Did you know that Leonard Morange Square in Bronxville was named in 1938 after a Bronxville Resident?
Pictured: Leonard Morange Square in Bronxville
By Ray Geselbracht, Bronxville Village Historian
May 12, 2025: Did you that Leonard Morange Square in Bronxville was named in 1938 after a Bronxville resident?
Leonard Morange Square is the small wooded park pictured above near the Bronxville train station on the west side.
In May 1938 the Bronxville Board of Trustees voted to rename what had been called Station Plaza or West Station Plaza after Leonard S. Morange, the first Bronxville resident to be killed during military service in World War I. He was killed in England on August 10, 1918 while training as a pilot in the British Royal Flying Corps.
The plaza’s rededication as Leonard Morange Square occurred during Bronxville’s Memorial Day ceremony in 1938. A marker honoring Morange’s service, which had been commissioned by the Leonard S. Morange American Legion Post, was put up in the square. A plaque on the marker reads in part: “1896-1918, Leonard Sowersby Morange, first Bronxville son to make the supreme sacrifice in the World War.”
Pictured: Leonard Morange (far right) with his brother and sister. Photo courtesy Bronxville Historical Conservancy
In 1954, a flagpole with a memorial base that honored all wartime service by the people of Bronxville was erected in Morange Square near the Leonard Morange marker. At later times, small markers honoring service in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War were put up near the Morange marker.
Today Morange Square has winding walkways and places to sit and enjoy the day, or perhaps think about Leonard Morange and the sacrifice that he and many others have made in the country’s wars.
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Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
Link to Village of Bronxville One Square Mile Monthly Newsletter
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