A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades. Through programs in horticulture, environmental education, land management, landscape history, and the visual, performing, and literary arts, Wave Hill seeks to foster connections between people and the natural world.

Wave Hill House was built as a country home in 1843 by jurist William Lewis Morris. From 1866-1903 it was owned by William Henry Appleton, a publishing scion, who enlarged the house in 1866-69 and again in 1890. He built the garden and greenhouses.

Famous Wave Hill's residents
Theodore Roosevelt's family rented Wave Hill during the summers of 1870 and '71, when the future president was 12 and 13.

Mark Twain leased the estate from 1901-1903. In 1903.

George W. Perkins, a partner of J. P. Morgan, purchased Wave Hill House. He added greenhouses, a swimming pool, terraces and the recreational facility now called the Ecology Building. The land was graded and contoured; rare trees and shrubs were planted and gardens were created. The Perkins leased Wave Hill house to an eminent zoologist, Bashford Dean. His hobby was collecting medieval European armor, and he built Armor Hall to house his remarkable collection. A selection of 197 pieces was subsequently donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Arturo Toscanini resided at Wave Hill House from 1942-1945.

In 1960, the Perkins-Freeman family deeded Wave Hill to the City of New York; Wave Hill, Inc. was formed in 1965 as a nonprofit corporation.

Collections
Cactus and succulents, tropical plants, herbs, aquatic garden, flower garden, arboretum, 4 historic buildings and 5 greenhouses.
The Horticulture Program maintains an extraordinarily diverse collection of hardy and greenhouse plants, including 1,200 genera and 3,250 species.

Location
675 West 252nd Street
Bronx, NY 10471-2899

Hours
Tuesday-Sunday
Closed Mondays except Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day
Closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas

April 15-October 14: 9am–5:30pm
October 15-April 14: 9am–4:30pm

Greenhouses: 10am–noon, 1–4pm

Galleries: 10am–4:30pm.

Admission
Free to Members and children under 6
Tuesday: Free all day during off-peak months (January–April, July–August, November–December)
Tuesday: Free 9am to noon during peak months (May–June, September–October)
Saturday: Free 9am to noon year-round

Adults $6, Students and Seniors 65+ $3, Children 6+ $2

Contact
Tel.: 718.549.3200 | Fax: 718.884.8952
E-mail: info@wavehill.org