The park right across from City College at Amsterdam, between 136th and 138th Street, once was the location of a most prominent West Harlem building. The Hebrew Orphan Asylum at 1560 Amsterdam Avenue was a Modern Renaissance style structure that held its own up against the majestic City College campus. From 1884 to 1941, the orphanage housed thousands of children, but once the need diminished, the institution closed its doors. In 1955, the city razed the building to replace it with the park that remains today. Archival photos circa 1920 courtesy
NYPL. Current photos by Ulysses
The park right across from City College at Amsterdam, between 136th and 138th Street, once was the location of a most prominent West Harlem building. The Hebrew Orphan Asylum at 1560 Amsterdam Avenue was a Modern Renaissance style structure that held its own up against the majestic City College campus. From 1884 to 1941, the orphanage housed thousands of children, but once the need diminished, the institution closed its doors. In 1955, the city razed the building to replace it with the park that remains today. Archival photos circa 1920 courtesy NYPL. Current photos by Ulysses
All for Parks, but couldnt the City have re-used this amazing structure as part of City College and put the park somewhere else.
ReplyDeletemakes me sad, as these types of buildings will never be built again.
After the Asylum closed in 1941, the building was used by City College to house members of the U.S. Armed Forces assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). From 1946 to 1955, it was used as a dormitory, library, and classroom space for the college. It was called "Army Hall" until it was demolished in 1955
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