Untermeyer Estate

A 1984 exhibition at the Hudson River Museum of antique photographs of Yonkers estates inspired Manhattan-based Harry Wilks to discover Untermyer Gardens and take many walks with photographer friends through its overgrown areas. There had been restoration efforts in the 1970s at the City of Yonkers park, but much was still decaying and obscured. Wilks made special trips to see the leafless vines in winter: he was fascinated with their intertwined patterns as they grew to cover the architecture and create forms of their own. He took this shot, and most of his work, with a Widelux, an antique swing-lens panoramic camera that produces unique distortions in scale and perspective.

Today, the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy and the City of Yonkers have restored more of this historic park and visitors can enjoy walks through its Walled Garden, Hudson River Vista, and more.