Fieldston Historic District

Located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, the Fieldston historic district is one of the most attractive and scenic planned suburban communities of the early 20th century. In 1829, Joseph Delafield purchased the district's land for inclusion as part of a larger estate. In 1909, his estate sold a portion of the land to Manhattan Teachers College and developed the remainder of the property as a private park for residential houses. Albert Wheeler, an engineer hired to plan the community's layout, consulted with both Fredrick Law Olmsted and James R. Croes to design a layout with winding roads that utilized the natural topography and preserved scenic vistas.

In 1914, the Delafield Estate was finalized, but by 1923 only eighty lots had been sold. In response to the residents' fear of potentially insensitive development in the future, the Fieldston Property Owners Association (FPOA) was formed to draft a series of design guidelines and restrictions. The guidelines included a list of approved architects, including Julius Gregory and Dwight James Baum, who selected by the majority of residents. All houses were required to be erected in a picturesque revival style such as English Tudor, Mediterranean, Dutch, and Georgian colonial. By 1938, the expiration of deed restrictions presented an opportunity for a developer to construct an apartment building. Residents petitioned the New York City Planning Board to create a “G” zone for Fieldston in order to indefinitely prohibit the construction of apartment buildings. Today, the FPOA continues to collect dues from residents in order to maintain the community's private streets, trees, sewers, and to provide security patrols. ©2014