Application Filed to Demolish 3 Ridgecrest East in “Scarsdale Heights”

An application has been filed to demolish the home of well known children’s book author and illustrator Bernard Most at 3 Ridgecrest East. Built in 1924 in a development called Scarsdale Heights the Tudor style home is integral to a well preserved neighborhood called Scarsdale Heights.

According to the 2012 Cultural Resource Survey by Li/Salzman and Architectural Historian Andrew Dolkart, Scarsdale Heights, the neighborhood at northwest corner of the Post Road and Fenimore Road was intended to supply soundly constructed homes at moderate cost. Dolkart’s report says, “Scarsdale Heights was planned to fulfill the need for less expensive suburban houses than those available in the Grange, to the east, or Greenacres, to the west. As one real estate broker in Westchester commented, relating to the Scarsdale Heights development, “Westchester County in general, and Scarsdale in particular, is still greatly in need of small houses in restricted sections. Westchester County appeals particularly to the man with an income of from $5,000 to $10,000 per year, and this man usually wants a small but well-constructed house in a select neighborhood.

Unlike many homes in Scarsdale built in the twenties, the name of the architect of 3 Ridgecrest East is known. The home was designed by Randal Henderson who later moved to California and helped design Palm Desert and published Desert Magazine.

Dolkart comments on the diversity of design showcased in the neighborhood. He wrote, “Within the modest scale of the development, Henderson used materials and massing in creative ways. Houses are faced with textured bricks, several with the wide flat sides of the brick exposed. In one house, 13 Ridgecrest West, texture was provided by mortar that oozes out between the bricks (Figures 7-2-4). Stone trim, half timbering, tall chimney s, varied rooflines, projecting entrance pavilions, quaint shutters, and other motifs create a lively group of houses. All houses were not designed by Henderson and built by Mears. Some lots were sold to individuals who hired their own architects, most of whom worked in an aesthetic similar to that of Henderson, creating a unified development.

Comprised of Ridgecrest East, Ridgecrest North, Ridgecrest West and a portion of Dobbs Terrace, the community of 1920’s and 1930’s homes remains largely intact today.

Sadly, the same developer who subdivided lots on Lincoln and Carthage Roads in 2025, has set his sights on taking down 3 Ridgecrest East, which sits high on a hill at the gateway to the development, at the point where Ridgecrest East meets Ridgecrest West. His application will be considered by the Committee for Historic Preservation at their meeting on February 24, 2026.Some fear that if the application is approved, the developer would begin a campaign to raze many of these historic homes, as witnessed in the Heathcote Crest area.

In his report, Dolkart recommends ”Potential Study Areas” to be designated for preservation and this is one of them. He wrote, “The Scarsdale Heights development was immediately successful and it remains a fine enclave of modest, traditionally-designed homes, evidence of the fact that Scarsdale's real estate projects in the 1920s encompassed homes of varying scales that attracted families of both great and modest income.”

In addition to the historic nature of the home and its place in the suburbanization of Scarsdale, the committee can also consider the identity of former homeowners.

In this case, they would have to recognize Bernard Most, a prolific author-illustrator famous for children's books, particularly those featuring dinosaurs and wordplay. His most popular and acclaimed works include If the Dinosaurs Came Back, Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs?, and The Cow That Went OINK.

The Committee for Historic Preservation will consider the application on Tuesday February 24 at 7 pm at Scarsdale Village Hall and the public is invited to participate.