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After a lengthy renovation and thoughtful restoration, Houlihan Lawrence will be bringing its entire Bronxville sales team under one roof. Previously, some Realtors worked at a second in-town location at 89 Pondfield Road.
“With a new state-of-the-art space, Houlihan Lawrence will be able to serve both buyers and sellers more efficiently,’’ said Cynthia Landis, Manager of the Bronxville office for Houlihan Lawrence. “It’s close to the train station, which is pivotal for attracting buyers, and its expansive parking lot will better serve buyers and sellers.”
Houlihan Lawrence is expanding its square footage, updating and adding its technological capacity, and creating an environment that will support Landis’ team of nearly 60 agents.
The Realtors will work out of one the most historic properties in Bronxville. 4 Valley Road served as the gatehouse to the former Prescott Farm when village founder William Van Duzer Lawrence first visited Bronxville in 1888. “The building was a magnet for visitors coming through town,’’ Landis said. In the book “Building a Suburban Village” by Bob Marshall, villagers who set out to get milk in tin pails would stop at the property “in winter to get warm and in summer to rest and talk a bit” with friendly farmer Henry Steibling.
A famous opera singer occupied the home at the turn of the 20th century, and it was bought by the Lawrence family in 1912. It eventually became the headquarters for Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate.
Constructed as a farmhouse in the mid-1800s, architect William Bates re-designed the home in the late 1800s into a shingled cottage. Bates, working for Lawrence, designed most of the homes in the Lawrence Park section of Bronxville. Many of the homes in the Lawrence Park Historic District retain much of their original character.
Penrose Stout, an architect best known for designing the Bronxville Women’s Club, designed a more formal brick exterior at 4 Valley Road.
Most of the renovations took place in the home’s interior. The exterior still appears to be the same from more than 100 years ago.
“The ‘Little White House’ has remained an integral part of the fabric of our village,’’ Landis said. “In its new state, 4 Valley Road will continue to be not only as the friendly gatehouse to Bronxville, but also the 21st century gateway to the evolving digital world of real estate.”
