The Scarborough Presbyterian Church is located on three acres near the intersection of Albany Post Road and Scarborough Road in Briarcliff Manor, New York, on property that had once belonged to Elliott Fitch Shepard and his wife, Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt. It is part of a complex of historic buildings that includes: the church, which was designed by the firm of Haydel and Shepard and completed in 1895 to replace the Shepard’s smaller family church; the church house, designed by Augustus Shepard and donated by Mrs. Shepard in 1908; a manse, also contributed by Margaret Shepard, and designed by William C. Holden in 1913; and two carriage barns that date to the last half of the nineteenth century. The parish has been serving congregants, and members of the Briarcliff and Ossining communities, for over 125 years in its beautifully preserved buildings, that also include an 1890s Odell organ. The Scarborough Presbyterian Church is located in the Scarborough Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

The site where the Scarborough Presbyterian Church currently stands is a location of historical significance dating back to the days of the American Revolution when activity was known to have taken place here. A roadhouse was later constructed on the property, which was standing when the land was purchased by Elliott Fitch Shepard, a New York City lawyer and newspaper owner who was also a devout Presbyterian, and his wife, Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt, a granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the railroad and shipping magnate. The roadhouse was used by the Shepard family for a short time in the early 1890s for church services; it was later demolished in order to make space for construction of a newer church. 

The Shepards chose Augustus Haydel, a nephew of renowned architect Stanford White, and their own nephew, August Shepard, to design the main building which would be known as the “Shepard Memorial Church” in memory of Elliott Fitch Shepard, who died in 1893 before construction was completed. Margaret Shepard would remain a faithful supporter of the church until her death in 1925. Later renamed the “Scarborough Presbyterian Church, it was completed in 1895. The building contains a traditional layout with Renaissance-inspired details. It consists of carefully laid blocks of field stone, trimmed with granite and Indiana limestone.

The church house, located to the east of the church, was designed by August Shepard, whose partnership with Augustus Haydel was short-lived. Constructed in 1908, the building is five bays wide, three deep, and has a hip roof. It has been enlarged over the years to provide classroom and meeting spaces for church and community groups.

The carriage barn is located north of the church. It was built with a concrete foundation and a slate-covered hip roof with spring eaves and copper finials. The main entrance has two carriage entrances with double wooden doors, and a third entrance with a single door. For many years, the barn has served as living quarters for the church sexton, and contains a garage and storage space.

The manse is located on Route 9, at the intersection of the Revolutionary Road. It was designed in 1913 by William C. Holden and built by his father George C. Holden. The manse is constructed of concrete block and stands two-and-a-half stories high and two bays deep.

In the 1890s, an Odell Opus 327 pipe organ, a donation from Mrs. Shepard, was installed in the church. It was originally in the front of the church, but later moved to the gallery. Conceived as two manuals and twenty-six ranks, with slider chests, it was among Odell’s first electric action instruments. In 2009 the organ was dismantled and removed in order to be taken to Odell facilities for restoration. The restored organ was reinstalled in the church in 2010. The organ and church remain in active use as of 2022.

1. Cheever, Mary. The Changing Landscape: A History of Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough. Phoenix Publishing, West Kennebunk, Maine, for the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society. 1990
2. “Church History.” Scarborough Church website. Accessed April 5, 2022. https://scarboroughchurch.net/about/the-church 
3. “Opus 327.” Odell Organs website. Accessed April 5, 2022. https://www.odellorgans.com/opus-327
4. “Scarborough Historic District #84003433.” National Register of Historic Places. United States Department of the Interior/National Park Service. Sept. 7, 1984.
5. “The History of Scarborough Presbyterian Church.” Scarborough Presbyterian Church History pamphlet. May 5, 2003.
6. Williams, Gray. Picturing Our Past: National Register Sites in Westchester County. Westchester County Historical Society. New York. 2003.