Brief History
Wave Hill has a rich history dating back to 1843. Later the home was purchased in 1903 by George W. Perkins, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist, and later became a private estate.
Other famous people that called the estate home included classical musical conductor Arturo Toscanini who lived from 1942-1945, in addition to the chief members of the British Delegation to the UN, that lived from 1950 to 1956. Later in the 1960s, Robert Moses suggested that the Perkins Freeman family give the deed over to the City of New York. But it wasn’t until 1983 that the estate was added to New York’s list of National Register of Historic places.
The estate was called Perkins Garden prior to its name changing in 1987. However, during this year, it was renamed by Henry Stern, the Parks Commissioner, to Wave Hill.
Later, in 2005, the estate was listed among 406 NYC social services and art institutions that would receive a \$20 million grant from Carnegie Corporation. That grant was made possible by NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Today, Wave Hill receives over 65,000 visitors and happens to be one of the most popular sites in New York’s Riverdale district.
