The large scale of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum must have been an impressive local landmark in West Harlem in the late 19th and early 20th Century since postcards were apparently produced for those who wanted a souvenir from their uptown visit. A colored card from around 1910 shows a pretty rural setting which was located by today's City College by Hamilton Heights. This must have been an important institution during Harlem's turn of the century development years but changing demographics probably made it obsolete. The further lack of local Hebrews or orphans seemed to have done the institution in by the mid century and the entire structure was razed in the 1950s. Check out our past post to see what's there today:
LINK
Wow. That building would have made one proud to be Jewish and an orphan! I mean, I would have considered running away TO the orphanage.
ReplyDeleteNah, the interiors were pretty institutional from what I've seen. further note - the building was used as a dorm for CCNY students in the military (Army Hall) for a few years before its demolition and included a barber shop. there were a couple of related buildings on the property further west also.
ReplyDelete