Chapter XII. The Manor Hall To-day. The Manor Hall property, as conveyed to the village of Yonkers by James C. Bell and Harriet Thomas Bell, his wife, by warranty deed dated May 1, 1868, for the consideration of $44,000, embraces "All those fourteen certain lots, pieces or parcels of land situate, lying and being in the Town and Village of Yonkers, County of Westchester and State of New York, which, taken together, are bounded and described as follows: Beginning at a point on the Westerly side of Warburton Avenue distant 175 feet South of the Southerly line of Wells Avenue, and running thence Westerly and parallel to Wells Avenue 200 feet to the Easterly side of Woodworth Place; thence Southerly along the Easterly side of Woodworth Place 179 feet 6 in. to the Northerly side of Dock Street; thence Easterly along the Northerly side of Dock Street to the Westerly side of Warburton Avenue; thence Northerly along the Westerly side of Warburton Avenue 150 feet, more or less, to the point or place of beginning. Together with all the right, title and interest of the parties of the first part of, in and to the adjoining half of Warburton Avenue, Dock Street and Woodworth Place." Since the above quoted conveyance was made, Warburton avenue has been widened 10 feet and Dock street about 5.5 feet, reducing the width of the Manor Hall grounds from 200 to 190 feet and the depth from 179.5 to 174 feet. The plot contains a little less than an acre and is five minutes' walk from the New York Central railroad station. The Manor Hall is a stone and brick structure shaped like a reversed letter L, its long arm extending toward the north and the short arm toward the west.* Its north end is 60 feet from Warburton Hall; its east front 75.5 feet from Warburton avenue; * The points of the compass mentioned in this description are only approximate. The direction of the principal length of the building is about twenty degrees east of north and west of south. The dimensions here given are in feet and decimals. its south front 22 feet from Dock street; and its western end about 52 feet from Woodworth place. The building measures 26.1 feet across the north end of the long arm; 91.85 feet along the east front; 62.15 feet along the south front; 25.32 feet along the west end of the short arm; 36.43 feet along the north side of the short arm; and 66.65 feet along the west side of the long arm. It will be noticed that the sum of the measurements of the western exposures (25.32'+ 66.65'= 91.97′) slightly exceeds the length of the east front (91.85′). A similar discrepancy is observable between the total measurements of the north and south exposures. The building is not perfectly symmetrical in whole or in detail. The east front is of brick laid in Flemish bond. All other sides are rough gneiss rubble. The east wall is 1.7 feet thick. The other first story walls vary from 1.89 to 1.93 feet in thickness. The second story stone walls are about 0.25 of a foot thinner. All window spaces are squared up with brick. Beneath the windowsills, the brick-work is not as thick as the adjacent wall, and it extends low enough to permit inside window seats in the recesses within. The structure is two stories high, with attic in the hipped gambrel roof. The lower slopes of the roof contain dormer windows. The upper slopes of the roof are inclosed with a balustrade, the space between the rails being nine feet. There is a cellar under the southern portion of the house. Near the middle of the south front, there is a colonial porch, about ten feet wide and six feet deep, with side seats between the pillars and pilasters. The steps are of red sandstone. On each side of the porch are two windows. In the second story, in the spaces corresponding to the door and four windows of the first story, are five windows. The windows and doorway are not. spaced symmetrically. In the second story of the east front are eight windows. Un derneath them in the first story are corresponding windows, except that the spaces under the third window from the south and the second window from the north are doorways with porches similar to that on the south front. There are also windows in the other sides of the building. Where the windows have shutters, those of the first story are outside and those of the second story inside. The jambs of the south front door are beveled, flaring outward. The jambs of the windows, except those of what was the old kitchen at the north end (not the cellar kitchen) are beveled, flaring inward. All sills and lintels are of pine or oak. Running the whole length of the east front and of the western side of the long arm under the second story window sills is a string course of two layers of brick, projecting about three inches; and under the string course on the east front is a beautiful colonial cornice. Ascending the south porch, one comes to a fine colonial doorway with fan-shaped transom. The door is a ponderous double door, constructed, in the Dutch style, in two parts, so that the lower half could be closed while the upper half remained open. The two halves are now fastened together. Mrs. Lamb says that this door was brought over from Holland in 1781 by the wife of the first lord of the Manor. Inside, one sees the great iron hinges, and the heavy lock, the latter 6 x 10 inches in size. The south door gives entrance to a hallway, 10.8 feet wide and 21.4 feet deep. It is partly occupied by a staircase 4.3 feet wide, which makes two square turns in the ascent to the second story. The stairs and balustrade flare to a width of 6.75 feet at the bottom. The stairs are of the close-string construction, unlike the stairs in the East Hall in which the angle between riser and tread at the outer end is left open. In the rear wall over the first landing is a window. In the rear wall under the second landing is a door. A doorway in the western side of the hall leads into a large room, which may be called the West Parlor, measuring 23.1 feet by 21.4 feet between walls. The latter dimension has been reduced, however, to 19.5 feet by the closets on the north side which have been built out flush with the fireplace. The wooden mantlepiece with its conventionalized flower design and some of the other woodwork in this room are very old. A corresponding door in the eastern side of the hall leads to the famous East Parlor in which Mary Philipse was married to Col. Roger Morris and many other brilliant social events took place. This room is 22.6 feet square between walls, but it has been shortened to 20 feet one way by building closets on the north side flush with the fireplace. The walls and ceiling of this room are preserved in their original beauty. The fluted Corinthian pilasters embracing the doorways, the broken arch over the mantelpiece looking-glass, the paneled wainscoting, the deep window seats, and the arabesque ceiling are charming relics of colonial elegance. In the arabesque decorations of the ceiling are embraced two medallion busts of men,* two pelicans, two hunting dogs, four parrots, eight figures of troubadours and cupids, etc. The blue slate mantlepiece is not antique, having been put in by Judge Woodworth during his ownership as a sample of the product of a quarry which he owned. The original mantelpiece was of wood, and the fireplace underneath was originally open, not closed as at present. The closet door on the west side of the mantlepiece, now leading to a vault for city records, formerly led to an underground, arched chamber, the purpose and extent of which are now wrapped in * These were once thought to be portraits of lords of the Manor and may be such, although the Hon. T. Astley Atkins, an indefatigable investigator of the Manor House history, has not yet been able to establish their identity. mystery. Many strange tales are told of this "cave" or passageway. By some it is said to have extended to the river front and to have been designed as a secret avenue of escape in time of danger. By those who believe the stories about the first lord having engaged in traffic with privateersmen and pirates, it is said to have been the passage by which forbidden goods were clandestinely introduced into the Manor House. These stories, whether true or not, are a part of the folk-lore of the house and give to it the indescribable romance that gradually grows up about an ancient structure like this. The door to the east of the fireplace leads into the East Hall. The East Hall, also entered through the southeast porch, is 11 feet wide and 23 feet deep, extending east and west. Like the South Hall, it is partly occupied by a broad staircase with picturesque balustrade terminating in a great spiral at the newel post. This stairway also makes two square turns in its ascent. Over the first landing is a window and under the second a rear door. North of the East Hall is a room 17.8 feet by 22.75 feet in size, formerly used as the family dining-room. Some of the woodwork here is original. In the middle of the northern partition there was formerly a huge fireplace and mantle. When the Manor Hall was remodeled for occupancy by the village authorities in 1868, the fireplace was removed and the partition reversed, so as to make a suitable reredos to the judge's bench in the adjacent courtroom. North of this room and occupying the remainder of the ground floor were formerly the larder and kitchen, the latter being entered through the northeast porch. When the interior was altered forty years ago, all of this space was thrown into one apartment, 22.75 feet by 34.83 feet in size, for a courtroom. The judge's bench was at the southern end, backed by the old mantle |