Bronxville incorporated in 1898 and covers less than one square mile, with about 6,650 residents. In 1891 William Van Duzer Lawrence began Lawrence Park on a wooded hillside as an artists' and writers' colony, and residents included the painters Otto Bacher and William T. Smedley and the author Kate Douglas Wiggin. Architect William A. Bates designed most of its houses and much of the village's look. Sarah Lawrence College sits next door.
The village is hilly, with rock outcrops, and the Bronx River runs along its western edge. The county hazard plan records frequent Bronx River flooding on Parkway Road, Paxton Avenue and Stone Place, 20 repetitive-loss properties, and an aging urban tree canopy that brought down limbs and power lines during Isaias in 2020. Those big, old trees sit right over many of Bronxville's roofs.
Lawrence Park and the houses William Bates designed
The Lawrence Park Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1980, has 94 contributing buildings, most finished by 1901, in Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Shingle and Tudor Revival styles. They sit among granite outcroppings along winding roads. The village's median owner-occupied home value was about $1.14 million in 2023.
Houses that are well over a century old often have original board decking, framing that has settled, and chimneys that have been rebuilt more than once. A replacement here starts with a careful look at what's under the current roof.
What to plan for on a Bronxville roof
Staging on hillside lots
Steep lots, rock ledges and narrow, winding roads make delivery and debris removal the first thing Jersey Roofing plans. Their crew may use smaller trucks, stage materials at the top of a driveway, and protect stone walls, plantings and walkways along the route. Planning the logistics ahead keeps the job shorter and keeps the street open for your neighbors.
Matching a century-old house
Shingle, Tudor and Colonial Revival houses in Lawrence Park look wrong under a flat, uniform shingle. Where the slate is sound, repair is often best. Where it isn't, a heavyweight slate-look designer shingle such as GAF Camelot II or Slateline keeps the depth of the original. Copper valleys and flashing suit these houses and outlast the roof.
Under an aging canopy
Old trees mean leaf-packed gutters, wet valleys and the chance of a limb coming through. We recommend algae-resistant shingles on shaded slopes, ice-barrier membrane at the eaves and in valleys where leaves trap meltwater, and gutter guards where they make sense. After a big wind event, a quick inspection catches cracked shingles before they leak.
Historic districts and design review
Lawrence Park is a National Register historic district. National Register listing generally doesn't restrict what a private owner does with a roof, but check with the Village of Bronxville Building Department about any design review the project may need before you commit to a material. Many owners in the district choose materials that suit the original Bates designs even when no review is required.
Roof permits in Bronxville
- Office
- Village of Bronxville Building Department
- Phone
- (914) 337-7338
The department is at 200 Pondfield Road; Jersey Roofing files the permit, and we confirm the house is inside the village, since 10708 also covers parts of Eastchester and Yonkers.
The roof systems installed in Bronxville
Jersey Roofing installs complete GAF and Owens Corning systems: ice and water barrier at the eaves and valleys, synthetic underlayment, starter strips, architectural or designer shingles, matched ridge cap and balanced ventilation. On a qualifying GAF system it can register the Golden Pledge® warranty, and on an Owens Corning system, Platinum Protection. Both include lifetime workmanship coverage. Compare the warranties.
Neighborhoods we serve in and around Bronxville
- Lawrence Park
- Village center (Pondfield Road)