Razing Manhattanville
Manhattanville. Broadway is traced out by the red line representing the subway, 133rd Street is in the lower right and 125th Street runs diagonal to the rest of the streets on the left. (Google Earth).
Manhattanville is a small neighborhood that occupies a valley between Morningside Heights to the south and Hamilton Heights to the north. Considered western Harlem, the tiny, low-lying area began as a bustling town in the 18th century, gave way to an industrial area in the 19th century largely due to its easy access to the Hudson River, and in the 20th century it remained a manufacturing and warehouse district.
In the 21st century, it will transform into a new campus for Columbia University. Court battles were waged, and every structure from Broadway to the Hudson River and from 125th Street up to 133rd Street, except for a few desirable business and buildings, will be razed to make way for new university buildings.
A fault line, the most active in the city, defines the steep slope between Manhattanville and Morningside Heights to the south. In 1900, Riverside Drive was extended north from its terminus, which encircled Grant's Tomb on the heights, onto a viaduct which effectively bypassed Manhattanville below. The viaduct remains today, although it's been reconstructed over the years. It's the setting for many films and television shows.
 Riverside Viaduct |
 Under Riverside |
Among the old buildings on this superblock, the Studebaker building stands out among them for its artistic flair. The building was built in the early 1920s to manufacture the Studebaker automobiles. The large center tower housed an enormous freight elevator. The Studebaker logo, designed into the corner towers, still appears with a small Studebaker sign over, what represented an automobile wheel back in the day.
 Studebaker Factory |
 Studebaker Sign |
Today, Columbia University owns the Studebaker building and I assume the building will remain. But, every building that surrounds it will be razed to the ground. One block, between 129th Street and 130th Street has already been reduced to a flat void. In the coming months, I will bear witness to the destruction, then construction, from the elevated subway as I pass by each day. And, once more, New York City does the only thing it knows how to do: transform itself.
 Demolition Is Coming |
 Broadway & 130th Street |
 One Block Razed |
