co-ed School
Building History
DESIGNER OF RECORD
T.S. Wall
ORIGINAL FUNCTION
Original building for
The Country Day School for Girls
at Riverdale-on-the-Hudson
CURRENT FUNCTION
Lower School library and faculty
meeting and collaboration spaces
FUN FACT
Featured in the film
Splendor in the Grass starring
Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty
The Senior Building on the River Campus was built sometime between 1856 and 1863. During this time, the land was owned by a villa development syndicate, Park Riverdale, run by Henry F. Spaulding. T.S. Wall designed the new construction that was briefly Spaulding’s villa residence before becoming part of an estate named Oaklawn.
The estate was sold numerous times but was leased to Riverdale in 1935 by George W. Perkins. The former villa was renovated and became the first building of The Country Day School for Girls at Riverdale-on-the-Hudson (later renamed the Riverdale Country School for Girls). Once the school expanded and acquired additional facilities, it became the dedicated space for the upper three forms — also known as the “Senior school.” Riverdale continued to lease it until 1958, when Perkins’s widow, Evelina, officially gifted it to Riverdale. In 1961, it was featured in the film Splendor in the Grass starring Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty.
The Senior Building continued to serve as a home for seniors after the Girls and Boys Schools merged in 1972. The former cafeteria for the Girls School was transformed into the senior lounge. However, Riverdale experienced a massive shift in the fall of 1985, with the Lower School relocating to the River Campus and the Upper School moving to the Hill. While it is still known as the Senior Building, it now houses an expansive library for the youngest Riverdale students and faculty meeting and collaboration spaces. While much has changed since 1863, due to recent renovations, the library as of 2022 is in the exact location as the original layout of Spaulding’s villa.