Posts tagged as:

broadway

The Inwood Arch and Mansion: Circa 1896

On the west side of Broadway, formerly known as the Kingsbridge Road, at 216th Street, stands a neglected and nearly forgotten monument to Inwood’s past.  The great marble arch, constructed in the 1850’s, once led visitors to the glorious Seaman mansion, which, until the 1930’s, stood on the current site of Park Terrace Gardens on [...]

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Fire guts building on 207th and Broadway

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A massive fire ripped through a building on 207th and Broadway last night.  Above are before and after photos of the devastation. For news and additional photos click on this news link from DNAInfo.com.  

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The Arras Inn

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In 1928 pulp fiction author Vina Delmar burst onto the publishing scene with “Bad Girl,” a shocking and scandalous exploration of pre-marital sex and pregnancy. At the time of its publication “Bad Girl” was considered so racy it was banned in parts of the country. The petite 23-year-old with porcelain skin and lustrous black hair [...]

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Inwood’s First Public School

PS 52, Inwood New York City, 1905 postcard

In 1858, the year Inwood’s first school was constructed , the area wasn’t even yet known by its current name. Locals, of whom there were few, all referred to the region on Manhattan’s northernmost tip as “Tubby Hook.” Folks downtown hardly even considered the backwater region as being part of their city. So imagine the [...]

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Inwood Chatter, June, 1943

PS 52 Inwood Chatter from June, 1943

My grandmother used to have a saying: “Use it up.  Wear it out.  Make it do, or do without.” She had learned the expression during World War II and it stuck with her for the rest of her life. In June of 1943, the students of P.S. 52 in Inwood were learning similar expressions, or, [...]

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209 & 207 Dyckman Street

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On Dyckman Street, just east of Broadway, sit twin buildings dating back to the turn of the century.  They represent the very beginning of the housing boom in Inwood.  With colorful maroon and beige columns marking their entryways, the buildings are difficult to miss.  It is hard to imagine the buildings set amid a quiet [...]

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Inwood’s Mount Olympus: The Seaman Mansion in 1869

Old Seaman Mansion in Inwood New York City

A while back I wrote a history of the old Seaman mansion that once stood on the grounds currently occupied by Park Terrace Gardens. Today the only trace of the Seaman estate is the crumbling marble arch located down the hill on Broadway. The following description from 1869 finds the home occupied by its original [...]

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215th Street Stairs

215th Street stairs in Inwood, New York City

Generations of Inwood residents have trudged up and down the familiar stairs which connect Broadway with Park Terrace East. The steps themselves have stood frozen in time as the surrounding neighborhood reached maturity. The stairs are a familiar sight to anyone who has ever passed through Inwood. The ancient passageway was built in an era [...]

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