CHP Clears the Way for Subdivision of a Historic Property on Mamaroneck Road

It seems that rules are made to be broken in Scarsdale. When it comes to land use, there’s no decision made by a Village Committee that can’t be amended, changed or reversed.

That’s exactly what we saw at the meeting of the Committee for Historic Preservation on Tuesday February 15, when they cleared the way for a clever developer to subdivide a property that the Committee had previously found to be historic and worthy of preservation. In addition to giving him permission to demolish the caretaker’s cottage and garage they also said it was okay to lop off a portion of the house that stood too close to the new property line to facilitate his proposed subdivision.

In April 2021, the Committee denied an application to demolish a 7,000 square foot 1916 Colonial Revival home, accessory buildings and pool at 40 Mamaroneck Road. The committee considered both the house and its site at the end of a long driveway on a 2.83 acre lot on a prominent street. Furthermore, the grounds include fruit trees and a rare 150 year old Chestnut tree.

The committee voted in favor of preserving it, finding it a, “strong example of a large home on a large property for wealthy merchants leaving the city for suburban life,” and said, “this is a home that contributes to the broad patterns of history.”

However, just a few months later, developer Shlomo Freidfertig filed an application to take down the accessory buildings and the small addition to the house to clear the way for a subdivision of the property that had been found to be historic and was to be. preserved intact. He simultaneously filed an application with the Planning Board to subdivide the property but noted on his application that there would be “no new house” on the new property.

But during the January 18, 2022 when he presented his plan he announced, surprise, surprise, his intention to build a second house on the subdivided property but did not show a plan of where it would be sited, and how it would affect the overall setting.

He returned to the CHP meeting February 15 with a blurry site plan showing what appears to be a massive house on what is now the front lawn of 40 Mamaroneck Road, coupled with an offer to waive his appeal to tear down the main house.

It was not clear why an application to demolish portions of a historic property had been put on the agenda in the first place. Why did the building department allow Freidfertig to apply to destroy what had been deemed worthy of preservation by the committee and the Village’s architectural expert, Andrew Dolkart? Do they ever say no? And if not, why not?

At the opening of the meeting on February 15, it appeared that the Committee for Historic Preservation was prepared to accept this horse trade or compromise to save the main house in exchange for allowing the destruction of the accessory buildings, the setting and even an addition to the house so that the developer could subdivide the property.

The Committee justified their decision by saying that since the accessory buildings were not historic and other large lots on Mamaroneck Road had been subdivided, they should permit the developer to move forward with the subdivision.

What was most puzzling is why they felt they needed to make a compromise on one of the few properties they had previously voted to preserve.

They had additional ammunition to consider as well.

The neighbor at 20 Mamaroneck Road Carol Wolchock shared the fact that her parents had purchased the lot that lies between 20 and 40 Mamaroneck Road so that it would not be developed. In a letter she wrote, “20 Mamaroneck Road and 40 Mamaroneck Road have been neighbors for over 100 years, and for almost sixty of those years the Wolchok and Rosenthal families have been neighbors. In fact, shortly after my parents purchased 20 Mamaroneck Road, my father approached the Rosenthals (the current owners of 40 Mamaroneck Road) about buying together the plot between their properties. That plot, identified as Plot 26 in Attachment A, was 1.133 acres and had been part of the impressive 20 Mamaroneck Rd estate but was not included in the parcel with the house purchased by parents in 1963.”

“The Wolchoks and the Rosenthals bought and divided Plot 26 soon thereafter: the Rosenthals acquired the eastern portion (outlined in bold in Attachment B) and the Wolchoks acquired the western portion. The intention was that the two families enjoy larger properties and that no new owner would purchase the land between the two homes to construct a third house. We believe this is what Mr. Freidfertig and Mr. Rosenthal intend to do.”

At the February meeting Wolchok said to the CHP, “You made a decision that the whole property had value and it surprises me that you’re reversing your decision. I see that you think this is a compromise. I don’t see anything that supports this reversal of your earlier decision.”

She continued, “Since the 2012 Cultural Resources survey came out, this property is now a decade older. There has been movement in historic preservation. There are untold stories and we are erasing those. There is a whole change in philosophy. What is outstanding about this property is that these buildings represent a period in the history of Scarsdale. It’s a shame to rip this down and put in another new building. There are still many historic homes on Mamaroneck Road. To me, putting up a massive new house among these stately properties surprises me. It saddens me that you would not find this worthy of preservation. If it is not, what is?”

About the developer she said, “Shlomo (Freidfertig) is charming and I think it would be a shame for you to do this.” (see her letter below.)

The Committee ultimately voted to approve the developer’s application to raze the shed and accessory buildings with a stipulation that the main house be preserved. Will that stipulation hold if Freidfertig sees an opportunity to raze the historic house and put a Mac Mansion in it’s place?

The decision demonstrates yet again that Scarsdale has little backbone when it comes to preservation and invites developers to continue their feeding frenzy on historic homes and landscapes.

The subdivision application will be considered by the Planning Board on February 23, 2022.

Here is the letter that neighbor Carol Leslie Wolchok of 20 Mamaroneck Road sent to the CHP on February 15, 2022

Dear Committee for Historic Preservation Members:
I am writing to reassert our family’s objections to the demolition of accessory structures at 40 Mamaroneck Rd. In addition to the comment submitted on January 18, 2022, I request your consideration of the following:

1.This Committee decided in April 2021 that this property is “associated with events that have made a significant contribution to broad patterns of Village, regional, state or national history” and “is an excellent example of a house from the peak years of Scarsdale’s suburbanization.” No evidence or information has been presented by the applicant to warrant a reconsideration or reversal of that decision.

2. This application presents an important opportunity for the CHP and Village to recognize the reliance on and vital role of domestic workers in Scarsdale households during the second and third decades of the twentieth century. In 1916, when the house and cottage were constructed, Scarsdale had barely 3000 residents. A decade later, one in five Scarsdale residents was a domestic servant. See Carol A. O’Connor, A Sort of Utopia: Scarsdale, 1891-1981 (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1983). These workers, primarily women, a substantial portion of whom were immigrant and African American, performed essential services but are largely forgotten.

The concept of historic preservation has evolved from protecting just the homes of important figures and landmark buildings to being more inclusive: telling a fuller story and the stories of underrepresented communities and people. In 1925, 501 Scarsdale households reported having 910 servants. I imagine that few original caretaker residences from this period survive today. This Committee should acknowledge these workers’ contributions and not allow evidence of their existence to be erased.

3. In addition to their historical importance, auxiliary dwelling units are “the rage” in communities across the United States today. The cottage at 40 Mamaroneck Road continues to be habitable and inhabited. Rather than being viewed as an undesirable feature, a historic home with an accessory dwelling in a park-like setting should be highly attractive to many families.

4. That particular stretch of Mamaroneck Road has layers of history. Mamaroneck Road was a major thoroughfare before and during the Revolutionary War. Opposite the site where Mr. Freidfertig proposes to build a new large house is the 1733 house that British General Howe used as his headquarters in 1776. When I gaze across our yard to the Rosenthals’, I often wonder if British troops camped there. And, if they did, what might they have left behind? On the next corner, at 2 Garden Road, is a house built in 1870 when Scarsdale had only a few hundred residents. The Wolchok (1904) and Rosenthal houses were built before 1920. Other nearby homes have similar ages (e.g., 54 Mamaroneck Road built in 1904 and 55 Mamaroneck Rd in 1890). These homes near the intersection of Garden and Mamaroneck Road are tied to significant periods in Scarsdale’s history. Certainly, that section of Mamaroneck Road is not appropriate for the new large construction that the applicant proposes (and that is pending before the Planning Board).

In closing, I want to reiterate that Mr. Freidfertig intends to build a new house on a parcel of land that was largely part of the original 20 Mamaroneck Rd estate (John Hancock’s “Home Port”). The Rosenthals and Wolchoks bought that parcel (“Plot 26”) in February 1965 to avert its sale to a third party for construction of a new house between their homes. For nearly 60 years, the Wolchoks and Rosenthals shared the mutual understanding that a third house should not be built there. The approval of this demolition application would not only pave the way for eventual partition and new construction there, but it would likely compromise the historic value of both properties.

For all of the foregoing reasons, we renew our opposition to the application to tear down the cottage, garage, and “shed” attached to the house as well as to demolish the main house.

Very truly yours,
Carol L Wolchok
Co-Owner of 20 Mamaroneck Road, Scarsdale

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