The major landscape border for central Harlem are the Fordham Cliffs which are the elevated rocky formations to the west of all the main parks uptown. Morningside Park, St. Nicholas Park and Jackie Robinson Park all have the Fordham Cliffs as their western most wall. Anything below the geological formation is considered Central Harlem from 110th to 155th (with Fifth Avenue is the east border). Morningside Heights and Hamilton Heights in West Harlem get their names because they are above the cliffs and thus in height of the neighborhood. We constantly see the area below Morningside Park being named as a non-Harlem neighborhood and this not a correct perspective.
No doubt called Fordham because of the rocksd they are composed of, which is Fordham schist, right?
ReplyDeleteactually morningside heights extends to Manhattan Avenue from 110th to 125th at least in most things I have seen. IS that not true?
ReplyDeleteManhattan Avenue in this section is technically Central Harlem according to community board 10 maps and borders. Anything in the heights is on top of the cliff.
DeleteExcellent post Ulysses and Thanks for jumping in Jonathan. This is excellent information.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if its true that the ground we walk on is actually about 10 ft. lower than the ground our antecedents walked on in the18th & early 19th cent? Due to the excavation done when the grid pattern was put into effect?