Park Hill History in Pictures and Words at the Riverfront Library, March 12
Park Hill residents Barrymore Scherer and Michelle Jacobs-Scherer will present an illustrated talk, Park Hill, an Idyll on the Hudson as part of Park Hill Day at the Yonkers Riverfront Library in Larkin Plaza, opposite the Yonkers Railway Station, Saturday, March 12. The official opening ceremony is at 11:00 a.m. Mr. Scherer will begin his half-hour lecture at 11.30 a.m. Deborah Holcomb is putting together a video loop of then-and-now shots of Park Hill houses and streetscapes, which will be played on a video monitor throughout the day.
There will be refreshments, so those who intend to come ought to RSVP by email before March 6 to: RSVP @ ParkHillYonkers . org or leave a message at 914-610-5255.
Here’s a little snippet from the program:
Park Hill was one of the first planned suburban communities in the United States, and this talk begins with with the coming of the New York and Northern Railroad in the 1880s, which made the development of Park Hill possible by opening direct commuting service with Manhattan long before the building of the subway. We’ll investigate the early years, the architecture of the houses and the overriding concern create a gracious, bucolic community that capitalized on Park Hill’s unique natural surroundings. We’ll discuss some of the celebrities who lived and visited Park Hill over the years, and compare examples of Park Hill scenery a century ago and now.
About your hosts:
Barrymore Laurence Scherer writes and lectures extensively on opera, classical music and the fine arts. A music critic for The Wall Street Journal and American correspondent to the British Gramophone magazine, he is a contributing editor of Art & Auction, and his work has also appeared in The New York Times, Art & Antiques, Town & Country, and other publications.
As lecturer he has given numerous presentations for the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the National Gallery, Hudson River Museum, The Caramoor International Music Festival, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, New York Philharmonic, and Lincoln Center and other venues around the country.
On radio, he has been a commentator for NPR’s Performance Today, and on the nationally syndicated program, First Hearing.
He is author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed Bravo! A Guide to Opera for the Perplexed (Dutton-Plume) and author of the forthcoming Naxos History of American Classical Music (Naxos Records). In addition he contributed to The Philadelphia Orchestra: a Century of Music, edited by John Ardoin (Temple University Press), and wrote the historical essay and notes for the 12-cd set, The Philadelphia Orchestra Centennial Collection.
Michelle Jacobs-Scherer’s photography has been published in The New York Times, Town & Country, The San Francisco Examiner, The International Herald Tribune, England’s Gramophone magazine, France’s Diapason and in a variety of corporate publications. As a producer of corporate video documentaries, she has received several Telly Awards from the American Center for Creativity.
I’ve heard Barrymore lecture about Park Hill before, and he is an enthusiastic and engaging speaker. I’d recommend this even to long time residents and especially to anyone considering moving to the neighborhood.
