Roslyn ( ROZ-lin) is a village located within the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is the Greater Roslyn area's anchor community. The population was 2,988 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
Early history (pre-colonization to 1932)
What is now Roslyn was originally inhabited by Matinecock Native Americans. It was first settled by European colonists – primarily Dutchmen and Englishmen – in 1643. This new coastal settlement was originally called Hempstead Harbor, but its name was changed to Roslyn in 1844; the name was changed due to postal confusion regarding all the other "Hempsteads" scattered about Long Island.
On April 24, 1790, during a 5-day tour of Long Island, George Washington stopped for breakfast at the home of mill owner Hendrick Onderdonk. The Onderdonk farmhouse still stands in Roslyn on Old Northern Blvd, and now is known as Hendrick's Tavern. Myths say that Washington also slept there, but his diary doesn't say so.
The Long Island Rail Road reached Roslyn in 1865, with the completion of the Oyster Bay Branch as far north and east as Glen Head. Roslyn's train station opened at this time near Warner Avenue, in present-day Roslyn Heights. The introduction of rail service ushered in growth throughout the Roslyn community and improved its regional connectivity.
In 1874, William Cullen Bryant – who resided at Cedarmere in modern-day Roslyn Harbor and felt the community was in need of a social space where the public could read – erected Bryant Hall in Roslyn, on present-day Bryant Avenue. The building would serve as the original home of the Bryant Library – which would be established four years later, in 1878; the building was sold to the library in 1879 for $1 by Bryant's daughter, Julia.
In 1895, the Ellen E. Ward Memorial Clock Tower – one of the most famous structures in Roslyn – was completed. Built as a memorial to a prominent civic leader in the community, the clock tower was designed by Lamb and Rich.
In 1898, the original Roslyn Village School opened on Old Northern Boulevard, within Roslyn's downtown area. This school could accommodate up to 300 students and replaced an earlier schoolhouse that had burned on January 12, 1897. From its opening in 1898 until the opening of Roslyn High School in Roslyn Heights in 1925, the Village School served students in grades one through 12.
In 1907, electric trolley service was introduced in Roslyn, with the opening of the New York & North Shore Traction Company's trolley line between it and Mineola; an extension from Roslyn to Port Washington opened the following year, and a line to Flushing, Queens, was completed in 1910. The NY&NS trolley lines served the community until the company's collapse in 1920; the trolleys were subsequently replaced by buses.
On January 2, 1927, the 1898-built Roslyn Village School burned down. A new Roslyn Village School was subsequently erected behind the site of the 1898 school by the Roslyn School District; it opened in 1932 and closed in 1976.
In 1931, Gerry Park (then known as Roslyn Park) – a large park in the center of the village – opened. It was constructed by the Town of North Hempstead over a former swamp, which had been a notorious threat to public health and safety.
Push for incorporation (c.1930–1932)
On October 16, 1931, residents and civic advocates in Roslyn filed a petition with the Town of North Hempstead to incorporate their community as an incorporated village, aspiring to make it "the hub of the North Shore." This was the fifth such incorporation attempt made by Roslyn, which had planned to construct various public improvements and offer enhanced municipal services throughout the community.
The previous incorporation attempts failed in large part due to the incorporation of the modern villages surrounding it and which it wished to partially or wholly take in – such as East Hills, Flower Hill, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, and North Hills. At least one such prior proposal – which would have included much of present-day East Hills – failed in part due to residents of East Hills (which then primarily consisted of large estates and farms) objecting to paying for sanitary sewers or many of the other municipal services they deemed unnecessary at the time, and wanting to govern themselves.
The territory to be included in the final attempt – greatly reduced following the incorporations of East Hills, Flower Hill, North Hills, Roslyn Estates, and Roslyn Harbor – included the unincorporated areas between Roslyn Estates and Flower Hill to the west and East Hills Roslyn Harbor to the east, from Hempstead Harbor south to Hillside Avenue (the village's present border with Roslyn Heights); these areas included Downtown Roslyn, Roslyn Landing and Lower Roslyn. Notably, Roslyn Heights – which had requested to be included within the new village's territory – was excluded from the proposal, spurring opposition to the proposal by residents of that community.
Nevertheless, in December 1931, the Town of North Hempstead – which had accepted the petition submitted as part of Roslyn's final incorporation attempt – scheduled the incorporation vote for Roslyn for that December 17; the Roslyn Heights area was excluded in part due to the repeated inability to unite the factions that had been opposing each other. Ultimately, during that referendum vote on the incorporation, the majority of participating Roslyn residents voted in favor of incorporating the community as a village; the tally was 38 in favor and 37 opposed – with most opponents voting against incorporation due to the exclusion of Roslyn Heights.
Incorporated Village of Roslyn (1932–present)
Roslyn officially incorporated as a village on January 11, 1932, following the issuance of its certificate of incorporation. Its first mayor was Albertson W. Hicks, who was unanimously elected to the position two days later, on January 13.
In the late 1940s, the 217-unit Roslyn Gardens co-op development was built. Located off of Warner Avenue, it was built in part with funding from Title 608 of the Federal Housing Administration and was the first major rental housing development built in the New York metropolitan area under Title 608's then-new provisions. The complex was designed by architects Max M. Simon and T. E. Merrill.
In 1946, Bryant Hall – the original home of the community's Library – was acquired and demolished through eminent domain by New York state, for the construction of the William Cullen Bryant Viaduct; the library would operate at temporary locations from its eviction by New York state that year until relocating its modern, permanent home at the Roslyn War Memorial Building on Papermill Road in 1952.
On January 3, 1950, the William Cullen Bryant Viaduct opened to traffic. Built as part of the Roslyn Bypass – a realignment of New York State Route 25A within the Village of Flower Hill and the Village of Roslyn, the bridge's completion provided a bypass of Roslyn's downtown and alleviated a severe traffic bottleneck along Old Northern Boulevard through the community.
Also occurring in the 1950s was the redevelopment of the former Walbridge/Rubel estate in the village as the Roslyn Pines subdivision by Martucci & Sons. This residential housing development would consist of roughly 102 homes, along with a pool and tennis club; the houses in the development were designed by Roslyn-based architect Henry W. Johanson.
In 1976, following a decline in school district enrollment resulting from the end of the post-war baby-boom, the 1932-built Roslyn Village School was closed by the Roslyn School District. The property was later purchased by developers and redeveloped as a residential subdivision with single-family residences on a street named Old Schoolhouse Lane.
In 1995, the Ellen E. Ward Memorial Clock Tower was sold to the Village of Roslyn by the Town of North Hempstead for $1, in observance of that structure's centennial that year. It was subsequently restored.
Also taking place in 1995 was the opening of the Village of Roslyn's current Village Hall on Old Northern Boulevard. The village previously operated out of the historic Valentine House on Papermill Road, across from the Bryant Library.
In May 2016, ground broke on the large, 12-acre (4.9 ha) Roslyn Landing condominium development in the village's downtown area. The work also included an extension of the Roslyn Waterfront Promenade south to Old Northern Boulevard, along the east side of Roslyn Creek and Hempstead Harbor.
Etymology
The name "Roslyn" was selected as the new name for the community in 1844, replacing the earlier name of "Hempstead Harbor" (which reflected its location along the eponymous body of water) This new name was selected by officials, due to its location in a valley reminding them of Roslin, Scotland.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer Files, the village has a total area of approximately 0.657 square miles (1.70 km2), of which 0.645 square miles (1.67 km2) is land and 0.012 square miles (0.031 km2) is water.
Topography
Like the rest of Long Island's North Shore, Roslyn is situated on a terminal moraine, known as the Harbor Hill Moraine. This moraine was formed by glaciers during the Wisconsin Glacial Episode, and is named for Harbor Hill – the highest geographic point in Nassau County; Harbor Hill is located primarily within the adjacent village, East Hills – although parts of its western slope are also located within the Village of Roslyn.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Geological Survey, the highest point in the Village of Roslyn is located near Piper Court, at approximately 253 feet (77 m). The lowest point is Hempstead Harbor, which is at sea level.
Geology
Roslyn is the namesake of the Roslyn Till – a geologic unit of the Manhasset Formation.
Drainage
Roslyn is split between two minor drainage areas: Hempstead Harbor (part of the Hempstead Harbor Watershed) and Mill River (part of the Mill River Watershed). According to the Köppen climate classification, the majority of Roslyn is within the Hempstead Harbor Watershed, meaning water in those areas drains north to Hempstead Harbor and ultimately into the Long Island Sound. Meanwhile, the southwestern edge of the village is within the Mill River Watershed, meaning water in that area drains south to the Mill River, thence ultimately into Hewlett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
Additionally, all of Roslyn is located within the larger Long Island Sound/Atlantic Ocean Watershed.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, Roslyn has a Humid subtropical climate (type Cfa) with cool, wet winters and hot, humid summers. Precipitation is uniform throughout the year, with slight spring and fall peaks.
Demographics
2010 Census
As of the 2010 census the population was 86% White (76% Non-Hispanic White), 2.2% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 8.85% Asian, 2.6% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.2% of the population.
2000 Census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,570 people, 1,060 households, and 603 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,082.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,576.1/km2). There were 1,124 housing units at an average density of 1,785.4 units per square mile (689.3 units/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 86.81% White, 2.33% African American, 0.08% Native American, 6.15% Asian, 2.02% from other races, and 2.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.34% of the population.
There were 1,060 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.89.