Page 6 - CHANGING Winter 2018

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Surprisingly, wave hill began life as wave hill house, a country home built in the 1840s. It was enlarged several times over the course of its first years of existence by the owner william henry Appleton, adding greenhouses and gardens to the grounds. The house was later rented by a young Theodore Roosevelt and his family. The future President of the United States’ time here furthered his love of nature and would eventually inspire him to preserve millions of acres of parkland while in office. Famous novelist mark Twain also spent some time in the wave hill house, even writing a short piece on the winters there: “I believe we have the noblest roaring blasts here I have ever known on land; they sing their hoarse song through the big tree-tops with a splendid energy that thrills me and stirs me and uplifts me and makes me want to live always.” George w. Perkins, a partner of J.P. morgan, bought the house in 1903. Perkins’ main goal was to build a large estate alongside the river, and he put a large amount of time into the grounds to realize that goal. Perkins added more greenhouses, a swimming pool, terraces and what is now known as the Ecology Building. Armor hall was later added by a Bashford Dean, a zoologist who had leased the house and added the hall to house his armor collection. The Perkins-Freeman family deeded wave hill to new york city in 1965, and a non-profit organization, wave hill Inc. was formed. Today, wave
6 hill offers programs in environmental education, woodland management and horticulture (garden management).
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