Built circa 1922, it connects Linda Ave. and Bryant Ave. between Greenridge Ave. and Old Mamaroneck Rd. Unlike most streets called courts, it is not a cul-de-sac. The name possibly comes from the university, but why it was chosen is unknown. The developers were (future mayor) Chauncey Griffen, L. Ward Prince, and Ernest Ripley, none of whom seem to have gone to Harvard. It was dedicated for public use in 1925.
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The first street built by the new City of White Plains, circa 1919, it currently goes north from Archer Avenue to Holland Avenue, providing a needed north-south road to the east of N. Broadway. It originally encompassed the older Beech Street but they were separated by the Central Westchester Parkway in 1932. At the request of the local residents, it was named Thompson Avenue, apparently in honor of G. Albert (Bert) Thompson, a real estate dealer who represented the Fifth Ward (the area east of Broadway) in the Village Board of Trustees and later served on the Common Council.
A circle off Miles Ave., near Soundview Avenue, from which it seems to get its name, this road was built circa 1919.
Part of a development known as Anderson Park, it was built circa 1916-17 between Sterling Avenue and Tibbits Ave. It was accepted as a public road in 1923. The reason for the name is unknown.
Another road through the old Gedney farm, this road was laid out by John Miles in 1915 between Gedney Way and Bolton Ave.
Built circa 1913 south of Rosedale Avenue, the Collyer family home was on the corner of West Street. William Collyer, who was born there, served the city as Commissioner of Public Works for many years.
Today it looks like it is the eastern half of a road that winds from Park Avenue near Ferris Avenue to Park Avenue east of Fairview Avenue. When built circa 1913, what is now Park Terrace was a clearly distinct road, and both were dead ends in the east. Sometime about 1958 Kirby Terrace was connected to Park Avenue. The basis for the name is unknown.
Known as Niles Avenue (after local land owner Niles F. Smith) when built circa 1913, it was renamed in 1960 to avoid confusion with Miles Avenue, although why anyone thought another road named Park would be less confusing is beyond me. It originally stretched a bit east, but the portion east of Kirby Terrace was discontinued in 1975.
Another street in Gedney Farm with a British-related name, it was originally to be known as Willets Avenue. It became a public street in 1927.
One of several roads going between Gedney Esplanade and Heatherbloom Rd., the original section was built circa 1913 from Gedney Espl to Robinhood Rd. and made public in 1924 and from Robinhood to Heatherbloom in 1927. It was named for Howard Willets' wife, whose maiden name was Mary Macy.
Named for one of Robin Hood's Merry Men, as part of a mini-British theme in the street names in Gedney Farm, Littlejohn is just east of Sherman Avenue but only goes as far north as its brother road, Robinhood. Dating to 1913, it was made public in 1924.
A three part road, the two western parts of Robinhood, interrupted by the former Ridgeway golf course, were built circa 1913 as part of Gedney Farm. The stretch from Sherman east to the fairway was made public in 1924 while the section between Oxford Rd. and Hathaway Lane was accepted in 1927. The final portion, off North St., was built circa 1932. That section had only one house for decades, as some people in the neighborhood, taking the longtime White Plains creed of Not In My Backyard literally, bought the lots along the road to stop anyone from building a house behind their property. It goes north by northwest off Ridgeway in Gedney Farm until it curves westerly to connect to Gedney Park Drive. Built in 1913, it was accepted as a public road in 1924, and the source of the name is unknown.
Traveling from Ridgeway to Hotel Drive and paralleling Murchison Pl. and Dupont Ave., Seymour Place was constructed in 1913 and made public in 1924. Supposedly two streets in Gedney Farm were named after the horses that took guests from and to the train station.This may be one of them.
And this may be the other. Built as part of Gedney Farm in 1913, Sherman was made a public road in 1924. It is roughly parallel to Burling Avenue between Heatherbloom and Gedney Esplanade. Kenneth Murchison was the architect who designed the Gedney Farm Hotel. This road, running north from Ridgeway opposite Richbell Road and connecting to Hotel Drive, was built in 1913 and accepted by the city as a public street in 1924.
Connecting Hotel Drive and Dupont Ave., it was built in 1913 and accepted as a public road in 1924. The name seems to reflect it being a way from the west to the Gedney Farm Hotel.
It was built in 1913 as the driveway to the Gedney Farm Hotel, and became a public road in 1924. The road runs from Gedney Esplanade opposite Burling Avenue to Gedney Esplanade opposite Macy Avenue.
Named for another of Howard Willets's horses, this one a racing horse, it originally provided access to Gedney Farm from North St. and was built into a road in 1913. The eastern portion was blended into Bryant Ave. in 1934, so it now terminates at Bryant. It was accepted as a public road in 1927 from Ridgeway up to what is now Heather Lane.
Prior to the development of the Gedney Farm area, it was owned by Howard Willets. This road was the driveway to his mansion and it was named for one of his horses, a world champion high jumper. Built in 1913, it now winds from Mamaroneck Ave. to Hathaway Lane near Bryant Ave. The western part was accepted as a public street in 1924 and the portion east of Macy Ave. in 1927.
The first two people to buy lots in Gedney Farm were banker and county treasurer (and later state senator) George Burling and his son John on this road, in 1913. L. Ward Prince, part of the group who developed Gedney Farm, was married to George's daughter Caroline. It was made a public street in 1924.
Built along a stretch of land beside Mamaroneck Ave. which was intended as park land in 1913 (and dedicated as such in 1924 when the road was made public), it was originally known simply as Park Drive. However, when the second Gedney Circle was renamed Glendon Circle in 1934, the Common Council obviously felt having only four streets named Gedney was insufficient, so they added the Gedney name to this road.
Built in 1913 as part of the Gedney Farm neighborhood, it connects Mamaroneck Avenue with Hathaway Lane. Esplanade means “a public ground for walking”, and the road was built with a grass divider for walking between the north and south portions of the road. The part of the road east of Macy Avenue and Hotel Drive was originally known as Wellington Road and that part was renamed in 1947 to conform to the rest of the street. It was accepted as a public road in 1924 (original section) and 1927 (Wellington Road section).
Bartholomew Gedney was perhaps the most prominent of the Gedney family, and had a large, very successful farm in this area. A tiny road going north off Park Circle, it basically looks like part of someone's driveway. It was originally intended to stretch further when started circa 1912, but the rest wasn't built and was officially discontinued in 1964. As for the name, one wonders what mountain anyone thought they could see from here.
Built in 1911-2 as part of the Lester Property development, Hawley runs roughly north-south between Battle Ave. and Chatterton Pkwy. It is named for the daughter of John and Sarah Lester, Anna Hawley and was accepted as a public road in 1912.
Whitney was named for the Charles Whitney family which owned property neighboring the Lesters. It was laid out in 1911 as part of the Lester Property development and was made a public street in 1912. Built around 1911 it ran west off Old Mamaroneck Rd., although a map of that era shows it continuing to Cushman Rd. It is named in honor of John Miles, who, after a career as a milliner in NYC, was a major developer of land in the village of White Plains as well as the unincorporated town. Miles Ave. now terminates at Soundview Ave.
Also part of Underhill Park, this road, originally Brook Avenue, ran southwest off Lake St. south of Oakley Ave. and was eventually connected to Brockway Pl. when that was built. In 1934 it was renamed Belway for an unknown reason. The section north of Main St. was lost to the Cross-Westchester Expressway.
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AuthorMy name is Cliff Blau. I was born and raised in White Plains, NY, and in 2015 became interested in learning more about the history of this fair city. The pathway I took into White Plains history was to discover the reason for the names of each of the streets. See https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1WvlOinVQnWh4KGDmEN7YPFfg4II for an annotated map of White Plains. Archives
March 2024
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