Irvington is a village in the Town of Greenburgh, between Dobbs Ferry and Tarrytown on the east bank of the Hudson. It was named after Washington Irving while he was still alive, and he lived there: his home, Sunnyside, is still open for tours on West Sunnyside Lane. The literary history is part of the appeal, but most buyers are more interested in how the village is laid out.
A village that runs downhill to the water
Main Street is the spine of Irvington. It begins near Broadway and descends steadily west, past shops, restaurants and the Town Hall Theater, until it reaches the Irvington Metro-North station and the river. Scenic Hudson Park is on the water near the platform, and Matthiessen Park is close by. The Old Croton Aqueduct Trail crosses Main Street partway up the hill, so walking between neighborhoods, or all the way to Tarrytown or Dobbs Ferry, is easy.
The village is also served by two Hudson Line stops. Besides Irvington station at the foot of Main Street, Ardsley-on-Hudson station lies at the southern end of the village. That gives buyers on the south side another way to get to Grand Central.
Irvington’s houses and streets
Irvington’s history as a place for river estates is easy to see. Along North Broadway is Villa Lewaro, the Italian Renaissance mansion built for Madam C.J. Walker and designed by Vertner Tandy, New York’s first licensed Black architect. A short walk from the aqueduct is the Armour-Stiner Octagon House, a domed octagonal house from the 1860s and 1870s. Most homes in Irvington are less grand than either, but the village has the same mix of eras. Victorians line side streets like North Dutcher Street. Main Street has apartments above storefronts. Townhouse and condominium communities such as Mallard Rise offer something lower-maintenance, and larger colonials and contemporaries sit on the hillsides to the east. Homes on the higher western streets can have long views of the river, and that shows up in the price.
Schools
The Irvington Union Free School District runs four schools: Dows Lane Elementary (Kâ3), Main Street School (4â5), Irvington Middle School (6â8) and Irvington High School (9â12). Before you commit to a house, confirm which school district serves that address.
Buying or selling here
Irvington buyers usually know what they’re after: the walk down Main Street, the river at the bottom of the hill, and a village that’s quieter than its neighbors. Pricing and marketing a home here works best when the story is about that, rather than a countywide average. I’ve recently sold, rented and listed homes on Havemeyer Road, North Dutcher Street, Main Street and Mallard Rise, working from my office two villages south, past Dobbs Ferry.
If you’re weighing a move to or from Irvington, call 914-478-1505, text 914-826-0027, or stop by 10 Spring Street in Hastings-on-Hudson.