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The Hutchinson River Parkway from the intersection with US Route 1 in Pelham Manor to the intersection with the Merritt Parkway (Connecticut State Route 15) at the Connecticut state line has been designated a national and New York state historic place, Pelham Manor village officials announced on Tuesday, May 23.
The designation comes after Pelham Manor village officials pursued a determination of eligibility with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The original application was submitted in June 2022, and a revised application was sent to the office by the village in January 2023.
After evaluating the criteria submitted within the village's application for several months, the office determined that the parkway meets the criteria for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places as a "representative, intact example of an early twentieth century, limited-access, automobile parkway," according to state officials.
The parkway, built between 1924 and 1941, still retains many original features such as:
- Restricted access to trucks;
- Original alignment in most places;
- The original 250-400 foot right-of-way;
- Ten-foot-wide lanes in most places;
- Many of the original stone-faced concrete bridges;
- Most of the trails and bridle paths paralleling the roadway;
- A vegetative buffer.
SHPO is now working to update their Cultural Resource Information System to reflect the determination, Pelham Manor officials said.
Because of the designation, the New York State Department of Transportation will now manage the roadway with "additional care" to make sure the history of the parkway is taken into consideration.
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