Westchester is, as we know, home to a wealth of beautiful buildings, many with architecture that reflects the county’s industrial past. Although the original purposes of these structures may have faded from memory, their striking features such as large windows and light-splashed, spacious interiors—plus their ideal downtown locations close to train lines and riverfronts—continue to captivate. These five buildings have been reimagined and repurposed as residences or as hubs for entrepreneurs, giving them new life in the 21st century.
The Cosmopolitan Building
Irvington
1896
The Cosmopolitan, a popular literary magazine in the late 19th century, found a new home when publisher John Brisben Walker moved it from New York City to a sprawling 85,000-square-foot neoclassical building on the banks of the Hudson in Irvington. Designed by architects McKim, Mead & White (whose work would include NYC’s original Pennsylvania Station) the massive building housed the editorial and production staffs, printing presses, and bindery, with a tunnel running from the main building to a brick freight house and a private railway switch; huge shipments of paper made their way to the presses and 40,000 pounds of printed magazines would be sent for distribution around the country.
The Cosmopolitan was sold to William Randolph Hearst in 1905 and returned to NYC. The distinctive building has since housed a film production company, a movie studio, and a radio manufacturer. Carlos Pedro, president of Carvi Properties Inc, who recently purchased the building, is overseeing the ongoing restoration work that he says will “do it justice and bring it back to its former glory.” There are currently 21 tenants in the building, including Eileen Fisher Renew, Lite Mirror (a glassless mirror company), Bright Farms (locally grown salads), and fitness studio The Lark. The popular Red Barn Bakery is in the former freight house near the railroad tracks.
Carlos Pedro, who recently purchased the Cosmopolitan building, is overseeing restoration that he says will bring it back to its former glory.
The Hat Factory
Peekskill
1879
The oldest building at The Hat Factory complex in Peekskill is a brick structure that was originally a boy’s reform school dating back to 1879. At its peak, the Peekskill Hat Manufacturing Company employed nearly 500 workers who fashioned toppers for the public as well as military hats for the U.S. government. The factory relocated to Danbury in 1923 and the property remained vacant until around 1940 when it was purchased and refurbished for use as an industrial park. Bought by the Green family in 1979, The Hat Factory now has an eclectic mix of 40 tenants that include Peekskill Clay Studios, Hudson Milk + Market, the National Maritime Historical Society, and coffee roaster Ryze Collective. There are also film, video, and sound production companies, a yoga studio, a cabinet designer, and a mushroom farm.
Ben Green, The Hat Factory owner, aims to create an affordable resource to enable entrepreneurs to go for their goals. “When places get expensive, it’s hard for new businesses to take risks,” Green says. “Peekskill is a place where people can approach things in a creative fashion. We support people doing cool things.”
Hudson River Landing
Dobbs Ferry
1927
It was along the banks of the Hudson River, on a site straddling the New York Central Railroad tracks that the Methodist Book Concern dedicated their imposing new printing plant and administrative center on Palisade Street in Dobbs Ferry back in 1927. The plant printed Bibles, worship books, and other publications for the Methodist Church.
As the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society reported in The Ferryman, the building “used concrete walls and foundations to withstand the thrust and stress of the massive printing presses in action.”
But the stock market crash of 1929 and the Depression that followed took a toll, and by 1941 the printing plant was closed. From 1951-1969, Columbia University and the Office of Naval Research cooperated on a research lab there; the building was chosen because its concrete-reinforced construction and sturdy floors could accommodate the lab’s heavy machinery.
The building was purchased by its current owner in 2014 and became Hudson River Landing. The 150,000-square-foot building now has close to 100 tenants, including coworking and event space HudCo, Dobbs Ferry CrossFit, The Beauty Parlor, and Rebecca Schoneveld Bridal. Property manager Florim Bajraktari says they have “the largest and most diverse artist community in Westchester. People love the architecture, giant industrial windows, history, and community vibe—you have so many creative people under one roof in this amazing building. It’s truly unique.”
Hudson River Landing now has nearly 100 tenants including event space HudCo and Rebecca Schoneveld Bridal.
Trolley Barn
Yonkers
1903
As Yonkers rapidly grew into an industrial city in the 1880s, more and more workers arrived to fill manufacturing jobs at the Otis Elevator Factory, Alexander Smith & Sons Carpet Company, and other businesses. A trolley system was built to transport workers to the factories efficiently.
Ridership grew as trolley lines were expanded throughout the city and into surrounding communities, and by 1903 a massive three-story, 72,000-plus-square-foot brick building was constructed at the foot of Main Street. It was used for trolley car storage, maintenance, and the company’s offices where cars would enter the first floor through large doors on Main Street. An elevator lifted cars to the second and third floors for storage, repair, and washing.
During the 1930s, automobiles become more affordable and bus lines more favorable, and by 1953 the trolleys ceased operations. The City of Yonkers used the Trolley Barn building for offices until 1975, and in 2002, the still vacant building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2007, work was completed to refurbish the space for residential use. Now known as Trolley Lofts, the building boasts large residential duplex lofts within walking distance of the Hudson River, Metro-North, and downtown restaurants—including Yonkers Brewing Co., located on the building’s ground floor.
Life Savers Building
Port Chester
1920
According to newspaper reports in 1919, the Port Chester Chamber of Commerce was wooing the Mint Products Company to bring their new factory and hundreds of employees to Port Chester. Funds were solicited, local property owners were negotiated with, and on Sept. 4, 1919, the Port Chester Daily Item announced that a deal had been reached to transfer ownership of several tracts of land to “the manufacturers of ‘Life Savers’ and other tasty confections.”
The large, five-story building, completed in 1920, was constructed of reinforced concrete and brick with terra cotta facades. Bas-relief depictions of the candies ring the building just below the roofline, and for years giant replicas of candy rolls were displayed along the side of the building.
The facility was expanded during 1948-49 and candy production reached its peak during the 1960s, but by 1984, operations ceased and the company left Port Chester. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. In 1989 the Life Savers building was converted into condominiums, now known as The Landmark.
Bas-relief depictions of the candies ring the building just below the roofline.
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