north of Manhattan, it is a wonder Riverdale did not go through change sooner, along with the rest of the city. It was that one last emerald that hadnât been discovered, kept in pristine condition by a hill that shielded it from the rest of the Bronx.

In fact, it was its geographical location that kept Riverdale unharmed. However, when the Henry Hudson Bridge was built and the parkway built through Riverdale in the late 1930âs. Riverdale began to grow, exponentially. It was the infrastructure that urbanized Riverdale. When people saw that they could easily travel to Manhattan for work or to shop, it was a appealing to them. As apartment buildings were built, it was possible for more people to move in.

As I reflected on my life here and compared my memories to my journal entries, I noticed that the changes were a lot more shocking to me at the time as a noticed things more quickly. Perhaps, as I look back counting everything that has grown and changed in Riverdale I do not realize how quickly and sharply everything went ãdownhill.ä

Riverdaleâs appeal was quite broad. People who wanted to live near the city moved here. People who wanted to escape from the city moved here. People who needed easy access to the city for jobs moved here. The subway, expressway and railroad provided quick and easy access into the city. People saw Riverdale as a Suburb within a city. The amazing thing about Riverdale is not how quickly it changed, but how even after all these years, much of it still remains the same.