Washington Heights, Manhattan

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Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War at the highest point on Manhattan island to defend the area from the British forces. During the Battle of Fort Washington, on November 16, 1776, the fort was captured by the British at great cost to the American forces; 130 soldiers were killed or wounded, and an additional 2,700 captured and held as prisoners, many of whom died on prison ships anchored in New York Harbor. The progress of the battle is marked by a series of bronze plaques along Broadway.

[edit] Geography

Washington Heights is on the high ridge in Upper Manhattan that rises steeply north of the narrow valley that carries 125th Street to the former ferry landing on the Hudson River. Though the neighborhood was once considered to run as far south as 125th Street, modern usage defines the neighborhood as running north from Harlem at 155th Street to Inwood, topping out just below Dyckman Street. At the northern end of Washington Heights, near Fort Washington Avenue and 183rd Street in Bennett Park, is a plaque marking Manhattan's highest natural elevation, 265 ft (80.8 m) above sea level, at what was the location of Fort Washington.^[1]

[edit] Transportation

Washington Heights is connected to Fort Lee, New Jersey via the George Washington Bridge. The Trans-Manhattan Expressway, a portion of Interstate 95, proceeds from the George Washington Bridge in a trench between 178th and 179th Streets. To the east, the Highway leads to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge across the Harlem River to the Bronx and the Cross-Bronx Expressway. The Washington Bridge crosses the Harlem River just north of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge. High Bridge is the oldest Harlem River span still in existence, crossing the river just south of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge. Originally it carried the Croton Aqueduct as part of the New York City water system and later functioned as a pedestrian bridge that has been closed since 1970. It has been recently announced High Bridge will reopen after a 20 million dollar renovation project.

[edit] Subways

Washington Heights is served by the New York City Subway. On the Eighth Avenue Line (A and C) service is available at the 155th Street, 163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue, 168th Street station. The C line ends at 168th St. The A train continues and stops at 175th Street–George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal, 181st Street, 190th Street, and Dyckman Street. Along the Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line, the 1 train has stations at 157th Street, 168th Street, 181st Street, and 191st Street.

[edit] Noted sites

Among the Heights' now-vanished riverfront estates was "Minnie's Land," the home of artist John James Audubon, who is buried in Trinity Church Cemetery churchyard of the neighborhood's Church of the Intercession (1915), a masterpiece by architect Bertram Goodhue. At Audubon Terrace is a cluster of five underused Beaux Arts museum buildings of distinguished architecture. Columbia University Medical Center and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, the medical campus and school, respectively, of Columbia University, lie in the area of 168th Street and Broadway, occupying the former site of Hilltop Park, the home of the New York Highlanders (now known as the New York Yankees) from 1903 to 1912. Across the street is the New Balance Track and Field center, the nation's premier indoor track and home to the Track and Field hall of fame.

The best known cultural site and tourist attraction in Washington Heights is The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park at the northern end of the neighborhood, with spectacular views across the Hudson to the New Jersey Palisades. This branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is devoted to Medieval art and culture, and is located in a medieval-style building, portions of which were purchased in Europe, brought to the United States, and reassembled. Another major museum, though little visited, is The Hispanic Society of America, which has the largest collection of works from El Greco and Goya outside of the Museo del Prado, including one of Goya's famous paintings of Cayetana, Duchess of Alba.

Manhattan's oldest remaining house, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, is located in the landmarked Jumel Terrace Historic District, located between West 160th and West 162nd Street, just east of St. Nicholas Avenue. An AAM-accredited historic house museum, the Mansion interprets the colonial era, the period when General George Washington occupied it during the American Revolutionary War, and the early 19th century in New York.

The Little Red Lighthouse, a small lighthouse located on the Hudson River at the base of the eastern pillar of the George Washington Bridge, was made famous by a 1942 children's book.

[edit] Parks

• Bennett Park - highest natural point in Manhattan.
• Fort Tryon Park - home to The Cloisters
• Highbridge Park - embodies the city's history
• J. Hood Wright Park - between 173rd and 176th Streets and Ft. Washington^[2]
• Riverside Park - a waterfront park

[edit] Community

The neighborhood has a majority Dominican population (the area is sometimes referred to as "Quisqueya Heights"), and Spanish is frequently heard being spoken on the streets.^[3] Washington Heights has been the most important base for Dominican accomplishment in political, non-profit, cultural, and athletic arenas in the United States since the 1960s. Most of the neighborhood businesses are Dominican owned, driving the local economy.^[4]

There is also a significant Jewish population, particularly on the west side of Broadway, descended from a previous wave of immigration, as well as students (and recent graduates) of the neighborhood's Yeshiva University. The term "Hudson Heights" (which is seen as a marketing term by the neighborhood's natives) was created by one of the local real estate firms to attract more wealthy residents into the area of Washington Heights.

The neighborhood was severely affected by the crack cocaine epidemic of the early/mid-1980s. This was due, in part, to the neighborhood crack gang, known as the Wild Cowboys or the Red Top Gang, who were associated with Yayo. The Wild Cowboys were responsible for the higher number of crimes, especially murders, during the late 80s and early 90s. Robert Jackall wrote a book, Wild Cowboys: Urban Marauders and the Forces of Order^[5], describing the events that took place during that period of lawlessness. Homelessness was rampant. Washington Heights had become the largest drug distribution center in the Northeastern United States during that time. It was nicknamed "Crack City" by newspapers.

On October 18, 1988, 24 year old Police Officer Michael Buczek was murdered by Dominican drug dealers in Washington Heights. The killers fled to the Dominican Republic where one later died in police custody and a second was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in 2000. The third suspect was apprehended in the Dominican Republic in May 2002. Fifteen years after the shooting, Pablo Almonte, 51, and Jose Fernandez, 52, received the maximum sentence, 25 years to life, for their roles in the murder of Officer Michael Buczek. Daniel Mirambeaux, the alleged shooter, died in June 1989, plunging to his death under mysterious circumstances after he was ordered turned over to the United States.

In the ensuing years, the Buczek family founded the Michael John Buczek Foundation. There is a street, an elementary school, and a little league baseball field named in honor of Michael John Buczek. The Michael Buczek Little League hosts 30 teams with over 350 boys and girls, and is coached by officers from the 34th precinct.

Crime subsequently fell quickly due to aggressive police tactics. Police presence increased, and building landlords allowed police to patrol in apartment buildings, which led to the arrests of thousands of drug dealers a year in Washington Heights. People were also being stopped for quality of life crimes, which deterred people from carrying guns. A new police precinct was also added in the area.^[6] Today, its crime rate, along with that of neighboring Harlem, is much lower.

[edit] Sports

Three of the most storied clubs in American professional sports played in the Washington Heights area: the New York Giants, who are now the San Francisco Giants, the New York Yankees and the Football New York Giants. The baseball Giants played at the Polo Grounds at West 155th Street and Eighth Avenue from 1911-1957, the Yankees played there from 1913-1922 and the New York Mets played their inaugural 1962-1963 season there.

Before the Yankees played at the Polo Grounds, they played in Hilltop Park on Broadway between 165th and 168th from 1903-1912; at the time they were know as the New York Highlanders. On May 15, 1912, after being heckled for several innings, the great Ty Cobb leaped the fence and attacked his tormentor. He was suspended indefinitely by league president Ban Johnson, but his suspension was eventually reduced to 10 days and $50. One of the most amazing pitching performances of all time took place at Hilltop Park. On September 4, 1908, 20 year-old Walter Johnson shut out New York 3-0 with a five-hitter. The park is now the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, a major hospital, which opened on that location in 1928. Washington Heights was the birth place of Yankee star Alex Rodriguez. Boston Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez grew up in the neighborhood, moving there from the Dominican Republic when he was thirteen years old and attending George Washington High School, where he was one of the nation's top prospects. Hall-of-Fame infielder Rod Carew, a perennial batting champion in the 1970's, also grew up in Washington Heights, having emigrated with his family from Panama at the age of fourteen.

The New York Mets and New York Jets both began play at the Polo Grounds, while Shea Stadium in Queens was under construction.

[edit] Education

Washington Heights is assigned to schools in the New York City Department of Education.

Zoned elementary schools include:

• P.S. 48 Police Officer Michael John Buczek School
• P.S. 132 Juan Pablo Duarte
• P.S. 173
• P.S. 187 Hudson Cliffs School
• P.S. 192 Jacob H Schiff School
• P.S. 314 The Muscota New School

Zoned middle schools include:

• J.H.S. 143 Eleanor Roosevelt

Grade 6 and 7 option schools include:

• (WHEELS) Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School

[edit] Notable residents

• Alex Arias (1967-), Dominican-American former Major League Baseball player.^[7]
• H?ctor Carrasco (1969-), Dominican baseball player
• Alfonso Ribeiro (1971-), actor best known for his role as Carlton Banks in the TV sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
• Don Dinero - Cuban-American Hip-Hop/Reggaeton artist.^[8]
• Jim Dwyer - Columnist and reporter at The New York Times.^[9]
• Leonel Fern?ndez (1953-), President of the Dominican Republic
• Luis Flores - Dominican former NBA point guard.^[10]
• Alan Greenspan - 13th Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.^[11]
• Jacob Javits - United States Senator.^[12]
• Julio 204 , is one of the originators of New York graffiti.
• Henry Kissinger - former National Security Advisor and United States Secretary of State.^[13]
• Stan Lee - Creator of Spider-Man, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk.^[14]
• Julio Lugo - Dominican Baseball player for Boston Red Sox
• Magic Juan - Dominican-American hip-hop/merengue/Reggaeton artist.^[15]
• Clifton Hyde - Guitarist/Composer
• Mims - Jamaican-American Rapper.^[16]
• Manny Perez - Dominican Actor, who has appeared in Third Watch.^[17]
• Freddie Prinze - Puerto Rican and Hungarian descent Stand-up comedian, best known for his 1970s TV series Chico and the Man co-starring Jack Albertson.^[18]
• Manny Ramirez - Dominican Baseball player for the Boston Red Sox.^[19]
• Alex Rodriguez - Dominican-American Baseball player for the New York Yankees.^[20]
• Willy Rodriguez- Dominican-American Musical Director of La Excelencia and Tito Puente Jr.
• Jae Millz Jamaican-American rapper
• Juelz Santana - Dominican-African American Rapper
• Merlin Santana - Dominican-American actor also Tupac's brother-in -law
• Vin Scully - Sportscaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers.^[21]
• TAKI 183 - one of the originators of New York graffiti.^[22]
• Gina Torres - Cuban Actress
• 2 in a Room - Dominican-American & Cuban American Hip-Hop/ Freestyle group
• Ruth Westheimer - "Dr. Ruth", sex educator and sex counselor.^[23]
• J. R. Writer - Dominican-American Rapper
• Young Blaze - Dominican Cuban-American hip-hop producer
• Gene Colan, Marvel and DC Comics artist, Comic Book Hall of Famer

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Northern Manhattan
• NYCfoto.com - Photos of Washington Heights

• Washington Heights, Manhattan is at coordinates 40°51′07″N 73°56′10″W / 40.852, -73.936Coordinates: 40°51′07″N 73°56′10″W / 40.852, -73.936

[edit] Sources

• The WPA Guide to New York City, 1938; reprinted 1982, pp 294ff.

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