October 28, 2025
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
It’s amazing to think it was nearly 15 years ago that I started the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, when the garden was just a shadow of its former self. To date, about two-thirds of the garden has been gloriously restored and is now appreciated by 300,000 visitors every year. The combination of sophisticated horticulture married to monumental architecture is hard to beat, especially when accompanied by a compelling historical narrative and an incredible view.
To date we have restored four of Samuel Untermyer’s original gardens—the Walled Garden, the Vista, the Rock and Stream Garden, and the Temple of Love. We have reimagined two gardens that reference earlier ones—the Ornamental Vegetable Garden and Orchard and the Rhododendron Walk. We have created three wholly new garden features that are evolving beautifully—the Ruin Garden, the Meadow, and the Stumpery.
Alongside the garden’s rebirth, we have introduced a rich array of classes, tours, and music and dance performances. Our dazzling Grand Holiday Illumination, now in its tenth year (and also free to the public), has become a cherished multicultural holiday tradition. And our outreach to the Yonkers Public Schools is growing rapidly, with more than 1,600 students visiting this year.
This is a project like no other, and it has seized the imagination and passion of so many people. Our team of gardeners has grown from the one and only (literally!) Timothy Tilghman to eleven this year. Just as Timothy found he needed more hands to care for the garden, I gradually brought in more hands to help me manage an organization that now raises more than $2 million every year to operate the garden and run our many programs.
I am delighted to report that Michele Rossetti will become the Conservancy’s first Executive Director on January 2. Michele is well known in and knowledgeable about the world of public gardens, having spent 29 years at nearby Wave Hill, nine of them as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. A lifelong Yonkers resident and longtime friend to the garden, she has generously assisted us behind the scenes over the years. She will bring managerial expertise, extensive experience in education and outreach, and fresh insights to enrich the formula that has served us so well. As she takes on the role of managing our operations and our partnership with the City of Yonkers, Michele will help propel us to an even higher level.
I have known Michele since 2000, so our mutual respect is deep. As a trusted partner, Michele will allow me to reduce my workload as I pursue an ambitious goal: to drive the completion of the final third of the garden’s reinvention with the critical fundraising this entails. There is much work ahead—renovations (the Color Gardens, the Long Garden, the Sun Dial Garden), innovations (the Quiet Garden), and building and rebuilding infrastructure essential to sustain the garden in its next century.
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
It’s amazing to think it was nearly 15 years ago that I started the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, when the garden was just a shadow of its former self. To date, about two-thirds of the garden has been gloriously restored and is now appreciated by 300,000 visitors every year. The combination of sophisticated horticulture married to monumental architecture is hard to beat, especially when accompanied by a compelling historical narrative and an incredible view.
To date we have restored four of Samuel Untermyer’s original gardens—the Walled Garden, the Vista, the Rock and Stream Garden, and the Temple of Love. We have reimagined two gardens that reference earlier ones—the Ornamental Vegetable Garden and Orchard and the Rhododendron Walk. We have created three wholly new garden features that are evolving beautifully—the Ruin Garden, the Meadow, and the Stumpery.
Alongside the garden’s rebirth, we have introduced a rich array of classes, tours, and music and dance performances. Our dazzling Grand Holiday Illumination, now in its tenth year (and also free to the public), has become a cherished multicultural holiday tradition. And our outreach to the Yonkers Public Schools is growing rapidly, with more than 1,600 students visiting this year.
This is a project like no other, and it has seized the imagination and passion of so many people. Our team of gardeners has grown from the one and only (literally!) Timothy Tilghman to eleven this year. Just as Timothy found he needed more hands to care for the garden, I gradually brought in more hands to help me manage an organization that now raises more than $2 million every year to operate the garden and run our many programs.
I am delighted to report that Michele Rossetti will become the Conservancy’s first Executive Director on January 2. Michele is well known in and knowledgeable about the world of public gardens, having spent 29 years at nearby Wave Hill, nine of them as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. A lifelong Yonkers resident and longtime friend to the garden, she has generously assisted us behind the scenes over the years. She will bring managerial expertise, extensive experience in education and outreach, and fresh insights to enrich the formula that has served us so well. As she takes on the role of managing our operations and our partnership with the City of Yonkers, Michele will help propel us to an even higher level.
I have known Michele since 2000, so our mutual respect is deep. As a trusted partner, Michele will allow me to reduce my workload as I pursue an ambitious goal: to drive the completion of the final third of the garden’s reinvention with the critical fundraising this entails. There is much work ahead—renovations (the Color Gardens, the Long Garden, the Sun Dial Garden), innovations (the Quiet Garden), and building and rebuilding infrastructure essential to sustain the garden in its next century.
Stephen F. Byrns, President; Michele Rossetti, Executive Director; and Peter Boodell, Chair
I will continue as President, at my same desk by the window, but my presence will be somewhat less constant. And it will be my pleasure to continue to write this newsletter as long as you continue to read it!
Meanwhile, thank you for the role you have played in making Untermyer Gardens one of America’s finest gardens once again. I hope Michele and I, together with our board of directors, can count on your continued support during the Conservancy’s next exciting phase.
Meanwhile, thank you for the role you have played in making Untermyer Gardens one of America’s finest gardens once again. I hope Michele and I, together with our board of directors, can count on your continued support during the Conservancy’s next exciting phase.
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns, President
Stephen F. Byrns, President
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