Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District

The Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District is a holdout of historic private residences in an area of Yonkers, NY, that has changed immensely since the first house was constructed in 1855. Located on approximately two square blocks at the top of a hill that was within walking distance of the factories and downtown stores of historic Yonkers, the predominantly Italianate homes in the district attracted successful merchants and professionals whose residences were often accompanied by carriage houses. Most of these have since been demolished. Many of the early homeowners in the district helped to transform Yonkers from a small village to one of the largest cities in New York State. Eight houses remain in the district as of August 2022, with one of them (57 Locust Hill Avenue) is slated to be torn down and replaced by an eight-story apartment complex. The Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. 

The Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District is located on top of a prominent hill in western Yonkers that was once part of the original 100,000-acre Philipsburg Manor, an enormous landholding that stretched northward from the Bronx to the Croton River and eastward from the Hudson River to the Bronx River. The land here had been undeveloped until the mid-nineteenth century until William W. Woodworth, a former president of the Village of Yonkers, divided an area of approximately two blocks into 25-by-100-foot lots. Many of these original lot divisions remain as property boundaries for the houses of the Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District, although a consolidations have increased their size.

In 1849 the Hudson River Railroad arrived to Yonkers. By this time, the small village known primarily as an agricultural port was already on its way to becoming a commercial and industrial center. The Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District attracted merchants and professionals who chose to build homes close to their places of business with easy access to transportation lines and main roads. The neighborhood also provided views and proximity to the nearby Hudson River. 

In 1855, Philip A. Deyo constructed the first home built in the Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District at Number 1 Bell Place. Deyo was a prosperous local merchant and trustee of Citizens National Bank and Peoples Savings Bank. The Elting brothers of the E.J. Elting & Brother store, also owned homes in the district. Peter Elting, a vice-president of Citizens National Bank, resided at 12 Bell Place, which had been built in 1865 by Lucius A. Clark of the New York City architectural firm Clark & Maynard. Ezekiel J. Elting built his Italian Villa-style mansion directly across the street from his brother Peter at 57 Locust Hill Avenue in 1878. Other neighbors included John W. Alexander, a successful lawyer who lived at 39 Locust Hill Avenue; Joseph A. Lockwood, a civil engineer at the Yonkers Water Works and a superintendent of the city’s water board who lived at 45 Locust Hill Avenue; and John Wheeler of 17 Bell Place, a former Yonkers trustee, founding member of the Peoples Savings Bank of Yonkers, and amateur architect.

All eight homes in the Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District were designed in the various revival styles popular during the second half of the nineteenth century. Three examples of Italianate-style residences can be found at Numbers 1, 7, and 12 Bell Place. Two examples of French Second Empire-style dwellings exist at 17 Bell Place and 39 Locust Hill Avenue. The remaining houses exemplify the High Victorian Gothic style (45 Locust Hill Avenue), the High Victorian Italianate style (57 Locust Hill Avenue), and the Queen Anne style (53 Locust Hill Avenue).

The majority of the structures in the Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District are constructed of brick, with two built of wood (12 Bell Place and 53 Locust Hill Avenue). Many of the dwellings feature wide verandas, architectural moldings that articulate the buildings, and round and segmental arched windows that contribute to the visual cohesiveness and architectural quality of the area.

The Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. In spite of this designation, one of the properties in the district, the 1878 E.J. Elting House located at 57 Locust Hill Avenue was approved for demolition by the Yonkers Zoning Board of Appeals in April of 2022. It is being replaced by an eight-story apartment complex. The other seven homes in the district remain private residences.

1. “Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District #85001936.” National Register of Historic Places. United States Department of the Interior/National Park Service. 1985. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322957
2. City of Yonkers Zoning Board. "Minutes of January 18, 2022." https://www.yonkersny.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/31730/637846610934370000
3. City of Yonkers Zoning Board. "Minutes of April 19, 2022 Meeting." https://www.yonkersny.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/32644/637897759644970000
4. Rebic, Michael P., ed. James D. Keen, Doris B. Keen. Landmarks Lost & Found: An Introduction to the Architecture and History of Yonkers. Yonkers, NY: Yonkers Planning Bureau and the Yonkers Environmental Impact Advisory Commission. 1986.
5. Williams, Gray. Picturing Our Past: National Register Sites in Westchester County. Westchester County Historical Society. 2003.