Difference between revisions of "117th Street"

From WikiCU
Jump to: navigation, search
 
(12 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Image:10 19 0.JPEG|thumb|right|A vestigial 117th Street sign can still be glimpsed on [[Morningside Drive]], between [[EC]] and the [[President's House]] ]]
+
[[Image:10 19 0.JPEG|thumb|right|A vestigial 117th Street sign can still be glimpsed on [[Morningside Drive]], between [[EC]] and [[Faculty House]] ]]
  
'''117th Street''' does not exist. At least, not in [[Morningside Heights]]. The stretch of the street that once lay betweeen [[Riverside Drive]] and [[Morningside Drive]] was first eviscerated by the main Columbia campus, which when constituted as a superblock in the 1890s stretched from [[116th Street]] to [[120th Street]]. The next segment to go was that between [[Broadway (avenue)|Broadway]] and [[Claremont Avenue]], swallowed for the [[Barnard]] campus. The remaining portion of the street, between [[Amsterdam Avenue]] and Morningside, was actually developed with rowhouses (one of which housed the famous [[Frankfurt School]]'s Institute for Social Research), but these were all torn down, and the street abandoned, when the elevated plaza that leads to [[East Campus]] and the [[International Affairs Building]] was constructed in the 1960s and 70s.
+
'''117th Street''' does not exist. At least, not in [[Morningside Heights]]. The stretch of the street that once lay betweeen [[Riverside Drive]] and [[Morningside Drive]] was first eviscerated by the [[Morningside Heights campus|main Columbia campus]], which when constituted as a superblock in the 1890s stretched from [[116th Street]] to [[120th Street]]. The next segment to go was that between [[Broadway (avenue)|Broadway]] and [[Claremont Avenue]], swallowed for the [[Barnard College|Barnard]] campus.  
 +
 
 +
The remaining portion of the street, between [[Amsterdam Avenue]] and Morningside, was actually developed with rowhouses and became known as '''Dean's Row''' because it contained the original homes of many Columbia deans, as well as language houses and other organizations, including:
 +
 
 +
*At 435, the "Casa de las Espanas," as [[Casa Hispanica]] was then called (now with its own dedicated building on the other side of campus)
 +
*At 429, the [[Frankfurt School]]'s Institute for Social Research  
 +
*At 423, the original [[Deutsches Haus]] (now in [[King's Crown (Residence Hall)|King's Crown]])<ref>There is some conflict on this point. While the University's [http://archive.org/stream/catalogue1943colu#page/n193/mode/2up 1943 Catalogue] states that 423 W 117th is the home of Deutsches Haus, the gift of Edward D. Adams, John B. Pine's [[1920]] volume of charters, statutes, real estate conveyances, endowments, and other things states that ''419'' W 117th Street was purchased with a gift from Edward Adams, and that the building had been known as Deutsches Haus until Nov. 4, 1918 when the trustees voted to rename it ''Columbia House.'' Pine goes on to note that the work conducted in the house also lapsed until 1920 when the trustees voted to revive the unused deutsches haus endowment. [http://books.google.com/books?id=PTc4AAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover "Charters Acts of the Legislature Official Documents and Records" compiled by John B. Pine (1920)] pgs. 112, 411, 463-4.</ref>
 +
*At 419, the Geological Society of America
 +
*At 417, the residence of the Dean of [[SEAS]]
 +
*At 415, the residence of the [[Dean of Columbia College]]
 +
*At 413, the residence of the [[University Chaplain]]
 +
*At 411, [[Maison Francaise]] (now in [[Buell Hall]])
 +
*At 405, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, since [[University President]] [[Nicholas Murray Butler]] was in charge of it
 +
 
 +
But these were all torn down, and the street abandoned, when the elevated plaza that leads to [[East Campus]] and the [[International Affairs Building]] was constructed in the 1960s and 70s.
  
 
A vestigial street sign announcing the presence of 117th Street still stands on the eastern side of [[Morningside Drive]] where it once intersected with the street. It now points to the ugly metal gate between [[Faculty House]] and East Campus.
 
A vestigial street sign announcing the presence of 117th Street still stands on the eastern side of [[Morningside Drive]] where it once intersected with the street. It now points to the ugly metal gate between [[Faculty House]] and East Campus.
  
[[Category:Streets in New York City]]
+
==References==
 +
<references/>
 +
[[Category:Streets]]
 +
[[Category:Uptown]]

Latest revision as of 16:04, 24 May 2013

A vestigial 117th Street sign can still be glimpsed on Morningside Drive, between EC and Faculty House

117th Street does not exist. At least, not in Morningside Heights. The stretch of the street that once lay betweeen Riverside Drive and Morningside Drive was first eviscerated by the main Columbia campus, which when constituted as a superblock in the 1890s stretched from 116th Street to 120th Street. The next segment to go was that between Broadway and Claremont Avenue, swallowed for the Barnard campus.

The remaining portion of the street, between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside, was actually developed with rowhouses and became known as Dean's Row because it contained the original homes of many Columbia deans, as well as language houses and other organizations, including:

But these were all torn down, and the street abandoned, when the elevated plaza that leads to East Campus and the International Affairs Building was constructed in the 1960s and 70s.

A vestigial street sign announcing the presence of 117th Street still stands on the eastern side of Morningside Drive where it once intersected with the street. It now points to the ugly metal gate between Faculty House and East Campus.

References

  1. There is some conflict on this point. While the University's 1943 Catalogue states that 423 W 117th is the home of Deutsches Haus, the gift of Edward D. Adams, John B. Pine's 1920 volume of charters, statutes, real estate conveyances, endowments, and other things states that 419 W 117th Street was purchased with a gift from Edward Adams, and that the building had been known as Deutsches Haus until Nov. 4, 1918 when the trustees voted to rename it Columbia House. Pine goes on to note that the work conducted in the house also lapsed until 1920 when the trustees voted to revive the unused deutsches haus endowment. "Charters Acts of the Legislature Official Documents and Records" compiled by John B. Pine (1920) pgs. 112, 411, 463-4.