Wave Hill celebrates 60 years of nature, history and community in the Bronx

The lush grounds of Wave Hill were alive with celebration in honor of its 60th anniversary.

Since opening its gates in 1965, Wave Hill has served as an urban oasis for visitors from all walks of life. But there’s more to the site than the florals that meet the eye. Over the past six decades, it’s flourished as a hub for cultural and artistic expression — and a leader in environmental education in the Bronx.

But long before it grew into the treasured 28-acre park it is today, it was a private estate. The historic Wave Hill House, and those who called it home, are central to the park’s legacy and mission.

Among Wave Hill’s famous guests were author Mark Twain in the early 20th century, and conductor Arturo Toscanini in the mid 40s. In the 1950s, the then English Queen Mother briefly stayed at the residence while visiting New York.

The fieldstone structure was completed in 1848 for lawyer William Lewis Morris and his family, who dubbed it the Wave Hill House. By 1886, the land on which it stood was in the hands of new owner, Charles Appleton, a prominent publisher who ran in the same circles as scientific trailblazers like Charles Darwin.

Appleton rented the property to several tenants, including the family of a young Theodore Roosevelt in the early 1870s. As president, Roosevelt later established the Palisades Interstate Park Commission to protect the cliffs overlooking Wave Hill from across the Hudson River.

The home’s final owner, J.P Morgan partner George Walbridge Perkins, took control of the land, as well as the neighboring Glyndor property, in 1903.

In 1960, decades after his death, Perkins’ family donated the estate to the city under the condition it would be a “public garden and cultural center,” not a university research station as the city intended.

In the following years, the institution grew into a breeding ground for environmental stewardship and artistic innovation, shaping generations of eco-warriors and creatives.

“This place was integral in solidifying my identity as a scientist,” Tatyana Graham, a former Wave Hill intern, said. “It completely changed my perspective on science in the Bronx and set me on a path where I knew, ‘okay, I’m gonna do environmental.’”

Graham joined Wave Hill’s Woodland Ecology Research Mentorship program in 2015. The 14-month course for high schoolers combines hands-on ecological work with academic research led by experts in the field. 

It’s one of three rigorous summer youth programs offered, including one of the city’s oldest environmental internships, the Forest Project, which teaches students conservation and restoration skills through tasks like trail building, invasive species removal and river shore clean up. 

“These young people are our future,” Ray Oladapo-Johnson, Wave Hill’s president and executive director, said. “As we face a rapidly changing climate, they’re the ones who are going to ensure we treat our planet in a responsible way. We’re training and exposing them early so they have a head start.”

Most participants in Wave Hill’s youth programs are Bronx natives in Title I schools, which receive federal funding to support low-income students like Graham, an alum of P.S. 81 and Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy. These internships offer invaluable access to science education and green careers in a borough often overlooked for such opportunities.

Equity and accessibility have long been guiding principles at Wave Hill, and Oladapo-Johnson has prioritized making the garden more physically, financially and culturally accessible.

“Making sure we provide programs that accommodate families and are affordable or completely free is important to me,” he said. “It should be accessible to all levels of people, whether you’re an extremely affluent individual or somebody who is young, working or finding your way in life.”

While wheelchair rentals and mobility assistance vehicles are available, much of the park remains difficult to navigate due to its sloped terrain and natural surfaces like gravel and wood chips. Only the Wave Hill House, visitor center, and Glyndor House, which serves as an art gallery, are ADA-compliant. But change is on the horizon.

Plans are underway to introduce an elevated walkway to the aquatic gardens. Oladapo-Johnson noted braille signage and expanded language services are some of the future changes you can expect.

The nonprofit is also making its cultural programming more inclusive. In recent years, it added a Juneteenth celebration and Pride Month events. 

Last year, Wave Hill hosted its first Day of the Dead celebration to mark a major Latin American holiday. That event was organized in partnership with Literacy Community, a group with a strong presence in the largely Spanish-speaking Kingsbridge area.

For Kate Douglass, Wave Hill’s education director, the Day of the Dead event was a highlight.

“It brought in a lot of first-time visitors,” she said, noting the particular interest in the bilingual programming offered that day.

As Wave Hill celebrates another milestone, it pays homage to its deep-rooted history — and a more accessible, inclusive and sustainable future.