a little history

In his 1809 Knickerbocker’s History of New York, Washington Irving described the village of Bloomingdale in the vicinity of what would become 100th Street. Early maps circa 1827 show small farms and residences in the area. By 1860, the Bloomingdale Road (once an Indian trail, now Broadway) was in wide use, including by “summer residents” who came uptown to escape yellow fever. The Croton Aqueduct was built on what is now PWV’s Columbus Avenue property; and an underground stream still runs near 99th and 100th Streets. A new neighborhood was created in the 1880’s on what was largely vacant land. By 1890 (and ever since), a Police Station was located on 100th Street, and German immigrants had founded Trinity Lutheran Church. The Ninth Avenue El came up what is now Columbus Avenue, while horse-drawn trolleys traveled along CPW. New York’s first cancer hospital with its circular towers was being built at 106th Street and CPW (in a new location, the hospital became Sloan-Kettering after World War II; the original buildings were recently restored as condos). The Pasteur Institute was established on the northwest corner of 97th Street and CPW. The Richard Morris Huntdesigned Residence for Respectable Aged Indigent Females (now the American Youth Hostel) was in use at 104th and Amsterdam. Holy Name Catholic Church and St Michael’s Episcopal Church (1807) had both opened their doors. By the turn of the 20th century, the neighborhood included a remarkable number of pioneering medical and social institutions, as well as brownstone buildings and tenement walkups. The 1900’s brought construction workers, writers, musicians and professionals from many fields and of many backgrounds—German, Italian, Irish, African-American, Catholic, Protestant and Jewish.

The seven high-rise buildings were designed as a community with open space and light. Despite the early controversies, PWV has built its own character and history and grown into a successful community of neighbors who enjoy many events, classes, resident committees and activities together. Gardens, playgrounds, benches, parking spaces and an “urban forest” of over 300 trees place the buildings in an open park-like setting next to Central Park.

Prepared by the Park West Neighborhood History Group, formed to explore the history of PWV and the surrounding neighborhood through research, interviews, talks, walks and workshops, and to make this information available through materials collected for the New York Public Library and through publications. The Neighborhood History Collection may be used at Bloomingdale Library, 150 West 100th Street.

PWV has been home to many creative people. Among them are: Charity Bailey, Ray Charles, Gerard Edery, Duke Ellington, Carl A. Fields, Walt Fraser, Sonny Greer, Coleman Hawkins, Jimi Hendrix, Leonard Jackson, Pearl Lang, Brian Lehrer, Abbey Lincoln, Donald MacKayle, Miriam Makeba, Herman Mankiewicz, Hugh Masakela, Claudia McNeil, Butterfly McQueen, Odetta, Sy Oliver, Tito Puente, Max Roach, Elaine Stritch, Bob Teague, Cicely Tyson and Joseph Wiseman.

Written by Win Armstrong

Resident since 1965

PARK WEST VILLAGE:
History of a Diverse Community
From West 97th to 100th Streets,
Central Park West to Columbus Avenue
Park West Neighborhood History Group
400 Central Park West
New York, NY 10025