Rowsley History

Rowsley, the clubhouse of The Scarsdale Woman’s Club, is a 19th century manor house set on almost four acres amid magnificent trees and plantings.

The house was built in 1858 by William Bailey Lang, a successful New York iron merchant.  Interested in architecture, he fashioned the house after a property he saw in Derbyshire, England. With a mansard roof, an entry hall featuring eight stained glass windows, a 120-foot-long entry hall, a fireplace with tiles depicting Dutch scenes, the house retains the integrity of its original structure although it has been enlarged to accommodate expanded use.  

Rowsley was named an Historic Landmark by the Village of Scarsdale in 1968; and in 2008, it was designated by the Nation as a site on its National Register of Historic Place.

Despite more than 160 years of use, Rowsley has had only seven owners.  Financial reverses caused Mr. Lang to sell the property.  Two short term owners were followed by Madame Obry who owned a chain of a dry-cleaning establishments. The ownership past in order to Mr. Zuckerman, Mr. Quincy, and lastly to The Scarsdale Woman’s Club in 1928. 

When the club purchased the property, initial modifications were done to ready the building for use.  Antique furniture purchased for use in Wayside Cottage was placed in Rowsley.  Additional gifts or purchases of furniture were made as needed.

Over the years, the house has been expanded to meet the needs of its members: 

  • The Music Room was expanded twice; once with the removal of a partition and second, with an addition to the room size

  • The Dining Room was expanded by enclosing a porch

  • The ADA handicap accessible restroom was added

  • The restrooms have been upgraded

  • The basement kitchen was modernized

Redecorating has occurred over the years as needed with a significant refurbishing done through a Designer Showcase in 2005.

Lang selected fine furnishings and unique trees for his estate, which then occupied 34 acres.  Among the outstanding plantings, a white oak tree, approximately 490 years old, sits in front of the house along with a massive rhododendron spread.  The white oak tree was designated a Legacy Tree by the Village of Scarsdale in 2013.