In celebration of President John F. Kennedy’s centennial birthday, the Kennedy family was honored with a plaque commemorating the 12 years that they lived in Bronxville.
Until the May 29 official unveiling, Bronxville had been the only place of residence for the Kennedys that didn’t have official public recognition.
Kennedy family’s time spent in Bronxville from 1929 to 1941.
Photo/Taylor Brown
Marilyn Hill, of the Bronxville Historical Conservancy, said the obscurity of the Kennedys time in Bronxville was because typically historical markers are placed in the home of the previous residents. Yet, the Kennedy family’s 6-acre estate known as Crownlands was located on Pondfield Road, but in the 1950s, the land was torn down and subdivided into what is now known as Crown Circle.
The memorial plaque features a broad outline of activities that Kennedy, his siblings and parents took part in while living in the village from 1929 to 1941, according to Hill, who added that Kennedy’s 100th birthday marked “the perfect time for us to do a marker to commemorate [him].”
The project stemmed from the historians and residents of Bronxville wondering why there was nothing celebrating the Kennedys lives there, according to Hill.
As of a year ago, the conservancy began working with Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin to come up with the plaque idea. “The decision was that we would recognize the years and residence of the entire [Kennedy] family as participators in the community, but with emphasis on John [F. Kennedy],” Hill said.
During the family’s time in Bronxville, Kennedy was away attending private school at Riverdale Country School and eventually Harvard University. However, he was still an active participant in the village. Kennedy was a member of Boy Scout Troop 2 and took lessons at Miss Covington’s School of Dance.
Although Kennedy wasn’t enrolled in the Bronxville school district, his six younger siblings attended both private and public schools there.
Walter Sedovic, a historic preservation architect from Bronxville, said he felt it was important that he attended the plaque’s unveiling.
his wife Jacqueline Kennedy. Photo courtesy commons.
wikimedia.org
“John F. Kennedy in my earlier life represented all the ideals that I had as a child,” Sedovic said.
Mayor Marvin explained that one of the best parts of the monument was Bronxville’s collaboration with neighboring Tuckahoe, who donated marble stone from a local marble quarry for the plaque. “I am so proud to share this commemoration,” she said. “As for me, President Kennedy will always represent bold vision, a commitment to public service, a youthful energy, and in my mind, a vigor that signals America will always have even better days ahead.”
Bronxville resident Dawn Tyrell said that her and her husband wanted to come to the memorial to support their son, who is a part of Boy Scout Troop 2. She said they first learned that Kennedy was a member of Troop 2 when they were looking for a troop for their son to join. “It’s very exciting,” Tyrell said. “We love the plaque.”
