Thursday, September 09, 2004
The Rionda Tower was built in about 1910 by Manual Rionda, a Cuban emigrant who made his fortune in the sugar trade. He had a large, beautifully landscaped estate on top of the Palisades with fountains and pools. The tower had an elevator to the top where one could get a great view of the Hudson and the island of Manhattan. The Tower and a few small structures (now, on private property) are all that remain of Mr Rionda's estate, which was considered to be the most elaborate of Alpine's many early twentieth century palaces.