Scarsdale Congregational Church

Good morning. My name is Bob Lilly. Our family moved here in 1930 from Evanston, Illinois. I was only four and a half. Our first house was on Nelson Road, in Edgewood. I started kindergarten in the Edgewood School; they are still using the same room for kindergarten. I went through all the schools, graduating in 1943.

My parents were Presbyterian, and I was baptized as such. However, the closest Presbyterian Church was Hitchcock, way over on the other side of town. And this was the beginning of the depression. My Dad's advertising business had faltered. Our 1929 Hupmobile remained in the garage for well over three years. We had no money even for gas. And no way to get to church.

About this time, my younger brother was born in Lawrence Hospital, and my parents found themselves with three little boys under the age of seven, no job, no money, and no church to go to. My mother wanted a church, and she knew of this "little stone church" at Heathcote and Post Roads.

We lived on Nelson Road, and we could walk to church. No need for a car. So we became parishioners, and later members, and I "joined" in 1937, at the age of 12.

My mother became quite active in the church, more so than my Dad. However, Charlotte and Ned Boynton were often guests in our home. My Dad grew particularly fond of Ned Boynton. I can remember one Sunday afternoon when Rev. Boynton was over, and my Dad was having a cocktail. He gingerly asked Ned if he'd like one, and he said with his quiet demeanor, "well, I don't mind if I do."

I remember the little stone church with fond memories. I went to church Sunday School, got my first Bible there, and was active in the Sunday evening group called "Young Peoples" - now called Senior Youth Fellowship.

Our group did many plays there, on that stage. It even had footlights - red, white and blue. We would unscrew the white bulbs to look healthier! I acted in a few plays, and built and painted sets. Our plays were always well received - as we had a captive audience. Parents, relatives and neighbors. No Broadway, but good!

We had a Young Peoples' service every Sunday evening in what is now the Parish House, but it was then the church. We would sing a few hymns, have a prayer or two, sometimes a speaker. Often, later, we would go to someone's house for a social. I can remember my folks asking me, "have you done your homework?" - because if I hadn't done it, I couldn't go to Young Peoples - and I really wanted to go.

Young Peoples was very important to me. Also, we had friends from school who resided in Fox Meadow and Greenacres, so they were not all from church, but they enjoyed Young Peoples. We did a lot of fun things - like singing Christmas carols early Christmas morning (in the snow) - at someone's home where there was an illness or shut- in. Or getting up real early to watch the sun rise (at Pound Ridge) on Easter morning, or spending a full weekend at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey.

The little stone church wasn't really at all like a church. It certainly wasn't a building like this. It was more like an old movie theatre, two aisles and fold-up chairs. Not very comfortable chairs. Little cubicles on each side divided by folding screens, served as church school classrooms. And all of this was downstairs, in the lower level of what is now the Parish House. This included the stage, footlights, and all, and the Steinway grand piano. All downstairs - in the basement level.

There was no big floor like where we now have coffee hours and meetings. Instead, there was a narrow eight-foot in depth balcony, all the way around on three sides, North, East, and South, with the stage way down below on the fourth wall, Post Road side. About the only things remaining of the original church interior are the two chandeliers above, and the stage and proscenium arch - and the Steinway grand piano.

As a youth I remember being in the youth choir, boys and girls. We sang up in the South Balcony, closest to the stage which was also the altar. Our choir music director was Mrs. Irene Sincerbox. She had great patience. As a kid I had braces - metal things across my teeth, held down with rubber bands. One Sunday, while singing, one rubber band broke, hit the guy next to me in the eye (he was Stoddard Lincoln). He screamed out, and Mrs. Sincerbox - startled - dropped her choir book over the balcony and nearly hit Rev. Boynton. I was requested not to sing in the choir any more. Stoddard went on with his musical career and is now a teacher at Julliard.

When you look at the Parish House now, and see the existing stonework, that was the original little stone church. Sometime, take a look on the Post Road side. Notice the Gothic windows, now bricked in, but the architectural framework is still there.

In the 30's and 40's there was no big kitchen, no Boynton Room, no Carret Room, no Cunningham Chapel, no Youth Room. Anything you see with bricks just wasn't there in the the 30's and 40's.

A story goes that Rev. Boynton would ask people to donate $700 or $1,000 to help build a new church. Many people said "yes", except no one had any money to spare during the depression. And then came World War II. Any new church ideas were put on hold; we were at war.

I went into the Army at 17, in service over three years - several in Europe. I remember while overseas, gratefully receiving knitted gloves and scarves and face masks and boxes of cookies - all from the Scarsdale Congregational Guild. Those Guild ladies never stopped knitting or cooking and tracked many of us down overseas. What a thrill to get a package from Scarsdale.

After the war, I finished college, then joined Eastman Kodak. Kodak transferred me to Chicago, and I was there from 1949 to 1962, so I kind of lost track of the church, except from letters from home or visits at Thanksgiving or Christmas. But Ned Boynton, and others, really wanted a new church, so they would now ask instead of giving $700, could you give $3,000 - or more. Post-war prosperity - and the church funding was under way. In 1951-1952, this beautiful building went up and was dedicated.

A few interesting stories:

Prior to building this church, groups of men and women from our church toured Connecticut and Massachusetts and Rhode Island, looking at true, authentic colonial churches...gaining ideas. Then they hired an architect to plan the building.

As the building progressed, some wanted gold leaf at the top of the corinthian columns. "No way," said the researchers. "Colonials didn't do it." The architect wanted curtains and/or shutters on the big windows. Again, "no way. Colonials didn't do it."

While I was living in Chicago, and this church was progressing, I had a phone call from my parents. "Did I have any contact for carpeting?" I said "Yes, a fraternity brother of mine owned a furniture/carpet store in Huntington, Long Island. So they contacted the store, and a Lee's carpet man came out, took a look-see, and took measurements. It was getting late. My parents asked the man to stay for dinner - which he did. Then my folks said Huntington is a long drive - why not stay over? Which he did. End result - we got the Lee's carpet at cost!

Many others wanted to help. For instance, the two credenza tables in the narthex were a gift from Paul Knight, the president and CEO of Arthur Anderson. They were especially designed and created for the narthex. He wanted to remain anonymous - just a gift. He wasn't a member here. Paul is gone now, so I guess I can tell that story.

I could go on with many stories. But I won't. I'm just happy and very glad to be back. This church is, indeed, a pleasure.