Eden On The Hudson - Untermyer Park & Garden

Historic Sites

May 20

Immediately upon entering the walled garden, you will be transported from Yonkers to lands far away. This is only the beginning of the journey through the Untermeyer Park and Garden off of North Broadway in Yonkers.

In 1862, Yonkers industrialist, John T. Waring, purchased land along the Hudson River and built a mansion called Greystone. The mansion was then acquired by retired New York Governor, Samuel J. Tilden, in 1879 and he extended the acreage of the estate and built greenhouses to cultivate rare and exotic plants.

Samuel Untermyer, the next owner and an avid horticulturist, commissioned the Beaux Arts architect William Welles Bosworth to design his garden. Wanting to share his paradise, Untermyer opened his estate to the public once a week.

Untermyer wanted Greystone to become a state park after his death, but the property was too costly for the State or County to maintain. A portion of the property was given to the City of Yonkers in 1946 as a city park. The mansion was demolished in 1948.

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The main entrance to the Walled Garden

The crisscrossing canals symbolize the four rivers of Paradise, and the four land quadrants represent the four elements: earth, air, fire and water.

Another view of the canal leading to the amphitheater

The amphitheater flanked by two sphinxes sculpted by Paul Manship on cipollino marble columns.

The detail of the left sphinx

The detail of the right sphinx

Looking back at the Walled Garden entrance

The amphitheater is based on a similar feature in the Bobble Gardens in Florence, Italy.

Another view of the amphitheater section of the garden

This is the Temple of the Sky at the end of a canal

The Temple of the Sky stands above the once-grand Persian pool and lower terrace.

The North Loggia

Another view of the North Loggia

The doorway, with decorative gate, from the North Loggia leads to the staircase down towards the Hudson River.

Another view of the North Loggia doorway

Beautiful plants hang in the North Loggia

The North Loggia and one of the corner towers or “summer houses” that are traditional in Persian and Indian design

The stairway that leads to the Hudson River view from the North Loggia

The two monolithic ancient Roman columns, also of cipolliino marble, frame the Hudson River view.

This area contains some garden remnants including a pergola, and it once had a Rose Garden and Dahlia Garden. Down the hill you can see the original estate gatehouse, now called the Ruin Garden.

Inside the roofless former gatehouse off the main carriage trail

Another view of the roofless gatehouse, an intentionally preserved artifact with plantings and graffiti

The two distinctive sculptures of a lion and a unicorn are integrated into the former estate main entrance.

The unicorn sculpture

The overall view of the gate and gatehouse

Looking down the daffodil-covered hill toward the Hudson River, from the woodland trail

The stunning cantilevered Love Temple provides a glorious view of the Hudson River and the Palisades.

The water flows in the rock and stream garden.

The Love Temple is the centerpiece sitting high above the rock garden with waterfalls cascading through the rocks to the pool below.

Looking back at the view of the Love Temple with the Hudson River as a backdrop

Today, the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, in conjunction with the City of Yonkers, maintains and is restoring the 43-acre garden that was once called “America’s Most Spectacular Garden”.

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