History of Mt. Vernon, NY
Elucidation Referendum Name Of The City Library North Side And South Side Mayors Of Mount Vernon Famous Attractions St Paul’s Church National Historic Site First United Methodist Church John Stevens House US Post Office-Mount Vernon Trinity Episcopal Church Complex Position Downtown Mount Vernon Mount Vernon Heights Financial System Parks Administration History of Mt. Vernon, NYElucidationBy seeing the history of Mt. Vernon, NY it is believed that it is one of the most populous cities of New York State. At present Mt. Vernon is considered as eighth most populous city of New York. The city is divided into two main sectors. One section of Mount Vernon is the Southside that is more of an urban area. It also matches the Bronx to the south. However the other section of Mount Vernon that is located in the North side is more of a residential area. The main features of the downtown district of Mount Vernon consist of:Office Buildings Municipal Organizations Public Library Post Office City Hall ReferendumAccording to the history of Mt. Vernon, NY the year 1894 holds huge significance. In this year the decision was to be made whether Mount Vernon along with other few cities would become a part of New York City or not. Voters from all these cities got together to cast their vote. The cities whose decision was to be made were:Mount Vernon Queens County Kings County Richmond County Yonkers The results of Queens County, Kings County and Richmond County were positive however the results of Mount Vernon and Yonkers were negative. So these two cities remained independent while the others became the part of great New York City. Name Of The CityThe history of Mt. Vernon, NY tells that the name of the city holds some interesting facts. The Bronx’s Wakefield is the neighbor of Mount Vernon. The name of Wakefield came into being after the plantation. That plantation was where George Washington lived a huge part of his life. However Mount Vernon is named after any plantation or anything that belonged to George Washington. Mount Vernon got this name after a plantation of Virginia although it is believed that George Washington spent his final years there. According to the history of Mt. Vernon, NY it is said that the city founded by Anne Hutchinson in seventeenth century. This name was suggested because of its green mount.LibraryAndrew Carnegie gifted the public library to the city now known as The Mount Vernon Public Library. History of Mt. Vernon, NY states that the library was opened in the year 1904. At present the Mount Vernon Public Library is a part of Westchester Library System. The Library system is working towards providing computer services, educational facilities and cultural check to residents of the county. These facilities are available for people of all ages.North Side And South Side1960s was the time when Mount Vernon was regarded as a divided city with a northern style. According to the history of Mt. Vernon, NY during these years the city was seen as a good opportunity for jobs and advanced education. Many people especially black people from southern United States migrated to Mount Vernon in search of jobs. On the other side many white people also started to shift to Mount Vernon. The white Americans were usually from Bronx and Manhattan. This resulted in the division of Mount Vernon into two sectors. The division was done by the two railroad tracks. The history of Mt. Vernon, NY says that one side was known as north side while the other side came to be known as south side. The north side of Mount Vernon was mostly black however the south side was occupied mostly by whites.Mayors Of Mount VernonThe history of Mt. Vernon, NY clearly shows that the city had a change of many mayors. The timeline is as followed, during 1970s the segregation was at its peak, at the time the mayor of Mount Vernon was August Petrillo. After the death of August Petrillo, Thomas E Sharpe became the elected mayor. In 1984 Thomas E Sharpe passed away. Due to the death of Thomas Sharpe, Carmella Iaboni was appointed as an acting mayor. After the proper voting procedure Ronald Blackwood replaced Carmella as an elected mayor. The history of Mt. Vernon, NY tells that Blackwood was the very first Afro-Caribbean mayor of Mount Vernon. To be more appropriate he was the first Afro-Caribbean mayor of any city in the State of New York.Ernest D. Davis became the elected mayor of the city in the year 1996; he served the city as a mayor till the year 2007. In the year 2008 the city got a new mayor known as Clinton I. Young, Jr. He served the city for almost four years. In year 2012 Mount Vernon got its twenty first mayor but unfortunately in 2013 he was removed because he failed to report rental income. In the year 2015 another mayor was elected. Richard Thomas won the mayor ship with a good victory. He won in September 2015 but he went through another election the same year in November. However he again won the elections and was declared the Mayor of Mount Vernon. The history of Mt. Vernon, NY clearly shows that in past the city was more occupied by homes and small businesses but at present Mount Vernon has changed into a regional commerce. Six years (2000-2006) were considered growth years of the city, during these years Mount Vernon experienced a rapid economy growth. During those times the city was called one of the fastest growing cities of New York. Famous AttractionsSt Paul’s Church National Historic SiteThis beautiful historic church is located in Mount Vernon, New York. Since 1978 this historic site is under authorization, which means the church is being protected from getting any harm from the rapid industrialization. In 1776 St Paul’s Church was used as a hospital for military, it is considered one of the oldest sites of New York. There is a cemetery adjacent to the St Paul’s Church that contains thousands of burials.Before Saint Paul’s Church came into being there was a small, wooden church named Church of Eastchester at its place. Saint Paul’s Church was built in 1764 but this name was given in the year 1795. First United Methodist ChurchThe First United Methodist Church is also known as “Chester Hill Methodist Episcopal Church). Its architecture is beautiful and represents the creative architecture of Victorian period. To be more exact the church is an illustration of Romanesque Revival ecclesiastical architecture. It was built in the year 1900-1901. The architect of the church was a well known person called George W. Kramer. The credit for the handsomeness and the beauty of the church goes to Kramer. In the year 1935 an addition was made in the church, a Sunday school was added in it. This addition did not have any major impact the building. The original fabric of the church has been maintained since ages, a little or no change has been seen in all these years. The church is still being used by people from all the ethnic or racial backgrounds.The church has a gorgeous clock tower and an attention grabbing eighty five foot bell. The neighborhood of the church is a residential sector. The building of the church is made from granite, with lime stones used for detailing. The auditorium has beautiful large sized windows those are arched and round. The seating plan of the auditorium is amphitheatre like and the ceiling is quite magnificent. The Sunday school has the following features: Three Large Class Room On Upper Floor Gymnasium On First Floor Multipurpose Rooms Present At The Basement John Stevens HouseMount Vernon is blessed with a gorgeous historic home known as John Stevens House. It is more of a farmhouse built in five by three bay. During the years 1849 and 1851 the construction of the house was completed. The home belonged to the founder of Mount Vernon, John Stevens.US Post Office-Mount VernonWestchester County’s famous city Mount Vernon has a historic building, a US post office. The office of the supervising architect built this post office. The post office was built in the year 1915. Oscar Wenderoth is believed to have given all the instructions regarding the building of the post office.Trinity Episcopal Church ComplexEpiscopal Church is another historic place in Mount Vernon, located at 335 Fourth Avenue, Westchester County. Saint Paul’s Church is considered Episcopal Church’s mother church and they both are in close proximity to each other.The features of the complex are: Church Built In 1859 Old Parish Hall That Was Built In 1892 New Parish Hall Rectory Formed In 1893 There is an L shaped building that connects the church’s old parish hall with the church’s new parish hall. According the history of Mt. Vernon, NY the church was made in a beautiful style known as Gothic revival. In 1880s the church went through redecoration and enlargement. National Register of Historic Places added the name of the Episcopal Church in their record in the year 1997. However the church closed in the year 2016. PositionThe stunning city Mount Vernon is considered the third largest city of Westchester County. It is also known as one of the most densely populated cities of the County. The United States Census Bureau claims that Mount Vernon’s total area is 11.4 km2. Out of 11.4 km2, 0.04 km2 of land is water.The village of Bronxville is bordered around Mount Vernon. To the north of Mount Vernon is the city of New Rochelle. To the east of Mount Vernon a town and a village are present. The town is known as Pelham and the village is known as Pelham Manor. Downtown Mount VernonSome of the main features in Downtown Mount Vernon include the shopping district known as Gramatan Avenue and Fourth Avenue. Locals of Mount Vernon also call this shopping district The Avenue. Downtown Mount Vernon also have Petrillo Plaza transit hub. Seeing the history of Mt. Vernon, NY and the present condition it can be told that downtown is same as it was forty years ago. The format and architecture are pretty much the same.After reading the history of Mt. Vernon, NY it can be known that Clinton Young one of the mayors of Mount Vernon promises to change the condition of the city. He assured that he would turn the city into an advanced business area. Some other of his vows included the establishment of commercial office, reasonable housing rates and great developments in the city. All of his plans and promises failed. Mount Vernon HeightsMount Vernon City’s most beautiful and major neighborhood is known as Mount Vernon Heights. The other name given to Mount Vernon Heights is Rolling Hills of Homes. It is known by this name because of its unique topography. Mount Vernon Height is in close proximity to Sandford Boulevard. Vernon Height is also known to be the main commercial area of the city.Mount Vernon Heights is also known for having the gorgeous neighborhood, The Sandford Square, plus it’s the main area around the Heights. Some of the famous places in The Sandford Square are: Restaurant Depot Best Buy Target Stop And Shop Colonial Plaza CVS Staples Sandford Square is popular among people of Mount Vernon because it has some remarkable shopping centers. Sandford Square is quite famous among the tourist because of all the attractions it have. Since 1980s Sandford Square is developed and famous among locals and tourists. Still a lot of work is being done in this area to increase its economic growth. The north side of the Mount Vernon is considered as a diverse area. It is also known as Westchester County’s one of the most ethnically diverse region. There are four neighborhoods in the north side of Mount Vernon, they are as followed: Estate Manor Oakwood Heights Fleetwood Huntswood The Fleetwood is said to have more co-op buildings whereas The Huntswood and Estate Manor are more famous on the border. The border lies between the village of Bronxville and Mount Vernon. Here the property is quite expensive, even single houses cost around millions of dollars. The south side of Mount Vernon is known for its uncanny resemblance with the great New York City. The south side of the city also abuts The Bronx. From the south side one can view neighborhoods Vernon Park, Parkside and South side. The Parkside has a lot of industrial businesses however the remaining south side of Mount Vernon has the features as mentioned below: Apartment Buildings Housing Projects Multifamily Homes Commercial Businesses Mount Vernon’s notable and famous landmarks are mostly located at the South Side. Some of those famous sites include: Brush Park Hutchinson Field Boys And Girls Club St. Paul's Church National Historic Site One of the most popular NBA basketball player known as Ben Gordon belongs to the south side of Mount Vernon. He gave a beautiful gesture to Mount Vernon by dedicating two playgrounds to the city itself. One of the playgrounds is situated on South Eight Avenue whereas the other one is located at the YMCA Family Center. Financial SystemThe history of Mount Vernon, NY tells that the city kept on growing economically with passing years. At present the main employers of Mount Vernon are as followed:City School District With A Total 1021 Employees Michael Anthony Jewelers With A Total Of 712 Employees Mount Vernon Hospital With A Total 700 Number Of Employees Commercial sector of Mount Vernon is pretty large; it can be given credit for an increase in the economy of the city. The Southside section of Mount Vernon has industries which play an important role in boosting Mount Vernon’s economy. Those industries are listed below: High Tech Industry Manufacturing Industry Engineering Industry Electronics Industry Historical Metal Restoration Industry The city has a well known for have some great commercial and industrial sectors. The southern part of the city is full with zones with industrial and commercial areas. This is the reason many manufacturing companies had shown interest in doing their business in Mount Vernon. Some of the nationally recognized companies those have shown interests are: Tiffany And Company Halcraft USA Formasano OWN Instruments Bergamo Fabrics Complete Plumbing And Heating Closets By Design Beacon Adhesives And A Lot More ParksThe history of Mt. Vernon, NY shows that it has always been a city full with parks. At present Mount Vernon contains various numbers of parks both small and large sized. One of the best parks in Mount Vernon is Willson’s Woods Park. Westchester County owns Willson’s Woods Park whereas parks, recreation and conservation departed operates the place. Willson’s Woods Park is considered the oldest park of Westchester County. The county gained hold of the park in 1924. The name of the park came into being after the name of the former owner of the land. Hutchinson River Parkway and Pelham Lake are in close proximity to the park. Willson’s Wood Park is pretty huge, constructed in approximately 23 acres of land.This park is considered one of the most active parks of the County. Since 1928 this park has the facility of swimming. Willson’s Woods Park has an enormous swimming pool with a beautifully styled bathhouse. Both the swimming pool and the bathhouse started building on the property in the year 1927; it took almost one year to complete the construction. Then in the year 1928 finally the park was launched on the Independence Day. On the very first day of the launch of the park a swimming competition was held. A most important renovation took place in Willson’s Woods Park in the year 2004. It was transformed into a gorgeous looking aquatic playground. Turning it into an aquatic playground was the idea of Parks, Recreation and Conservation department. The only thing that remained same was the double story bathhouse. The old swimming pool was completely changed to something more fun. There was an addition of a wave pool, splash pad and water slides. Along with the things mentioned earlier there was also a formation of a small pool and a play area for kids. That play area was then kind aquatic playground. This whole new setup was known as Willson’s Waves. Due to the monetary basis the extra two slides and a large size wave pool were abandoned. AdministrationThere is a city council present in Mount Vernon; the council consists of a mayor, a comptroller and five other members. The city charter has some strict rules those help in balancing the power, according to it a mayor will be in power for four years and will be given two council members. On the other side the comptroller has three council members for assistance. Mount Vernon also has a special check on the voting session that is known as Board of Estimate.There are a total of five elected representatives in the city council, among those five one is the president of the council. There is a proper procedure for selecting the president of the city council, members of the council elect the president themselves. Usually the presidency is rotated among the members of the council. The council president is regarded as an important figure and had a lot of responsibilities to fulfill. During the absence of the mayor the council president is appointed as the acting mayor. A council president serves as a mayor under certain circumstances such as if the mayor had passed away, is out of town or if had resigned. |