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Briarcliff College was a
women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male st ...
in
Briarcliff Manor, New York Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, north of New York City. It is on of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor inc ...
. The school was founded as Mrs. Dow's School for Girls in 1903 at the
Briarcliff Lodge The Briarcliff Lodge was a luxury resort in the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. It was a notable example of Tudor Revival architecture, and was one of the largest wooden structures in the United States. It was also the first hotel in West ...
. After Walter W. Law donated land and a building for the college, it operated at its location at 235 Elm Road in Briarcliff until 1977; closing due to low enrollment and financial problems.
Pace University Pace University is a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, United States. It was established in 1906 as a business school by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace. Pace enrolls about ...
subsequently operated it as part of its Pleasantville campus from 1977 to 2015. In an effort to consolidate its campuses, Pace University sold the campus in 2017 to the Research Center on Natural Conservation, a host of conferences relating to global warming and conservation. The campus was again sold in 2021, to a Viznitz Yeshiva congregation.


History

Mrs. Dow's School for Girls was founded in 1903 at the
Briarcliff Lodge The Briarcliff Lodge was a luxury resort in the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. It was a notable example of Tudor Revival architecture, and was one of the largest wooden structures in the United States. It was also the first hotel in West ...
, by educational reformer Mary Elizabeth Dunning Dow; two years later, Walter W. Law gave Mary Elizabeth Dow and built the
Châteauesque Châteauesque (or Francis I style,Whiffen, Marcus, ''American Architecture Since 1780: A guide to the styles'', The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1969, p. 142. or in Canada, the Château Style) is a revivalist architectural style based on the ...
Dow Hall (
Harold Van Buren Magonigle Harold Van Buren Magonigle (1867–1935) was an American architect, artist, and author best known for his memorials. He achieved his greatest success as a designer of monuments, but his artistic practices included sculpture, painting, writing, ...
was its architect). Dow retired in 1919 and Edith Cooper Hartmann began running the school with a two-year postgraduate course; the school became a
junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...
in 1933. Briarcliff remained a junior college until 1957, shortly before the presidency of Charles E. Adkins and when it began awarding four-year
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
s. The school library, which had 5,500 volumes in 1942, expanded to about 20,000 in 1960. By the time of its closing, it had about 300 students. The school prospered from 1942 to 1961 under President Clara Tead, who had a number of accomplished trustees, including Carl Carmer,
Norman Cousins Norman Cousins (June 24, 1915 – November 30, 1990) was an American political journalist, author, professor, and world peace through world state advocate. Early life Cousins was born to Jewish immigrant parents Samuel Cousins and Sarah Babush ...
, Barrett Clark,
Thomas K. Finletter Thomas Knight Finletter (November 11, 1893 – April 24, 1980) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman. Early life Finletter was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Thomas Dickson Finletter and Helen Grill Finletter. He was ...
,
William Zorach William Zorach (February 28, 1889 – November 15, 1966) was an American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and writer. He won the Logan Medal of the Arts in 1927. He was at the forefront of American artists embracing cubism. He is the husband of ...
, and
Lyman Bryson Lyman Lloyd Bryson (July 11, 1888 – November 24, 1959) was an American educator, media advisor and author known for his work in educational radio and television programs for CBS from the 1930s through the 1950s. Biography Born in Valentine, N ...
. Tead's husband
Ordway Tead Ordway Tead (10 September 1891 – November 1973)MLW, "Tead, Ordway (1891–1973)," in: ''Encyclopedia of History of American Management,'' Morgen Witzel (ed.), 2005. p. 975 was an American organizational theorist, adjunct professor of industrial r ...
served as chairman of the board of trustees. The school gradually improved its academic scope and standing, and was registered with the State Education Department and accredited by the
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...
in 1944. In 1951, the Board of Regents authorized the college to grant Associate of Arts and Associate of Applied Science degrees. The following year, the
Army Map Service The Army Map Service (AMS) was the military cartography, cartographic agency of the United States Department of Defense from 1941 to 1968, subordinated to the United States Army Corps of Engineers. On September 1, 1968, the AMS was redesignated th ...
selected the college as the only one in the country for professional training in cartography. In 1944, Shelton House, a building across Elm Road, was purchased as a dormitory, and a classroom and office wing was dedicated in 1951. In 1955, after
Howard Deering Johnson Howard Deering Johnson (February 2, 1897 – June 20, 1972) was an American entrepreneur, businessman, and the founder of an American chain of restaurants and motels under one company of the same name, Howard Johnson's. Early life Howard Jo ...
joined the board of trustees, the dormitory Howard Johnson Hall was built. From 1963, Briarcliff College rapidly expanded, constructing two dormitories, the fine arts and humanities building, the Woodward Science Building, and a 600-seat dining hall. In 1964, the college began offering the Bachelor of Arts and of Sciences degrees. The Center for Hudson Valley Archaeology was opened in 1964. Enrollment at the college jumped from around 300 to over 500 from 1960 to 1964; by 1967, enrollment was at 623, with 240 freshmen. During the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, students protested US involvement, and Adkins and trustees resigned; James E. Stewart became president. In 1969, twelve students, led by student president Edie Cullen, stole the college
mimeograph A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator or stencil machine) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called mimeography, and a co ...
machines and gave nine demands to the college. The next day, around 50 students participated in a 48-hour
sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...
at Dow Hall. Josiah Bunting III became president in 1973 and Pace University and
New York Medical College New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a Private university, private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro University System. NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the ...
of Valhalla began leasing campus buildings. The college had 350 students in 1977, and students enjoyed half-empty dormitory buildings. With the growing popularity of coeducation in the 1970s, Briarcliff found itself struggling to survive. President Josiah Bunting III leaving for
Hampden-Sydney College Hampden Sydney is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. Hampden Sydney is the home of Hampden–Sydney College, a private all-male college that is the tenth ...
in spring 1977 contributed to the problems the college was having. Rather than continue to struggle, the college's trustees voted to sell the campus to
Pace University Pace University is a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, United States. It was established in 1906 as a business school by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace. Pace enrolls about ...
, a New York City-based institution. Instead of merging Briarcliff with Pace, the trustees attempted to reach a collaboration agreement with
Bennett College Bennett College is a private university, private historically black colleges and universities, historically black liberal arts college, liberal arts Women's colleges in the Southern United States, college for women in Greensboro, North Carolin ...
, a junior women's college in nearby Millbrook which was also struggling with low enrollment. The plan did not work, however, and Briarcliff College was sold to Pace in April 1977 for $5.2 million ($ in ) after both Briarcliff and Bennett entered
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
. In 1988, the
Hastings Center The Hastings Center for Bioethics is an independent, nonpartisan bioethics research institute in Garrison, New York. Its mission is to address ethical issues in health care, science, and technology. Through its projects and publications and its pu ...
moved to Tead Hall, the school's library; the organization later moved to the town of
Garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...
. The original Mrs. Dow's School building remains as the
co-ed Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
residence hall Dow Hall at Pace University. Residents of Briarcliff Manor were initially pleased to have another educational institution at the site, although Pace illegally turned its 188-spot parking lot into an 800-spot one, and allowed an extensive number of cars to be parked on the neighboring streets. The village government and school eventually reached a compromise. Pace operated the site as part of its Pleasantville campus, centered on Choate House. The site currently has nine buildings with a combined , with sizes from 13,041 to 111,915 square feet. The buildings were used for offices, student housing, dining, recreation and education. The campus' also includes tennis courts and ball fields. The Pleasantville site is about away from the Briarcliff College site. In an effort to consolidate Pace University's
Westchester County Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...
campuses into a single location, Pace University put the site up for sale in 2015. In October 2016, the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society hosted an event at Dow Hall to raise awareness of the building and its history, in order to encourage its preservation. Toward the end of its ownership by Pace University, the site was used as a filming location. Its cafeteria, known as the Briarcliff Dining Center, was used for the 2012 film ''
Inside Llewyn Davis ''Inside Llewyn Davis'' () is a 2013 period black comedy drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1961, the film follows one week in the life of Llewyn Davis, played by Oscar Isaac in his breakthrough ...
'' and for the 2016 first-season finale of the show ''
The OA The Oa ( ) () is a rocky peninsula in the southwest of the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland. It is an RSPB nature reserve. Area The area is roughly circular, with a radius of about 4 km, and connects with the rest of the island at a neck ...
''. In January 2017, Pace sold the property for $17.35 million to the Research Center on Natural Conservation, a nonprofit organization that hosts conferences relating to global warming and conservation. The China-based nonprofit also owns the nearby Arden estate and the
New York Military Academy New York Military Academy (NYMA) is a Private school, private, College-preparatory school, college preparatory, boarding school in Cornwall, New York, and one of the oldest List of United States military schools and academies, military schools i ...
. In February 2021, a Viznitz Yeshiva congregation purchased the property for $11.75 million. The congregation, Dkhal Torath Chaim Inc., had problems with code violations when establishing a school in nearby Nyack, New York, though the Briarcliff College site has no code violations. The buildings there fell into disrepair, though were brought back up to code as a government condition of the sale.


Classes

Around 1917 at Mrs. Dow's School, an art assistant taught classes in drawing, painting, and modeling. In addition to their daily tasks, the students prepared monthly compositions which would be critiqued by the school's art director
Frank DuMond Frank Vincent DuMond (August 20, 1865 – February 6, 1951) was one of the most influential teacher-painters in 20th-century America. He was an illustrator and American Impressionist painter of portraits and landscapes, and a prominent teach ...
through a lecture. Art history classes included that of Italian Renaissance painting and sculpture, Western European painting, and the history of Greek sculpture, architecture, and interior decoration. Mrs. Dow's also held lessons in
ear training In music, ear training is the study and practice in which musicians learn various aural skills to detect and identify pitch (music), pitches, interval (music), intervals, melody (music), melody, chord (music), chords, rhythms, solfeges, and other ...
, elementary harmony, guitar, mandolin, piano, singing, and violin. The school also held occasional informal recitals, and allowed students to attend operas and concerts in New York City. Concerts and lectures were held at the school by notable artists, including
Daniel Gregory Mason Daniel Gregory Mason (November 20, 1873 – December 4, 1953) was an American composer and music critic. Biography Mason was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. He came from a long line of notable American musicians, including his father Henry Ma ...
,
Guiomar Novaes Guiomar Novaes (February 28, 1895 – March 7, 1979) was a Brazilian pianist known for individuality of tone and phrasing, singing line, and a subtle and nuanced approach to her interpretations. Biography Born in São João da Boa Vista (in the ...
,
Leonard Borwick Leonard Borwick (26 February 1868 – 15 September 1925) was an English concert pianist especially associated with the music of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Early training and debuts Born in Walthamstow, Essex, of a Staffordshire fam ...
,
Percy Grainger Percy Aldridge Grainger (born George Percy Grainger; 8 July 188220 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who moved to the United States in 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long and ...
,
Efrem Zimbalist Efrem Zimbalist (April 21 .S. April 9 1889 – February 22, 1985) was a Russian and American concert violinist, composer, conducting, conductor and director of the Curtis Institute of Music. Early life Efrem Zimbalist was born on April 9, 1 ...
,
Emilio de Gogorza Emilio Eduardo de Gogorza (May 29, 1872May 10, 1949) was an American lyric baritone singer. Biography Emilio de Gogorza was born in Brooklyn, New York, and brought up and trained musically in Spain. He returned to the USA in his early 20s. He ...
, the
Flonzaley Quartet The Flonzaley Quartet was a string quartet organized in Manhattan, New York City, in 1902. The group disbanded in 1929. Personnel The personnel of the group were as follows: *1st violin: (Bagni di Lucca, 21 March 1875 – Lucca, 2 December 195 ...
, and the
Kneisel Quartet The Kneisel Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1885 by violinist Franz Kneisel, then concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It continued to perform until 1917, and was generally considered the leading string quartet of its time in ...
. Science classes at Mrs. Dow's around 1917 included Physiology, Botany, Chemistry, General Science, and Domestic Science. The latter class involved different curricula each term: dietaries, cookery, household administration and care, food chemistry, and (advanced) cookery. Mrs. Dow's held psychology, history of philosophy, political economy, social science, and ethics and logic classes. Mathematics classes around that time included Algebra, Plane Geometry,
Solid Geometry Solid geometry or stereometry is the geometry of Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional Euclidean space (3D space). A solid figure is the region (mathematics), region of 3D space bounded by a two-dimensional closed surface; for example, a ...
,
Trigonometry Trigonometry () is a branch of mathematics concerned with relationships between angles and side lengths of triangles. In particular, the trigonometric functions relate the angles of a right triangle with ratios of its side lengths. The fiel ...
, and Arithmetic and Accounts. Other classes included Dramatic Expression, Bible (required every Sunday), and Poetry (required every Monday).


Activities and clubs


Sports

In 1917, Mrs. Dow's required a physical examination for each student, including a doctor's certificate ensuring their heart and lung health. The school limited its student assignments to allow two hours of outdoor exercise daily. Sports included basketball, field hockey, soccer, and tennis.


Lawn Tea

Briarcliff College operated numerous clubs, including one honorary organization, called Lawn Tea. The organization planned social events for the college, and served as the official hostesses for visiting guests. It was the oldest club there. Members were chosen for their "social charm, capabilities, and poise".


Notable people


Presidents

* Mary Elizabeth Dow (1903–1919) * Edith Cooper Hartmann (1919-) * Doris Flick (-1942) * Clara Tead (1942–1960) * Charles E. Adkins (1960–1968) * James E. Stewart (interim) * Thomas E. Baker (1970–1973) * Josiah Bunting III (1973–1977)


Students

*
Dorothy Burgess Dorothy Burgess (March 4, 1907 – August 20, 1961) was an American stage and motion-picture actress. Family, education Born in Los Angeles in 1907, Burgess was a niece of Fay Bainter. On her father's side, she was related to David C. Montgom ...
, a stage and motion picture actress * Attallah Shabazz, campaigner and speaker * Susan Crocker, photographer * Anne Windfohr Marion, rancher and horsebreeder from
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
* Mary Elsie Moore, an heiress * Chessy Rayner, a socialite and interior designer *
Sushma Seth Sushma Seth (born 20 June 1936) is an Indian stage, film and television actress. She started her career in the 1950s, and was a founder member of the Delhi-based theatre group Yatrik. Her first film was '' Junoon'' in 1978. She is known for pl ...
, an Indian actress *
P. J. Soles Pamela Jayne Soles (née Hardon; born July 17, 1950) is a retired American actress. She made her film debut in 1976 as Norma Watson in Brian De Palma's ''Carrie (1976 film), Carrie'' (1976) before portraying List of Halloween (franchise) charact ...
, an actress * Diana Walker, a White House photographer


Teachers

*
Frank DuMond Frank Vincent DuMond (August 20, 1865 – February 6, 1951) was one of the most influential teacher-painters in 20th-century America. He was an illustrator and American Impressionist painter of portraits and landscapes, and a prominent teach ...
, art director * Myrtle B. McGraw, a psychologist * David E. Mungello, history *
Kurt Seligmann Kurt Leopold Seligmann (20 July 1900, Basel – 2 January 1962, Sugar Loaf) was a Swiss-American Surrealist painter, engraver, and occultist. He was known for his fantastic imagery of medieval troubadors and knights in macabre rituals and inspi ...
, a painter and engraver * Howard F. Bremer, a historian and author


See also

* History of Briarcliff Manor * List of defunct colleges and universities in New York


References


External links


Pace University Briarcliff Campus



Accounts by
an
accounts of
the school by
Janet McDonald Janet McDonald (August 10, 1953 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer of young adult novels as well as the author of ''Project Girl'', a memoir about her early life in Brooklyn's Farragut Houses and struggle to achieve an Ivy League educati ...
{{authority control Universities and colleges established in 1904 1904 establishments in New York (state) Education in New York (state) Pace University Briarcliff Manor, New York Universities and colleges in Westchester County, New York University and college campuses in New York (state) Educational institutions disestablished in 1977 1977 disestablishments in New York (state) Defunct private universities and colleges in New York (state)