Take an Architectural Tour of Fieldston, an Idyllic Historic District Minutes from Manhattan

By the Sanjya Tidke Team, Brown Harris Stevens Riverdale Agent Team

Nestled in the Riverdale section of The Bronx, Fieldston is a lush, privately owned and landmarked community just 10 miles outside of Midtown Manhattan. Though the neighborhood is a short car or subway ride away from the bustle you expect from New York City, Fieldston is a quaint historic district with a rural atmosphere. It’s known as one of the most aesthetically pleasing planned communities in New York City, home to renowned architecture that has stood the test of time.

Fieldston was once the estate of Major Joseph Delafield, a diplomat and lawyer who purchased 250 acres of land here in 1829. In the early 20th century, civil engineer Albert Wheeler designed a street plan for Fieldston that followed the land’s natural terrain instead of a grid plan—based on recommendations made by Frederick Law Olmsted decades earlier. By doing this, more wooded areas were preserved, resulting in a tranquil, verdant community ideal for those who want to be surrounded by nature.

The first house in Fieldston was built in 1910-11 by resident-architect Dwight James Baum, who went on to design over 60 homes in Fieldston. He, along with Julius Gregory, who designed 40+ homes here—and several other architects including W. Stanwood Phillips, Mann & MacNeille, and Harrie T. Lindeberg—designed the homes in revival styles including Tudor, Colonial, Medieval, and Georgian.

Here are some of our favorites.

355 West 246th Street

Mann & MacNeille, Tudor Revival, 1912

One of the very first homes commissioned by the Delafield estate, this pre-WWI property boasts fieldstone and stucco-coated facades, false half-timbering, slate-shingle-covered gable roofs, original oak hardwood flooring, and a south-facing sun room.

4930 Goodridge Avenue

Dwight J. Baum, Colonial Revival, 1910

This award-winning house sits on a half-acre in the center of the Fieldston community. Unique features include a large entrance hall, paneled library, and formal dining room with French doors.

5011 Waldo Avenue

Dwight J. Baum, Colonial Revival, 1913

Designed by Baum as his own residence in 1913, this stucco and brick Craftsman-style home features a columned side porch, wraparound patio, center hall, and formal dining room with enclosed dining porch.

5001 Goodridge Avenue

Dwight J. Baum, Colonial Revival, 1916

Another one of Baum’s residences, 5001 Goodridge Avenue has a prominent entry portico with a curved roof supported by paired columns as well as historic paneled wood shutters.

271 College Road

Julius Gregory, Mediterranean Revival, 1925

Sitting on a hill facing east, this home boasts a stucco façade, clay-tiled roof with overhanging eaves, exposed rafters, wood balcony, archways, and six- and eight-paned casement windows.

351 West 245th Street

W. Stanwood Phillips, Colonial Revival, 1925

With a two-and-a-half story central block and one-story side wings, this Colonial Revival features clapboard façades.

It also showcases historic louvered wood shutters with wrought-iron hardware, a recessed wood porch, and brick-end chimneys.

5012 Waldo Avenue

Frank J. Forster, Medieval Revival, 1927

An elegant Medieval Revival home designed by noted architect Frank J. Forster and later updated by Baum, 5012 Waldo Avenue offers the ultimate privacy, an expansive cellar, rear terrace, steeply sloped gable roofs, and a main-entrance portico.

4620 Delafield Avenue

Julius Gregory, Tudor Revival, 1927

A solid fieldstone base, half-timbered main façade, tapestry brick, steel casements, and fieldstone chimney give this property its distinct Tudor Revival look.

4621 Waldo Avenue

Dwight J. Baum, Mediterranean Revival, 1928

With stucco-coated façades, historic battened wood shutters, an ornate wrought-iron balcony, and deeply set windows, this sprawling house is a fine example of Mediterranean Revival architecture.

Built a top a terraced slope surrounded by fieldstone retaining walls and mature trees with winding fieldstone and brick steps, this house features half timbering, textured wall surfaces, picturesque slate roofline, and a classic center colonial layout.

To see more beautiful homes in Riverdale and throughout the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, connect with the Sanjya Tidke Team.