Beechwood - Notebook Vol. 2018-1
Our first entry into the Briarcliff Notebook features the columns along the west side of Route 9. These columns mark the former entrance to Beechwood, the estate of Frank and Narcissa Vanderlip. The columns were originally part of the facade of National City Bank at 55 Wall Street in New York City. When the bank was remodeled, Frank Vanderlip, president of the bank from 1902 -1919, had them moved to his estate. “They had two extras….” or so the story goes. The rest of the columns remain at 55 Wall Street. Only half of the two Beechwood columns are visible. The other half of each column was buried, otherwise the full height would have been out of proportion to their location.
The site at Beechwood has a colorful history. The original house was built ca 1780 by Benjamin Folger who called it Heartt Place. During the 1830s, the estate was the residence of a flamboyant evangelist named Brother Mathias who established a religious commune on the estate called Zion Hill.(1) Another famous resident during the mid-1800s was Isabella Baumfree(2), who is better known by the name Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist and human rights activist.
Frank and Narcissa purchased the estate in 1905. The house was remodeled and the estate expanded to 125 acres with landscaping by the firm of Frederick Law Olmstead. Beechwood was the site of numerous parties. Guests included Woodrow Wilson, Annie Oakley, Henry Ford, William and John D. Rockefeller, Sarah Bernhardt, and Isadora Duncan. While we are unable to confirm the tale, according to Frank Vanderlip Jr., during one party the Wright Brothers landed a plane on the back lawn.(3) A small artist’s studio on the estate, named Beechtwig, was home to a number of artists and writers including Rudolph Evans, John Cheever, and Richard Yates.
Frank Vanderlip, in addition to serving as President and Vice-President of National City Bank, which later became Citibank, was also one of the founders of the Federal Reserve system. His wife, Narcissa, was a philanthropist and activist involved in the Suffragette movement, The League of Woman Voters and the New York Infirmary, which later became Beekman Downtown Hospital. The Vanderlips were also closely involved in the preservation of the village of Sparta and for building the Scarborough School, now the Clear View School on Route 9.
The mansion and the the grounds remain largely as they were. In 1979 the estate was sold to an environmentally sensitive developer, who saved the original mansion and the grounds. Over time additional buildings were added and today the estate contains 37 condominium. Beechwood's colorful history continues. It served as the backdrop for the 1970’s television show “The House of Dark Shadows” and in 1972 the Merchant Ivory movie, “Savages”, was filmed there. In 2016, the east coast premiere of the film “Money Man”, a documentary of the life the Frank Vanderlip, was held at the Scarborough School and the reception was held in the ballroom and library of the Beechwood mansion.
More information on Beechwood and the Vanderlips, and additional pictures can be found in the archives of our Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society, the local history section of the library, and on Wikipedia using the search term “Beechwood”.
1. The Changing Landscape, Mary Cheever, The Briarcliff Manor Scarborough Historical Society. 1990
2. https://www.biography.com/people/sojourner-truth-9511284
3. Phantoms of the Hudson Valley, Monica Randell, The Overlook Press 1995
Bob Fetonti, Trustee of The Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society.