Have you ever strolled along North Broadway, glimpsed a magnificent old estate, and wondered: What’s the story of that house and the people who lived there? Nyack News & Views writer Mike Hays was curious, too, but took his interest a step further, researching and writing a new book called the “Barons of Broadway: Upper Nyack During the Gilded Age.”
Mike has contributed to Nyack News & Views for ten years, and has written extensively about local history. The book builds on some of the stories he wrote for the People & Places section in this publication. Local historian Win Perry encouraged him to add to the stories and turn them into a book. A year and a half later, the book was published.
Wealthy Barons Come to Upper Nyack — and Bring Change
In the “Barons of Broadway,” Mike tells the stories of Broadway “barons,” a word he uses to evoke wealthy elites of the era who had the means to escape sweltering New York City summers.
They were drawn to Nyack’s fresh air, riverfront setting, local resorts, and full-service local businesses, which thrived on the influx of seasonal wealth. Transportation into the city wasn’t a problem: There were three train lines as well as steamboats on the Hudson. And they enjoyed the company of other wealthy people, who gathered at the Nyack Country Club, the Nyack Opera House, the Yacht Club, and the Nyack Rowing Association, among other places. The barons who had even more money were able to own an estate — not just for the summer, but year round.
Writing the Book
Mike has a particular view of history, which informs the book. “To me, history is about people like us doing the things they do on a regular basis. It’s not about these big abstract historical concepts. Mostly I’m interested in hyper-local details and everyday people.”
He loves doing research. And for him, the beauty of working on history in the Gilded Age is that newspapers were really good and had “magnificent detail.” He tries to inhabit what he’s writing about. “I start asking myself questions. What was this person really like? I can’t always know, but I try to find out. Same thing with a place. Did it have gas lighting? Steam heating?”
Then there are issues of myths and legends versus historical facts, and the absence of information about women’s roles, which tend to be left out in historical documents. Mike is passionate about telling women’s stories when he can find them. And he provides context about the Native Americans and farmlands that were here before the barons.
Three Estates with Many Stories
In the book, Mike takes us into the stories of 21 estates. One of them is Underclyffe. Originally built for the young, wealthy Arthur C. Tucker family at the height of the Gilded Age, it was a 22-room estate with a 65-foot octagonal tower, a kitchen that could serve 200 people, and modern utilities such as steam heat and gas lights. It also had a farm, a greenhouse, and stables. It was one of the most ornate Victorian houses designed for summer entertaining and leisure, and was a major social gathering place.
The estate went through several owners, but one of the more interesting ones was Anthony Fokker, a maverick aviation innovator, who bought it in 1937. Fokker built planes and offered them to both sides during WWI; the Allies turned him down. Fokker’s factories in Germany churned out forty different groundbreaking aircraft, including the Fokker triplane flown by the Red Baron. He also had yachts, even one he designed, and steamboats, which he took out on the nearby Hudson.
Shadowcliff, Home to the First Baroness
Torn down recently, Shadowcliff also had an interesting history centered on a woman named Eleanor Barron Manville Ford, who Mike calls “the first baroness.” Born in 1859, she became an accomplished pianist and organist and performed as a concert pianist. She studied painting, too, and had an exhibition at Rockefeller Center. She married twice to men of great means, and, along with her sisters, became wealthy.
In 1919, she built a full-year estate in Upper Nyack named Shadowcliff. The 16,000-square-foot home had 20 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, several family rooms, a library, a dining room, many fireplaces, and a stunning window with a river view. After her death, the Fellowship of Reconciliation became custodians of Shadowcliff for sixty years, ending in 2017.
During COVID, the home was owned by two artists and was used as a set for “The Nutcracker.” It was photographed by Marta Renzi, and became a movie. The estate was demolished recently because it was no longer a viable structure.
Under Elms
Another interesting estate was originally owned by Wilson Foss. It was called Under Elms, still exists on North Broadway, and is still in good shape. It’s now a condominium called River House.
Foss, who died in 1930, was once the richest man in Nyack. His estate at the time was valued at $30 million. He grew up in Maine and studied at MIT. Eventually, he became interested in dynamite, whose use was just beginning to have a big impact, and became an expert on it. His company blasted a train tunnel, which is still in use today, through the mountain between Haverstraw and Congers.
Foss started a business called the Rockland Lake Trap Rock Company, which blew up Palisades rock into manageable pieces that went by river to New York City and beyond. He was very successful, but he faced opposition.
The Rockefellers and others who lived across the river complained about the noise. “I’m willing to give a million dollars so I can play golf peacefully,” Rockefeller is said to have remarked. That complaint eventually started an environmental movement, and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which created all the parks in Rockland County, was formed. According to Mike, the environmental concern saved Hook Mountain.
What Happened to the Barons and the Houses?
After World War l and the automobile age, the old social circles disappeared, the barons left, and many second-generation barons sold their homes and moved away. World War ll saw suburbanization. By the 1960s, “you could buy one of these places for a song,” Mike said. Some were converted into condos; others became institutions, like the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and some are still here.
Fourteen estates remain, many altered and two at risk. Seven others have been demolished or destroyed by fire. Still, remarkably, after all this time, the estates’ distinctive appearance continues to define North Broadway. And, thanks to Mike, the stories of the houses and the barons who owned them live on.
You can buy “Barons of Broadway: Upper Nyack During the Gilded Age,” at the Historical Society of the Nyacks, Edward Hopper House Museum, the Pickwick Bookshop, and on Amazon. Mike plans to write more books, including one called “Nyack: A-Z,” which he’s creating from articles written for Nyack News & Views; a book on Gilded Age hotels in Nyack; and another he’s writing about Nyack during the American Revolution.