Riverdale YM-YWHA finally finds a home that's all its own

1978

Proposed parkway changes leaves out emergency access

“Creation is a patient search,” The Press noted, quoting Le Corbusier, a Swiss-French architect. The quote seemed a fitting way to lead a story about the Riverdale YM-YWHA’s quest for a home. In 1971, Bronx Y trustees thought they had hit upon the ideal location at West 246th Street and Henry Hudson Parkway, but vehement opposition from the site’s neighbors in Fieldston forced the Y to withdraw.

It must have seemed as if the Y would never find a place to house its ambitious list of activities. Then the Rabbi Jacob Joseph Academy abandoned its plans for a private school on Arlington Avenue near West 256th Street.

The steel superstructure of the building was already in place and, this time, neighbors were welcoming.

Each time you head up the Henry Hudson Parkway after crossing the bridge from Manhattan, say thank you to Rolf Von Hall. In 1978, the iconoclastic president of the Spuyten Duyvil Association raised a ruckus when he read about the City Department of Transportation’s plans to renovate the ribbon of highway that slices through Riverdale.

He realized what traffic planners had failed to notice: exits and entrances like the one at West 227th Street are vital for police and emergency vehicles. Mr. Von Hall rallied community opposition to the plan and needled the community board into action. Eventually, the DOT went back to the drawing board. Though exits were closed and the highway was narrowed, access points for emergency vehicles were retained.