Oaklawn

OaklawnLocation: 4920 Palisades Avenue, Block: 5937, Lot: 360. Junior Building, River Campus of the Riverdale Country School.

Status: Never landmarked or heard.

Description from the Bronx Survey

The large stuccoed house on the campus of the Riverdale Country Day School was originally the Henry F. Spaulding residence (“Oaklawn”) and is in the stylistic tradition of the Picturesque Villa. Sited on a rise overlooking the Hudson River, this hipped roof structure is symmetrically balanced about a central curved front bay. Two large French windows open directly onto a ground floor verandah embellished with delicate trelliage.

Bold brackets underscore the eavesline while small triangular gables ton attic windows; originally both attic windows would have had round heads as do the three lights on the front bay. Stucco surfacing, unornamented window surrounds and French windows are all Regency characteristics often found in a mid-nineteenth century villa. The house was designed by T.S. Wall and is dated circa 1859-63.

The land on which this and the Foster house stand was originally part of the Philipse Manor. After the Revolutionary War it was bought by George Hadley who farmed here, followed by John McKibbin, a printer who in turn sold it to Samuel Thomson, a grocer, in 1835. Russell Kevins purchased the area in 1859. Upon Kevin* s death in 1856 it was sold to a syndicate, Park Riverdale, headed by Henry Spaulding. Sometime between 1859 and 1863 Spaulding built “Oaklawn” which in turn was sold to W. Thompson in 1863. Thompson sold it to George Foster in 1871 along with the land. In 1873 Foster gave “Oaklawn” to his son Frederick after building his own home nearby.

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