Untermyer Park and Gardens

About

Untermyer Park and Gardens is a historic 43-acre (17 ha) city public park, located in Yonkers, New York in Westchester County, just north of New York City. The park is a remnant of Samuel Untermyer's 150-acre (61 ha) estate "Greystone". Situated on the steep land arising from the eastern bank of the Hudson River to the bluff on top of it, the park's principal feature is the Walled Garden, inspired by ancient Indo-Persian gardens, in which are found a small Grecian-style open-air amphitheater with two opposing sphinxes crouching atop paired Ionic columns; a classical pavilion; a stoa and loggias; and a circular, open-air tempietto called the Temple of the Sky. A long staircase leads from the Walled Garden to an Overlook with views of the river and the Palisades.

The gardens were developed beginning in 1916 by Untermyer, a prominent lawyer and civic leader, and were designed by architect and landscape designer William W. Bosworth, with fountains by Charles Wellford Leavitt, and sculptures by Paul Manship and other artists. The gardens were regularly opened to the public, hosted performances of noted dancers, actors and musicians, and were considered to be among the finest gardens in the United States.