The Manse
South Church's 1869 Mansion
Housed in a landmarked building, The Manse extends South Church’s mission of welcome through church gatherings, non-profit meetings and office space, and overnight hospitality for guests’ short-term stays for retreat, nonprofit or charitable work, or medical treatment. The Manse is not available for tourism-related visits. Our hope is that these mission-aligned uses will help fund The Manse’s renovation and care, and further and support South’s ministries.
themanse@southpres.org / (914) 693-0473 363 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry. Parking lot behind South Church.
NOTE: This is currently under review by the local planning board.
South Church's Events at The Manse
Saturday, September TBD Farm to Table Dinner (contact Lenore)
Saturday, October 24 or Saturday, October 31: Halloween costume party (contact Laura)
November 20 & 21: Holiday Market at the Manse 2026 (contact Roubi)
PAST EVENTS
Sunday, April 19, 3 – 5 pm, Donald Gallery Artists Talk and Reception with Bori Rodriquez. Second date: May 13, 7:15.
Friday, June 12 Raffle & Porch Party, 6-7:30 pm
December 12 & 13: Holiday Market at the Manse
Floor Plans
Our Manse May Have Inspired 'Our Town'
In Presbyterian terms, manse means the minister’s house. That’s how it’s been at South Church for over 150 years.
The first minister to live in South’s manse was the Rev. Thornton MacNess Niven, D.D., who served at South Church for 43 years. One of the most famous visitors to the Manse may have been his grandson Thornton Wilder, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of “Our Town.” Wilder was born in 1897 and rode his tricycle in the stone home. Isabella, the Reverend’s daughter, shared many stories of her youth in the riverfront town, which historians and Wilder scholars suspect heavily influenced author Thornton’s nostalgic and tender vision of small-town American life. (See The Ferryman’s 2011 article about this connection.)
The Manse—along with the rest of the buildings on the South Church campus—is on the National Register of Historic Places.
