Mr. Eric Washington gave a tour of City College’s hometown, Harlem. An eye opening experience to realize how much of the past can be found in the nooks and crannies of Manhattanville. From this tour, we learned of the importance of a tavern for the growth of a city, the birthplace of Manhattan’s first trolley system, the evolution of several important buildings over the ages, and the constant theme of Conflict and Coexistence throughout the struggles responsible for shaping and forming the uptown community of what we know of today as Manhattanville.

 

“The mixture in the collection of structures that stayed the same for so long next to some that were taken over by newer places creates an interesting dynamic and dialogue between structures within the atmosphere. My favorite area that we looked at was the bridge and its transition into Riverside Park. The bridge truly was extraordinary as a structure, and likening it to a horizontal Eiffel Tower was I think a very valid comparison. (If only, it had the presentation the Eiffel Tower has with the lights and tourism.) The space interweaving throughout the bridge was a cool space, especially just crossing under that massive arch to get to the meet up spot.” – Katrina Duran

“I was surprised with the fact that West Harlem was the place where the wealthy lived to escape the smog of the downtown. Moreover, Eric brought up the theme of Conflict and Coexistence at the end of our tour at the Hudson River Side overlooking the water. Eric reminded us the beauty of such a park overlooking the waters shouldn’t be taken for granted as it was only the result of a long-term struggle, many disputes, perseverance of many people and comprises/tradeoffs that made it possible for us to enjoy such a wonderful scenery today.” – Jingyih Lee

“From an outsider’s perspective, it would seem impossible for a neighborhood containing one F. Scott Fitzgerald’s homes, a synagogue on the national historical building register, and a newly created and renovated state park to be “under the radar.” However, as it is only one subway stop before City College’s subway stop at 137th street, we seem not to notice it. For me this tour was not only about realizing the rich historical and cultural impact of Manhattanville but also a reminder that there are other Manhattanvilles which we ignore in our daily routines, as we follow the same path between the same two places never varying our approach.” – Mark Campmier

“My favorite part of the tour was the Mink Building stop, because I finally was able to understand the history of this building that I pass every day and wonder about. The story of how it used to be the home of a famous brewing company, only to be transformed into a repository of the finest minks that wealthy Manhattan housewife money could buy is fascinating. I think it serves to showcase the inventive spirit of the city – New Yorkers see possibility everywhere, so where one legacy drops off, another picks up.” – Nabila Akthar

“I liked the way Eric was able to bring in history but also the current projects related to the locations we talked about. For me, the most memorable one was the storage house for the trolleys that the Met Opera later took over. I thought it was a great example of the city always adapting and changing according to its needs, recreating itself bits at a time.” – Alison Lin

“I never realized how many historical locations were just right under our noses: the church, the synagogue, and even the large milk factory, just to name a few.  I was surprised to find Jacob Schiff’s name to be so relevant on our tour because he was only on one of the slides in our group project presentation. I guess I never really poked around the city enough because I didn’t realize how close we were to the water.” – Carmen Quang