Outside of the country club, which is located partially in Rye and Harrison, there are several locations in Westchester that have similar dual identities. For years, debate has raged about whether Sarah Lawrence College is located in Yonkers or Bronxville, while several Central Park Avenue businesses claim Scarsdale as their home, despite lacking a 10583 zip code.
In 1919, when John Bowman purchased land in Rye and Harrison to build the Westchester Biltmore, he forever ensured that the future country club would be split between two municipalities, something that continues to confuse even locals.
“We’ve been coming here for years, and only a few months ago did I first hear that some people think that it’s in Harrison,” Port Chester resident Bill Daniels said. “For me, it’s always been in Rye, without question.”
Thomas Daniels, a Yonkers resident, agreed with his brother, joking that the advancement of technology has rendered the question of the club’s address irrelevant.
“All I know is that I pop it in my GPS and it takes about a half hour,” he added. “It lets you be in two places at the same time.”
Sarah Lawrence College is another Westchester establishment that suffers from a confusing address.
In the early 1900s, William Van Duzer Lawrence constructed his mansion in what would become Lawrence Park West. Now an administration building for the college, it shares a post office and zip code with Bronxville, despite its actual location in Yonkers.
“When I tell my friends where I go, I say Yonkers because it’s easy to identify, but I know my parents say it’s in Bronxville or Westchester,” Sam Stuart said. “All I know is that we can get mail sent to Yonkers or Bronxville and it goes to the same place.”
For many businesses, they happily use the positive public relations of some of Westchester’s more quaint villages, but enjoy the tax benefits of being located in a larger market.
“It can be a bit confusing at first. When I first moved here two years ago, I thought that Scarsdale actually stretched all the way down into Yonkers down Central Park Avenue,” Bill Amaro said in the village. “It makes sense, though. In this economy, business owners need to do whatever it takes to get an edge.”
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