Katonah Hamlet Historic District (Tour)

Entries on This Tour

Built in 1921-1923 the St. Luke's Episcopal Church is an example of the Tudor Revival style that was popular in the United States during the 1920s. It was designed by Hobart B. Upjohn, a noted American church designer and son of architect Richard Upjohn. The location of this church at the fork between the two main streets of the village makes it a prominent landmark. On the front lawn is an enormous spruce which serves as the community Christmas tree every year.

2. St. Mary's Catholic Church of Katonah

First constructed in 1890, St. Mary’s Church in Katonah was one of the later buildings to be moved from Old Katonah to New Katonah. Unlike many other buildings which were moved intact, the church was dismantled and reconstructed on its new site in 1901. Designed in the Gothic style, the church is two stories high on its northeastern façade, five bays wide and five deep. Attached to the church is a three-story bell tower in a square shape with a bell cast roof at its north west corner. A large lancet window adorns the main façade, ogee-arched stained glass windows are on the sides and rectangular windows elsewhere on the church. Louvres cover the third story tower openings and the porch on the front façade is surmounted by a gable roof with turned posts and trefoil decoration.

3. First Presbyterian Church of Katonah

Located at 31 Bedford Road in Katonah, NY, the First Presbyterian Church was constructed in 1900. Designed by George Kramer, the church replaced an older church built in 1874 and demolished due to the creation of the Croton Reservoir. Designed in the Gothic Revival style, the church features wall and corner buttresses, lancet windows, and a square crenellated tower with louvered opening. The exterior is dressed with cut Brewster granite with a red slate roof.

4. United Methodist Church of Katonah

Built in 1900 with an aesthetic blend of the Romanesque Revival and the Shingle styles, the United Methodist Church is located in Katonah, NY. Designed by George Kramer, the church was built as a replacement of an older church erected in Old Katonah. United Methodist Church was constructed of locally sourced cobblestone with a slate roof capping four irregularly shaped bays on each façade of the building. The building itself has an octagonal-shaped interior, which is a break of tradition favored by Methodists. The exterior is dressed with gabled bargeboards that are supported by brackets, small windows in arched or rectangular configurations, and a square bell tower with arches at each of the three levels.

5. Old Katonah

To quote local historian Gray Williams, Katonah was, “the village that wouldn’t drown.” The village uprooted from its original location and moved due to the construction of the New Croton Dam and the enlargement of the Croton Reservoir. The construction of the dam was needed to provide additional water for a growing New York City population. The village continues to survive today because its residents banded together to purchase land for a new village and ambitiously moved many of its original buildings.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Katonah Hamlet Historic District

Created by Westchester County Historical Society on November 4th 2021, 2:04:45 pm.

Get a QR Code for this tour

Description

The Katonah Hamlet Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Sites in 1983. The district consists primarily of residential buildings, however, several churches and commercial buildings are also present within the district, such as Katonah’s First Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist Church of Katonah, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Some of the 38 buildings within the historic district were originally in Old Katonah before the village was uprooted and moved during the 1890s due to the construction of the New Croton Dam.

Entries on This Tour

Katonah Hamlet Historic District

Description

Share