The Sporting Life in Scarsdale: Historic Photos on Display

Sporting Life in Scarsdale: Historical Photographs on Display

Sledding and skiing on the grounds of Scarsdale Golf Club, c. 1930s. Photo credit: Scarsdale Golf ClubA new exhibition at the Scarsdale Library, curated by the Scarsdale Historical Society, documents the development of winter sports in Scarsdale. With photos from the Westchester County archives, the Scarsdale Inquirer, Fox Meadow Tennis Club and Scarsdale Golf Club (celebrating its 125th anniversary this year), Leslie Chang brings the history of platform tennis, ice skating and luge to life Live some of Scarsdale’s earliest residents.

At a reception on Wednesday night, March 1st, to celebrate the launch of Scarsdale On Ice, Chang shared some compelling stories about sporting life in Scarsdale.

The earliest reference to skating was at “Scarsdale Lake,” formed when a dam was built on the Bronx River in 1913, creating a lake just above what is now the falls near Scarsdale Village. Skaters also used Duck Pond and Greenacres Pond, as well as pop-up rinks created by flooding sections of Crossway Field, Hyatt Field, and Brite Avenue Tennis Courts.

Charlie O’Hearn and Jim Hynson play platform tennis at the FMTC in 1938. Photo credit: Fox Meadow Tennis ClubIn 1952, the Recreation Department hosted a pop-up ice rink by flooding a 75-foot by 100-foot section of the Brewster Road parking lot at Scarsdale High School. During the holiday break, 3,200 registered skaters came to enjoy the rink, floodlights and music. In 1973, a $500,000 bond proposal to build an ice rink the size of Rye Playland near Scarsdale Pool was put forward, but it did not receive enough votes.

Joslyn and Sally Magowan trap shooting at Scarsdale Golf Club in 1928. The sport was once popular during the club’s off-season. Photo credit: Magowan – Birdzell familyIn the 1920s, two experienced ice dancers, James Cogswell and Fessendon Blanchard, taught others at Fox Meadow Tennis Club, where the courts were flooded to form an ice rink. Skaters danced to the accompaniment of Viennese waltzes and German polkas, which were amplified across the courts. But these two are even more famous for developing the sport of platform tennis. In 1928 they built the first course at their home above Ardsley Road and tested various clubs and balls. After losing too many balls flying down Ardsley Road, they built a chain link fence around the course. Eventually they convinced Fox Meadow Tennis Club to build their first platform tennis court in 1931, and the club found that it improved its membership numbers during the winter months. The rest is history!

The Scarsdale Historical Society has produced an attractive display of posters featuring historical photographs and stories about Scarsdale winter sports for the public to see at the Scarsdale Library. Watch Scarsdale on Ice to understand how our ancestors left the legacy of sporting life today.

The Scarsdale HIstorical Society board of directors at the opening of Scarsdale on Ice.