J. Philip's Westchester Real Estate Blog

Growing up in Ossining, even though I went to Catholic schools after 1st grade, I always got the connection between the local history and the high school mascot, the Ossining Indian. We were told of the Sint Sinck heritage, stone on stone, and how the high school teams were emblematic of that history. That changed in 2002, when social and political pressure convinced the district to retire the Indian mascot. OHS grad Dana Goldstein, quite an accomplished scholar herself, has written a complex commentary on the change and aftermath.

Of course, the community is now a decade into mascot limbo, and with all due respect for the folks with the Ossining Indians Forever bumper stickers, I see less of an issue with the loss of the Indian as the lack of a suitable replacement.  They have tried and trashed the fictitious "Riverhawk," then simply "O," and now I see tacit references in the press to the "Pride," as if those ex -jocks among us don't already know that the term is as common as "athletic supporter." The only official announcement of Pride is on a student blog I found from a senior, Trevor Gill, who graduated last year.

I wouldn't have a horse in this race if I did not still reside in the district. My alma mater, John F Kennedy Catholic in Somers, is represented by the Gaels, another ethnic character, only of the Irish variety. I won't go past mentioning that Notre Dame's mascot, the fighting Irish, is literally a drunk leprechaun. And I couldn't root for the Washington Redskins. But the reason for retiring the Indian was not mere political correctness. Tomahawk chops, caricatured logos and costumed buffoons would be reason enough for me if the mist of genocide and suffering did not linger. And as much as I'd like to cross my heart and promise to go back to the Indian if we could do it respectfully and without chicanery and stereotypes, I don't think we can unring the mascot bell.

What I would like to see is a mascot that the entire community can get behind that isn't a vowel or part-time adjective. The reason the Indian still remains in our consciousness is because they haven't devoted the effort to a suitable replacement that matched the campaign to retire the Indian. The world has changed. No one is changing their mascot from Wildcat or Bear to Indian. It is the other way around.  I think it is time for Ossining to adapt, because you cannot rewind. The best thing to do is for the district to put an earnest effort in finding a new identity that resonates with both sides of the argument once and for all.  

Ask any foodie about New York and you'll know that we have the best bread they've ever had. Local restaurants often boast that they have bread baked from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, and with good reason. I myself have lived in New Orleans, Austin, Rochester, Philadelphia, Boston and Maryland and appreciated the local offerings (New Orleans has some of the best food in the world!) but always measured bread against the bread from home.  While Arthur Avenue bread and rolls are the world standard in my view, Ossining bakery is right up there. 

Among my fondest childhood memories is when I would go with my father to Ossining Bakery after Sunday mass. He'd stand at the counter with his fedora hat and horn rimmed glasses, smile at the counter person, and order 12 hard rolls as we called them. Delicious crust, soft savory inside. If he was in a good mood we might get some doughnuts, and then we'd go home, Mom would cook hard boiled eggs, and we'd watch Abbott and Costello or the Bowery Boys on channel 11. I can't eat a good roll and not go back in time. 

Ossining Bakery is a regular guy place- nothing fancy, baking is done on premesis, and the interior is exactly the same as it was when I was a kid- devoid of pretense, glass counter with the baked goods, a few tables, and self serve coffee. If it were a restaurant, it ould have red and white table coths and folding chairs but always be crowded. Anthony, the current owner, bought it 12 years ago from the folks who ran it for the prior 30 years, and the continuity in both presentation and quality remain. 

Rolls and basic pastries are their pride and joy- you can expect about half a dozen differen types of doughnuts along with crullers, turnovers, and cookies. And the rolls are the best in Westchester, period. They go great with butter, tomato sauce, or soup. They make everything taste better. I eat them alone- they are that good.

Don't expect flowery cakes that looked like they were made by a confectionary Rembrandt. It's not that kind of place. They do the basics, they do it well, and that's why it has been an instuitution for decades. I hope they never change. 

I've actually met with people for coffee here, and, and will again just for the aroma of the next batch of greatness wafting from the ovens. 

Ossining Bakery
50 North Highland Avenue
Ossining, NY 10562
(914) 941-2654 

The corporation, or village of Ossining, will be 200 years old in 2013, and our fair municipality was the first village to incorporate in the State of New York. The bicentennial will rightly observe a long, rich history as well as cultural significance from being the cradle of the "up the river" line from old gangster movies to Breakfast at Tiffany's, and most recently, prominent mention in the hit TV series Mad Men. 

So have we outgrown the "village " moniker? The dictionary defines a city as an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village. Indeed, according to the 2010 census, of Westchester County's six cities, Ossining is larger than Rye and an eyelash smaller than Peekskill. Of the county's 23 villages, only Port Chester is has a greater population. Moreover, if you go outside the county to many other cities in New York State, Ossining is larger and arguably more significant than a bunch of them. 

Would there be an advantage to acknowledging the facts on the ground and declaring ourselves a city officially? Would there be a revenue advantage in terms of federal or state aid for our infrastructure or school system? These questions might be worth exploring. If the answers are in the affirmative, it would make sense to approach the idea more earnestly. 

Perhaps the symbolism of the move would make a bigger impact on  our civic psyche then the mere utility. Our waterfront remains undeveloped outside of arguments over the on again, off again Harbor Square project. Downtown Ossining, blighted and derelict for decades, has nearly completed its turnaround and is reaching critical mass in terms of vitality. Westchester magazine loves us. Should we strike while the iron is hot? Would it be a smart move? Have we graduated? Is 200 years as a village long enough? 

With the closure and razing of the old building that housed Big Top and several other small businesses and their imminent replacement by Walgreen's, the village of Ossining will have yet another "big box" drug store. Nearby Chilmark shopping center on the border in Briarcliff also has a proposal on the table for the arrival of the area's second CVS, which will be at the cost of Prescriptions Plus. 

Those of us old enough to remember Arcadian Garden Center before the arrival of CVS might recall that there was a time when Ossining was well served by small, neighborhood pharmacies, and the populace got by just fine. I hate to sound like a curmudgeon, but other than occupying vacant retail space that the market appears to not otherwise fill, I am skeptical of the value brought by another retail giant.

The argument that they bring jobs is doesn't resonate with me. The various stores in Big Top's building employed dozens, just as Walgreen's will, but there will be 4-5 fewer proprietors in our midst. Their accountability and civic presence is not something that can be measured in a spreadsheet. 

I remember as a child on Linden Avenue walking down Clinton to Big Top or Burd's stationary for candy or toys. The storekeepers at places like Strictly Ice Cream (remember them?) knew your name. They were neighbors. This was especially important with how the now disappearing small pharmacies filled prescriptions, which isn't always a smooth process at a larger outlet (and after 4 pregnancies in our family, that is no small issue). 

The utility for consumers will remain constant, although I am dubious as to how our quality of life improves with so many choices of where to get a gallon of milk, a greeting card, or shampoo. In a diverse vibrant village with so much charm and history, can't we attract a more independent and varied type of business? Is local ownership dead? I hate to stand in the way of "progress," as relative as the term is in this case, but can't we do better? 

Last week, I published a market report for Ossining which had the median price of a single family home in Ossining schools at $382,000. While Westchester is one of the more expensive counties in our state, Ossining is actually one of the more affordable places to buy from a price point of view. 

Today, Coldwell Banker has published a Home Listing Report which surveys 164 New York housing markets and has ranked Ossining (!) as the most expensive market in our state with an average price of almost $920,000. Being a native of Ossining and with an office in town, I was intrigued as to how they came to that conclusion, so I dug a little deeper.

There were quite a few characteristics of the data to consider to put the numbers in context: 

• The span of time measured was listings taken was from September, 2010 to March 2011.
• The only property type surveyed was 4 bedroom, 2 bath single family homes. 
• The only homes surveyed were homes listed with Coldwell Banker themselves.
• The prices measured were asking prices, not sale prices. 

Two follow up pieces of news on topics I have blogged on recently: 

1. Ossining voters have overwhelmingly rejected the $69,000,000 bond proposal for the expansion and renovation of the school buildings. I wrote a piece voicing my own opposition to the proposal, and evidently, other school district voters agreed with me by a 57%-43% margin. Over 2000 voted no, a little over 1500 voted in favor. 
2. On April 8 I wrote a post supporting the closure of Sing Sing Prison in favor of more suitable use of the land. The news that local politicians were asking Governor Cuomo to close the place was the impetus for the piece. Unfortunately, the Journal News ran a story today on why that closure isn't likely. I can't say that I am shocked. 

Wednesday's Journal News has a front page story on Ossining politicians urging Andrew Cuomo to close Sing Sing Prison. As a native of Ossining who worked a block away in a neighborhood market for years while in school, the idea gets my attention. Would closing Sing Sing make sense? Would it benefit Ossining? 

It is an intriguing thought. Sing Sing has been there since the early 1800's. It employs 824 people. It is a piece of history. But it is also a product of a bygone era when putting prisons, landfills and nuclear power plants on prive riverfront real estate wasn't viewed as a bad idea. And when Sing Sing was built, it was considered to be in a distant and sparsly populated area. It is now in the middle of the village of Ossining. 

Ossining loses $500,000 in taxes because of the exemptions on government -owned Sing Sing. I don't know anyone who is excited to have a maximum security prison in town, and that includes me. Few if any of the 800+ employees live in Ossining. From that point of view, and the tax angle, it does not contribute to the Ossining economy. 

I used to work counter at Southside Market on Spring Street about a block from Sing Sing. Most of the prison guards as they were known then (they are now referred to as correction officers) did not  live locally. Most COs lived out of the county, and their only contribution to local commerce was a pack a cigarettes and the sandwich I made for them. I suspect that little has changed. No CO lives near me to my knowledge. 

If a new prison were to be built today, it is inconceivable that they would choose prime waterfront property in a dynamic suburban village for the location. If this is the way they want to reboot the prison system, I say close the thing and let Ossining benefit. Develop the bulk of the land to make the highest and best use of waterfont property and turn the original, smaller cell block into a museum. That will ease the tax burden on the rest of us and give us new neighbors. In as much as I like to have fun with my proximity to the Big House, I'm all for it being a memory. 

Nestled on a quiet street corner of the Campwoods neighborhood in Ossining is an old school, kid friendly cafe with an old fashioned counter, and wallet friendly prices. I just spent of of the nicer afternoons with Catherine, and the highlight was our time at the Wobble Cafe.

Catherine had a strawberry smoothie and PB and J and Dad enjoyed his chocolate shake & BLT. I loved the atmosphere- the old fashioned cash register, the counter with a jar of rock candy, and the play area in back with the toys and couch. These places are rare. 

The menu is more than peanut butter and jelly- they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, with an enticing, yummy bistro styled selection and according to their website the chef studied under Emeril! Not bad! 

Wobble Cafe is located at 21 Campwoods Road in Ossining, NY. You can reach them at 914-762-3459. 

Ossining is my home town and a beautiful community. To find a home in Ossining or the surrounding area, get yourself a free Listingbook account and sreach the MLS like an agent! 

The 2011 Intel Science Semifinalists have been announced, and 18 students from Westchester County qualified. Of the 18, eight were from Ossining High school. This ties Ossining with the renowned Bronx High School for Science as the school with the most qualified students. In all, only 300 students nationwide are chosen as semifinalists, and a mere 40 go on to be finalists. 

A few years ago, Ossining sent 4 seniors to Harvard, an number that astounded people across Westchester. 

Local semifinalists also hailed from Yorktown, White Plains, Mamaroneck, Scarsdale, Byram Hills, Edgemont, Horace Greeley and Riverdale Country school. 

A hearty congratulations to all, and a big hat tip to the students and faculty at Ossining High School. You should be proud of your accomplishment!