A COLONIAL VILLAGE OF DISTINCTIVE CHARM

Parkway Village situated on some 35 acres of rolling parkland where Main Street meets the Grand Central Parkway may seem like a nondescript community to the casual observer but according to some residents, this 50 plus years old 675-unit co-op is a historical, cultural and aesthetic asset to the city and a fine example of the architectural style of postwar garden communities.

Parkway's two and three-story buildings are made of concrete faced with red brick and decorated with white columns and lintels. The buildings themselves are set within a lush park echoing Thomas Jefferson's design for the University of Virginia at Charlottesville.

Parkway Village was built in 1947 with the help of Robert Moses, John D. Rockefeller Jr. and William O'Dwyer, the Mayor at the time, to house the staff of the new United Nations. Such housing was a factor in the decision to base the U.N. in New York.

From its inception, Parkway Village, a rental community that became a co-op in 1983 has had an atmosphere of diversity and acceptance. In addition to many diplomats, its tenants have included Roy Wilkins and Betty Friedan.