Two Icons Come Together for Westminster 2021

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74 – May, 2021

By Sarah Montague

Photos courtesy of Lyndhurst, a site of the National Trust of Historic Preservation.

When the Westminster Kennel Club was established in 1877, it was the outgrowth of competition among privileged men and their dogs—good breeding celebrated on both sides. It was a colorful notion born of an optimistic and prosperous time: why not have a great show in a great city?

As any Westminster buff can tell you, the first show was held at Gilmore’s Garden’s. And as it evolved into a populist, popular and inclusive event, it continued to be held in various incarnations of present-day Madison Square Garden. In 2012, ongoing construction at the Garden, and overcrowding, prompted the show to move the daytime breed classes to Piers 92 and 94 on 12th Avenue, with judging of the Groups and Best in Show continuing to be presented at the Garden.

But for 2021, the show’s upper-crust past, and its inclusive and diverse present, will be reincarnated at the Lyndhurst estate in Tarrytown, New York, a property with a history as rich as Westminster’s, a kind of social and sporting kissing cousin.

Westminster 2020 ended on Feb ruary 11th, and shortly thereafter, the COVID-19 pandemic swept over us all, taking a toll not only on private lives, but on the fancy. Shows across the country cancelled [see our series Good Dog (People) on how resilient organizers faced the crisis.] And of course, as a matter of scale alone, Westminster was among the most vulnerable. With so many unknowns, and so much needing to be planned in advance, Westminster announced its decision to move the show to Tarrytown in October 2020, saying in a press release:

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74 – May, 2021

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