The Conservancy and the Garden
The Untermyer Gardens Conservancy was founded in 2011 by Stephen F. Byrns to reclaim the lost
splendor of Untermyer Gardens, a Yonkers municipal park that is the home of the finest Indo-Persian
garden in the Western Hemisphere.
In 1899 Samuel Untermyer purchased Greystone, the former estate of Samuel Tilden. In the forty one
years Untermyer owned Greystone, he transformed the gardens and greenhouses into some of the most
celebrated gardens in America. After expanding the estate through property purchases to the north and
east of the original estate, he hired Beaux Arts architect Welles Bosworth to design the gardens in 1916.
These gardens sprawled over 150 acres overlooking the Hudson River and were maintained by 60
gardeners and supplied by 60 greenhouses. It was open to the public on a weekly basis during the 1920s
and '30s and for special events, including displays of his famous chrysanthemums and tulips. Thirty-
thousand people visited it on one day in 1939.
Upon Samuel Untermyer’s death in 1940, the garden was left in limbo while the estate was settled and a
plan to care for it determined. A core part of the gardens was acquired by the City of Yonkers in 1946. In
the 1990s, another parcel was acquired, bringing its present acreage to 43. Today, its prestige as one of
the greatest gardens in America has been restored, and it is one of the top visitor destinations in
Westchester County.
splendor of Untermyer Gardens, a Yonkers municipal park that is the home of the finest Indo-Persian
garden in the Western Hemisphere.
In 1899 Samuel Untermyer purchased Greystone, the former estate of Samuel Tilden. In the forty one
years Untermyer owned Greystone, he transformed the gardens and greenhouses into some of the most
celebrated gardens in America. After expanding the estate through property purchases to the north and
east of the original estate, he hired Beaux Arts architect Welles Bosworth to design the gardens in 1916.
These gardens sprawled over 150 acres overlooking the Hudson River and were maintained by 60
gardeners and supplied by 60 greenhouses. It was open to the public on a weekly basis during the 1920s
and '30s and for special events, including displays of his famous chrysanthemums and tulips. Thirty-
thousand people visited it on one day in 1939.
Upon Samuel Untermyer’s death in 1940, the garden was left in limbo while the estate was settled and a
plan to care for it determined. A core part of the gardens was acquired by the City of Yonkers in 1946. In
the 1990s, another parcel was acquired, bringing its present acreage to 43. Today, its prestige as one of
the greatest gardens in America has been restored, and it is one of the top visitor destinations in
Westchester County.
The Garden
For more in depth information about the gardens, please see their individual pages.
