Untermyer gardens revisited – ruined gatehouse

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According to the Untermyer Gardens website:

The Gatehouse was built where the Greystone carriage trail crossed the Old Croton Aqueduct. The Croton Aqueduct, constructed to carry fresh water to New York City, ran 41 miles from Croton on Harmon into New York City and was in use in Untermyer’s time. Now the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail runs 26.2 miles from Croton-on-Harmon to the Bronx. (Note: I think there’s an error in this description. There is no such place as “Croton on Harmon”. The town is called “Croton on Hudson” and it’s Metro North railway station is called “Croton-Harmon”. According to Wikipedia: “During the days of the New York Central Railroad, the station and shops were known as Harmon. Trains continuing north of Harmon, including the flagship 20th Century Limited would exchange their electric locomotive for a steam or diesel locomotive to continue the journey to points north and west.

This is taken from the Vista Overlook. I’d heard that there were a couple of interesting reliefs on the gate posts and I wanted to go down to see them. However, I didn’t feel that I should leave the tour and I couldn’t go afterwards as we had to go to eat. So I went back yesterday. As the description above states the gatehouse is by the Old Croton Aqueduct trail so I thought I’d take the dog for a walk and also get to see the gatehouse up close. Unfortunately I started my walk down the trail too far away (virtually in Hastings-on-Hudson) and I never did get to the gatehouse (I had to get back to meet my wife). We had a nice walk though – on a piece of the Aqueduct trail that I’ve never been to before. So it wasn’t a complete waste. I intend to go back though.

Untermyer gardens revisited – a couple of mosaics

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Actually I’m cheating a little here. The picture above was actually taken during my first visit. I know I posted a black and white version (I was on a black and white binge at that time), but I don’t think I’ve ever posted the color version. Although it works quite well in black and white in this case I think I prefer the color version. You can see this mosaic in the fourth picture of an earlier post (Untermyer gardens revisited – the walled garden). It’s part of the floor of the Temple of the Sky. The Untermeyr Gardens website says this of it:

The mosaic floor of the amphitheater was based on a wall fresco found in the ancient city of Tiryns. The fresco, thought to date from 1400-1200 BCE, depicts spirals and papyrus lotus blossoms.

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The above mosaic can be found at the far end of the Walled Garden, just behind and to the right of the two sphinxes.

Untermyer gardens revisited – the temple of love

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According to the Untermyer Gardens website:

The Temple of Love overlooks a magnificent view south along the Hudson River and the Palisades. Best viewed from below, it is a stupendous rocky fantasy capped with a round temple. It was the centerpiece of an extended rock garden and was flanked by terraced beds. The outcropping was an elaborate water feature, with water coursing all around it in various waterfalls and ponds. The Temple of Love was created by Carlo Davite, a Genoese stone mason who did work in the Paris Exposition, the St. Louis Exposition and at the Frick Museum.

Many of the rocks are hollowed out to form planters, and in Samuel Untermyer’s time, the entire creation was elaborately planted. There are three bridges in the rough stone and a small seating area with a rough hewn stone bench that can be reached through a rocky tunnel in the folly. An additional monolithic bridge crosses the pool at the base of the Temple of Love.

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Looking up from the pool at the base.

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Waterfall (one of a number)