About
My name is Cole Thompson and I’ve lived in Inwood’s Park Terrace Gardens for nearly a decade.
I am a real estate agent with Inwood’s oldest and family owned firm, New Heights Realty. But, I haven’t always sold real estate.
Born into a family of journalists, my father was Mike Wallace’s producer on “60 Minutes,” I entered the field of television news at an early age. Over a fifteen year career I helped create a genre as Senior Producer for Court TV. While there, I co-authored two books with host Catherine Crier including a New York Times #1 best seller.
Then, on a trip to buy an apartment in my wife’s native Buenos Aires, an epiphany… While viewing dozens of apartments in historic sections of the city I discovered a new career. I envied the agent who seemingly held the keys to the city. My mother, herself a realtor in northern Virginia, was pleased.
But how well did I know my own neighborhood? Not as well as I thought. Customers had questions about old buildings and the history of the area.
It was then the old researcher in me kicked in. Pouring over archival records, news clippings, books and photos I came to understand the social fabric and history of what is one of the most amazing neighborhoods in the greatest city in the world.
On marathon walks around Inwood with my faithful assistant Murray, a black lab mix, I discovered and photographed all the idiosyncrasies that make Inwood so unique.
Friends and neighbors encouraged me to publish my findings for all to enjoy. After careful consideration, MyInwood.net was born.
I hope you find this site useful and encourage you to email me your photos and memories of your Inwood through the years.
Sincerely,
Cole Thompson
Feel free to contact me directly:
Email: cole@newheightsrealty.com
Cell: 646-425-0093
If you are thinking of buying or selling an apartment, click on the “Homes for Sale” or “Sell a Home” buttons on the top of the screen.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
En Buenos Aires,Argentina,existio un programa de Television que se llamo ..60 Minutos…y fue
el programa de Noticias que marco toda una epoca…alla., por los años 80.-
Excelente la pagina.,muy bien redactada,compaginada y sobre todo con datos verdaderos., como no podia ser menos..con tan sacrificado ayudante.-
What an excellent array of photos!! I grew up on Academy Street and Post Avenue. From first to third grade I attended Our Lady Queen Of Martyrs on Arden Street and then went to Saint Judes the first year it opened. It was a great place to grow up. I was hoping you had some photos of the Dyckman Street Oval which was located where the Nagle Avenue housing projects are situated today. I had some work on Broadway and 218th Street around 2001 or 2002 where I was placing fiber optic cable in the roadway. We were excavating and found plenty of coblestone buried under the asphalt. To my surprise we also found some trolley tracks or old railway tracks 2 feet down
I’m glad you liked the slide show. I do have some images of the Dyckman Oval. Check the slide show in a day or so. I’ll put some up for you. I also noticed trolley tracks when they were tearing up Broadway in front of the C-Town this summer. I didn’t think to snap a photo.
I just posted a photo of the Dyckman Oval in the Now and Then section. You might have seen this one before. I’m trying to search out other images. Its proved harder than I imagined. You’d think there would be more images of a once thriving sports complex. The search continues…
Came across the two photos of Isham Gardens, WOW.
Just wondering if you had any more. I have tried in vain over the years to find photos of this building. By the way I currently reside in 221 Seaman Ave. I use to live in 41 PTW when I first moved in the building back in 1982.
Thank you so much for these wonderful pictures My family left Inwood in 1975-My sister and I grew up there and have many fond memories. We lived at 57 Park Terrace East and I was married in Good Shepherd Church-it has been great to see some of our old “hangouts”.
Patricia,
Thanks for logging on. Please feel free to write in with more memories. -Cole
Cole,
I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed looking at the slides. You did an excellent job. It was absolutely fantastic.
Thank you.
Cole, in your ‘rotating’ photos in the upper right on this page, there’s one inside Isham Gardens (with the old fountain & bushes) in the center courtyard. To the right of the photo, under the ‘arches’ (beneath the walkway – portico – which is above it, is the apt. (w/’screen door’) where I grew up.
Hi Cole, I posted a question about John and Olive Heath, who lived in the Inwood area from about 1930-1972. It was said by a family member, that John had an auto dealership in the area. Is there any way to research this? Thanks for your wonderful website!
Regards,
Bonnie Duval
Bonnie,
With any luck someone ready this might remember the Heaths. Anyone?
Good luck. I’ll keep my eyes peeled. –Cole
HI COLE, YOU DID A WONDERFUL JOB. I SPENT THE EARLIER PART OF MY MARRIAGE ON VERMILEA AVE. AND THEN 204TH STREET. MY KIDS WENT TO GOOD SHEPHERD SCHOOL. NOW I AM A OLD LADY LIVING IN THROGS NECK. MY LATE HUBBY CAME FROM SEAMAN AVE. AND ALSO WENT TO THE SAME SCHOOL. IT REALLY BROUGHT BACK GREAT MEMORIES. THANK YOU AGAIN GEORGEANNA
Cole,
I just stumbled across the website and am so glad that I did. At first, when I saw your picture, you looked so familiar to me, but I couldn’t place you. As I began to navigate the site, I read your bio and discovered that you worked at Court TV. Do you remember me? I worked at Court TV, developing and supervising the channel’s original movies. Small world! Even smaller, because I grew up in Inwood! I lived on Sickles Street between Sherman and Nagle Avenues. I attended PS 152, JHS 52 and George Washington H.S. I loved growing up in Inwood! I couldn’t have asked for a better neighorhood in which to have grown up! The parks, the river, two movie theaters on Dyckman Street (in my day), Inwood Lanes, Trocadero, I could go on and on. Thank you for this great forum! Nice to reconnect with you. Best, Rosalie
HI Cole,
I am still amazed by your work with the photos and history of Inwood. The slide show is fantastic. I grew up n Inwood and played in all the parks as a kid. Looking back we were afraid to play in some parts of Isham Park, like it was haunted. I think now it was or is for sure after reading it’s history. Also the area near 212 213th street felt equally haunted.
My Grandparents lived on Sykel (I forgot how to spell this street)and Ellwood Street so we walked down Dykeman daily probably and I lived in the apartment by the L train when I was born. I can still hear the train rattling our apartment. I live in California now but I am so grateful I grew up in Inwood. During the 1950′s 60′s and 70′s it was great. I left in 1974 when I turned 17 never to return to live again. But I visited from Hawaii where I lived for 9 years. I still miss it and the way it was. I had great friends. Good Shepherd was a great School back then too.
Dear Cole,
Congratulations for this marvillouse site, mixing stories and pics from the back old times area spices the interests in visiting and mooving there. Keep up with your great work of historical resercher and realtor. Sincerely, Juan Manuel
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I am so excited I found this website. I have been doing some research for a research paper for school that I’m doing on Inwood and came across this website from Wikipedia. I need all the information I can get. Reading all the comments I leaned a lot. I never even imagined that Dyckman had a movie theater. I am from the younger generation of Inwood residents. I live here all my life. I was born living on Academy and Post back in 1988, then 2-3 years later we moved to were we live now, 204Th Street between Vermylea and Sherman. I am going to continue to explore more of the website and i can’t wait to do so. Thanks Cole for taking the time to create this fantastic website about our neighborhood.
Hi Cole
Talk about your Kodak moments and memories. Kudos on your research and website. I lived on Sickles Street and upper Thayer Steet. Attended OLQM (class of ’66) GWHS(class of ’70) and Lehman College (class ’74). I have found memories of Inwood and her surrondings. Thanks for caring and introducing a great neighborhood to others