Currents

Mabel Donnelly, a longtime school librarian and music teacher, was the Museum’s supervisor and first employee, whose wide-ranging roles included those of a curator, registrar, administrator, and educator all in one.

When mankind landed on the moon 50 years ago, we reached the pinnacle of more than a decade-long journey in the race to space. While we at the HRM, may not have made it to the moon, the Museum has reached new heights! BBC World News interviewed Manager of Planetarium and Science Programs Marc Taylor and featured the exhibition “A Century of Lunar Photography and Beyond” in a segment that aired on March 11.

By the time the Museum moved to Glenview in April 1924, it owned some 2,500 minerals, fossils, and relics, as well as works of fine art—acquired through the leadership and, in many cases, the personal generosity of Edwin C. Mott. The Museum continued to acquire key pieces even before its doors opened in December of that year.

From 1906 until his death in 1938, Isidore Konti lived in Yonkers, where he became a key member of the cultural scene. He co-founded the Yonkers Art Association and served as an early commissioner of the Yonkers Museum of Science and Arts.

A titan of late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century photography and a lifelong resident of Yonkers, Rudolf Eickemeyer Jr. (1862–1932) was a leading member of the Yonkers Art Association, a group of local artists dedicated to fostering art in the community, and one of the early advocates for the formation of the Museum.

A philanthropist, John Bond Trevor was deeply involved with the local community, helping to build the Warburton Avenue Baptist Church and to found what eventually became St. John’s Riverside Hospital.

Due to generous donations and strong interest, The Yonkers Museum collection outgrew the space provided in City Hall in just a few years. In 1923, Glenview, a Victorian mansion on the banks of the Hudson River, was offered for sale.

The Hudson River Museum was founded in Yonkers, New York, 100 years ago this year, when a group of local residents joined forces. Together, they aimed to start a museum that would provide “instruction and entertainment” to the general public and be “a matter of pride to the citizens of the town.” Like many museums, it began with only a few individuals, an idea, and a commitment to action.

Happy New Year! Last year was an outstanding year at the Museum, with a roster of stellar exhibitions, record-breaking attendance, and new programs and initiatives inspired by art, science, and our shared history. In celebration of our Centennial this year, we will be sharing key moments from our rich history here, on Currents.

2019 is off to a big start as far as space exploration goes! Planetarium Manager Marc Taylor recently spoke with FiosNews1 about two exciting celestial developments.