☞ Architecture: Grant's Tomb

Grant's tomb on the Morningside Heights and Manhattanville border(122nd and Riverside Drive) can be considered West Harlem. This monumental building, finished in 1897, was one of the main attractions for people coming to New York city for most of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It has an almost fabled quality to its name and is that much more incredible when you come and actually see it. The area is Riverside park and one gets a feeling that you are someplace else and not in northern Manhattan. The tomb is actually open to the public and has great historical memorabilia and architecture inside. A key note is that the chief fund raiser was a Harvard trained African American which was immensely ground breaking in the 19th century.