New Fence Caps Year of Renewal for Manor Park

by Judy Silberstein

(December 15, 2004) Workers are continuing a race against winter weather in Manor Park to finish installing new, black, stylish metal fencing around the beach portions of this privately managed Larchmont fixture. “We love that the wonderful view is now framed, rather than 'jail fenced off',” said Katharina Kaminski, who along with her husband, Paul, and two young children are the latest residents at the end of Beach Avenue in the "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" house previously owned by Walter and Jean Kerr, the famous literary couple. Coming from neighbors with views of the beach – and the fence – from two sides of their many-windowed home, this is a strong endorsement of the artistic vision employed by the Manor Park Society in the latest element of a yearlong upgrade to the property.

2004 has been a renewal year for the park. The year started off on a strong note with the completion of a fundraising drive that concluded with over $1 million in contributions and pledges. Trustees of the Larchmont Manor Park Society (LMPS), the private not-for-profit organization that owns and manages Manor Park and Fountain Square, had launched the campaign in 2003 as a way to address the need for long overdue repairs and improvements to these properties, as well as to create an endowment to support park operations over the long term.

LMPS President, Rob Snedeker, said, “Our first priority, as soon as the weather permitted, was to repair and reinforce seawalls, particularly along the eastern and southerly perimeters of the Park. At one point, a hole big enough to stand in had opened up, and if left unrepaired could have led to significant erosion and ultimately the loss of Umbrella Point. We were fortunate to have the work done by a company, Thomas Guglielmo & Sons, that has invaluable experience in this critical repair work with several generations of family involved in Manor Park masonry contracts over the years.”

By early summer another project was underway. Like its twin several hundred yards to the east, which had been rebuilt several years ago, the west-facing gazebo had succumbed to water damage and needed to be entirely reconstructed. In the process significant erosion underneath the foundation was discovered and thanks to the continuing efforts of the Guglielmo firm, repaired before further damage could occur.

A more controversial project involved the construction of a large decorative sign on the hill overlooking one side of Manor Park, which disappeared even before it was finished. Rob Snedeker explained: “At least three or four years ago the Trustees concluded it would be appropriate to have a sign located in the park that would describe the background and history of the property; considerable thought was given to the appearance and placement, but as the actual construction neared completion it became clear to us that it just didn’t seem to ‘fit’.”

“Certainly we had positive comments regarding the informational aspect of the sign, but we also had a lot of feedback that echoed our own reactions and decided that the best interests of the park would be served by removing it. We do plan to reconfigure the informational component of the sign in a manner similar to the green signs now at entrances to the Park, and reinstall it in a different location.”

“All the comments – even the negative ones - only show that people in Larchmont care about and love the park, and that’s a positive thing,” said Manor Park Trustee Karin Sherman.

Just this past week work began on another major Capital Campaign project: replacement of over 1,100 feet of rusted chain link and barbed wire fence along the western side of the park. Trustee Karin Sherman, who headed up the effort to get construction underway, commented, “ We’ve all known that the existing fence represented a terrible eyesore to all who visit the park and to the neighboring families. The new fence will give the appearance of this part of the park a real boost, while providing the necessary security around the beach area. We also plan to upgrade areas around the beach bathhouse so they will complement the new fencing.”

What’s next for this popular park? More seawall work and a major redo of some of the eroded pathways, most noticeably the one leading down to Horseshoe Harbor. “And at some point we’ll get underway with a long-term landscape plan,” said Rob Snedeker. “This will require input from professional landscape architects. We’re trying to look out ten, twenty, thirty years and ask what will the park look like,” he said.

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