Washington Heights, Manhattan

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. The fort was captured by the British on November 16, 1776 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.

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 Washingon 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 WashingtonNew York Department of Parks and Recreation: Bennett Park, accessed June 24, 2006.

The northern part of Washington Heights is sometimes called Hudson Heights.

Transportation

Three of the bridges that cross the Harlem River are visible in this photo of the river: the High Bridge (a pedestrian bridge, that has been closed for many years); the Alexander Hamilton Bridge (part of Interstate 95); and the Washington Bridge. In this photo, looking north, the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan is on the left and the Bronx is on the right)

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; it is now closed to the public.

Subways

Washington Heights is served by the New York City Subway by the and trains and the line. A and C train service is available at the 155th Street,163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue, and168th Street stations, where the C train ends; the A train continues to175th Street–George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal, 181st Street and 190th Street.The 1 train has stations at 157th Street, 168th Street,181st Street, and 191st Street.

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-Presbyterian Medical Center, perhaps the most widely known institution in the neighborhood, occupies the former site of Hilltop Park, the home of the New York Highlanders (now known as the New York Yankees) from 1903 to 1912.

The Cuxa Cloister, at The Cloisters

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.

Manhanttan'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.

Parks

*Fort Tryon Park - home to The Cloisters
*Highbridge Park - embodies the city's history
*Riverside Park - a waterfront park

Community

The neighborhood has a large Dominican population (the area is sometimes called "Quisqueya Heights"), and Spanish is commonly heard being spoken on the streets. Since the 1980s, the neighborhood has been the United States' most important base for Dominican empowerment in the political, non-profit, cultural, and athletic arenas.

There is also a significant Jewish population, particularly in Hudson Heights subsection, descended from a previous wave of immigration, as well as students (and recent graduates) of the neighborhood's Yeshiva University. The term "Hudson Heights" was created by one of the local real estate firms to attract more wealthy residents in the area. It worked, and the gentrification has been continuing in recent years. It brought a Starbucks to 181st Street, and other upscale stores, spas, gourmet markets, and restaurants.

The German-Jewish population is based around Khal Adath Jeshurun, a direct continuation of the pre-war Jewish community of Frankfurt am Main, colloquially called "Breuer's" after Rabbi Dr. Joseph Breuer, founder and first rabbi of the congregation. Washington Heights is also served by a number of smaller orthodox synagogues, as well as the Hebrew Tabernacle, a reform congregation.

The neighborhood was severely impacted by the crack cocaine epidemic of the early/mid-1980s. Homelessness was rampant. Today, its crime rate, along with that of neighboring Harlem, is much lower. Unfortunately, homelessness is still a big problem.

Notable residents

* Julio Lugo - Dominican Baseballplayer for Tampa Bay Devil Rays
* Freddie Prinze - Puerto Rican & German descent Stand-up comedian
* Manny Ramirez - Dominican Baseballplayer for the Boston Red Sox
* Alex Rodriguez - Dominican-American Baseballplayer for the New York Yankees
* Jacob Javits - US Senator
* Stan Lee - Creator of Spider-Man.
* Vin Scully - Sportcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Washington Heights, Manhattan: Encyclopedia BETA

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