Many neighboring towns including Somers, Peekskill, Bedford, Ossining, Pound Ridge and Katonah have historic districts that preserve local heritage and foster a sense of community. For several reasons, Yorktown does not. Crompond Corners, the first group of buildings in our area that stood where Downing Park is today, disappeared long ago. The 19th century commercial hub of Yorktown Heights, that grew up around the railroad depot, was largely torn down and rebuilt before the people began to appreciate the benefits of preservation. Shrub Oak had one of the most attractive and well-preserved main streets in Westchester. It was briefly declared as a local historic district before public outcry from a few caused this protection to be removed with unfortunate consequences.
Of course, the absence of an historic center does not mean that Yorktown lacks an important history. Its rich architectural legacy can be seen in a a recently complied slide show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn3Rtp9domw . If all of our old buildings could be brought closer together we would have one of the most admired towns in the Northeast. At this point, however, the only way to create Yorktown's 'historic district' and save these structures for future generations is to designate them one by one.
There is a misconception that designation saddles owners with onerous demands if they want to enlarge their house but this is not the case. Almost all of the old homes in our area were added onto at some point in the past and this can continue as long at the original section of the house is not unreasonably altered or compromised. In fact, one of our locally landmarked structures has been effectively doubled in size since it was designated in 1976 in order to meet the needs of modern life and a growing family. The main purpose of designation is to prevent the complete loss of Yorktown's old structures and the local history they embody.
All of us owe a debt to owners who consent to landmark designation for their historic property. It costs virtually nothing for the town to landmark a private home but each new landmark raises the value of Yorktown. In an increasingly competitive world, keeping true to the our town's motto--"Progress with Preservation" --will attract the types of development we want and keep local property values strong.
