I have long wanted to walk the length of Broadway in just a day but I don't think I can do it as I tend to stop and take a lot of pics, and sometimes make detours when I see something interesting on a side street. So what I do is walk its length in stages.
Last month I walked about 30 blocks of Broadway, from 125th Street down to 92nd Street. Near 122nd Street I saw the back of a big imposing building that made me think of a school. I was right, as the structure turned out to be the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. This is the front part of the building.
In case you're wondering about the artwork at the top of the entrance, here's a close-up picture.
I was at the street median when I took the above pics and noticed that the 122nd street median has an arbor. Look how pretty it is!
A block away from the Jewish Theological Seminary is Teachers College, the graduate school of education of Columbia University.
It is the largest and most comprehensive graduate school of education
in the United States.
The Teachers College campus consists of 5
residence halls and 8 interconnected buildings. The building along
Broadway still bears the name of the Horace Mann School, after education
reformer
Horace Mann.
The school, however, has become independent of the Columbia
University and Teachers College.
On the other side of Broadway across Teachers College is the Union Theological Seminary. It's building covers two whole blocks and looking up, I can see a lot of gargoyles.
Parallel to the seminary, at the next block, is Riverside Church. The church isn't along Broadway though, but I can see its bell tower when I looked up at the bell tower of the Union Theological Seminary.
Across the seminary on 120th Street is Barnard College's Milbank Hall which consists of three interconnected buildings: Milbank, Brinckerhoff, and Fiske Halls. Along Broadway, there is a doorway with the words Brinckerhoff Hall. Like most New York City establishments, the horizontal surfaces of its design has bird barriers.
A little bit further is the main entrance to Barnard College, the design at the top of its gates shows a dancing bear. It is also the college's mascot, Millie, named after Barnard College's first president, Milicent McIntosh.
On the other side of Broadway across Barnard College is Columbia University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the State of New York, occupying six blocks of Morningside Heights. I've featured some parts of the university in a previous blog when I walked around Morningside Heights one winter day.
One of the university's main gates is on 116th Street, which becomes College Walk when you're inside the school campus. The south lawn is dominated by the Butler Library, the largest single library in the Columbia University Library System, which contains over 9.3 million books, and is one of the largest buildings on the Morningside Heights campus of the university.
Across the Butler Library is the Low Memorial Library which originally served as the university's main library. It also used to house the university's archives but currently the
building consists almost solely of administrative offices
The imposing figure at the center is Alma Mater ..
Draped in an academic gown, the female figure of
Alma Mater wears a crown of laurels and sits on a throne. The
scroll-like arms of the throne end in lamps, representing sapientia and doctrina.
A book signifying knowledge, balances on her lap, and an owl, the
attribute of wisdom, is hidden in the folds of her gown. Her right hand
holds a scepter composed of four sprays of wheat, terminating with a
crown of King's College which refers to Columbia's origin as a Royalist
institution in 1754.
The back of her throne has this design.
My walk in the university was limited to the northwest part of the campus as I wanted to continue with my walk along Broadway. That part of the campus has a lot of skybridges. Here's one, connecting Schapiro Center on the right with Pupin Hall. I can see part of Teachers College at the bottom of the gap between the buildings. In the foreground is a sundial, it gives accurate time!
I also came upon this imposing lion sculpture. Known as the Scholar's Lion, it was gifted to the university by alumnus and sculptor Greg Wyatt. It was presented in 2004 in honor of Columbia's 250th anniversary.
Then there is this flagpole base which I really like, just look at the words inscribed.
The university's main gates and posts at 116th Street has the King's Crown design at the top. Here's a close-up of one of the posts.
Walking further along Broadway I saw the Broadway Presbyterian Church. I remember it from my walk early last year when I visited all of Peter Woytuk's sculptures.
Near 113th Street I came upon a familiar sight, a lion design in a book drop box. Turned out it is the Morningside Heights branch of the New York Public Library.
While crossing 112th Street, I looked east and saw the rose window of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine along Amsterdam Avenue.
Broadway starts to curve at 108th Street and from here, a new street branches out. This is the start of West End Avenue which becomes 11th Avenue when it reaches 59th Street. The triangle-shaped lot formed by Broadway, West End Avenue and 106th Street is the Straus Park, named for Isidor Straus and his wife Ida, who died on April 15, 1912
when the S.S. Titanic sank on its maiden voyage from England to America.
This triangle was named for the Strauses, who lived in a frame house at
2747 Broadway, near 105th Street, by the Board of Aldermen in 1912. The
Straus Memorial fountain, in which the bronze figure of Memory reclines
in contemplation, was dedicated on April 15, 1915.
At 104th Street is Casa Puebla, a small-scale commercial structure executed in the Art Deco style.
In between 100th and 99th Streets are these buildings, Ariel East, a modern high-rise, flanked by old buildings, one of which is the Metro Theater which is currently undergoing renovation to become the Alamo Drafthouse NYC.
Ariel East has 360-degree views of the city which include views of Central Park and the Cathedral of St John the Divine. Recently its penthouse was resold, the most expensive resale deal for a condominium north of 96th Street.
The owners of Ariel East bought the air rights of the buildings around it so it can soar 37 stories high. One of those who sold their air rights is St. Michael's Church which is located at the back of these buildings along Amsterdam Avenue. That sale allowed the church to finance a major building restoration. Looking at the corner of 99th Street and Broadway, i can see the church's bell tower.
At the center of Broadway between 96th and 97th Streets is a renovated Beaux-Arts building. A former restroom, it is now the Broadway Mall Community Center and houses the West Side Arts Coalition which brings artists of all disciplines together through
exhibitions, performances, workshops, and social gatherings. Art shows rotate every three weeks from September through early July.
Across from this structure and also sitting at the middle of Broadway, is the 96th Street subway station which to me looks like a futuristic structure, like something from The Jetsons.
And there near 92nd Street I saw Rita's Ice and treated myself to some italian ice happiness .. yummy!
While enjoying my italian ice, I walked along 93rd Street to go to Central Park where I finished my walk for the day by walking around the reservoir. Along the way I passed by this long mural of animals but one wall stood out, it has imprints of small hands, the hands of its volunteer painters.
I finished this walk with a walk around the Reservoir in Central Park. The park is such a beautiful and lovely place, I always find time to walk there each week. This was one of my last shots for the day, grey clouds over the Reservoir after the sunset. Despite all the magnificent buildings and structures I saw while walking along Broadway, this made me realize that whatever wonderful creations man has made, it can never compare to nature's beauty and power.
For the rest of my pics, here are the albums on Flickr:
Along Broadway (92nd to 125th Streets)
Central Park - August 2013
Whew, it's the end of the month and this is just my second post. Been a little busy lately and I'm usually walking on weekends, but I've got a lot of pics and walks to share and hopefully, i can write all about it in the next few weeks.
In my previous blog, I wrote about going to the Central Park Conservatory Garden and Harlem Meer the Sunday after the blizzard Nemo struck New York. After my short walk there, I proceeded to walk towards Morningside Heights, which starts at the northwest edge of the park. One of the most known places in the area is the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the fourth largest Christian church in the world.
Per wiki ..
Morningside Heights is bounded by Morningside Park to the east, Harlem to the north, and Riverside Park to the west. The streets that form its boundaries are 110th Street on the south, Riverside Drive on the west, 125th Street on the north, and Morningside Drive to the east.
Here's a map I got from Google which delineates the area ..
From the northwest end of Central Park, which is 110th Street and Cathedral Parkway, I walked just a couple of blocks west and pretty soon I was at the corner of 110th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. At the corner is this church, I don't know if it is part of the St. John the Divine complex, but it stands on the same block.
Just a little bit further from the church above, along Amsterdam Avenue is the Peace Fountain. It was snowed in, however, and was closed so I just took pictures from the sidewalk. The fountain features the Archangel Michael slaying the devil, it also has the face of the sun and the moon on opposite sides and nine giraffes, which are among the most peaceable of all animals.
I love the Cathedral Bestiary Gates between the Peace Fountain and the cathedral. It's kind of a grid with animal designs by Arlene Slavin.
Then I was in front of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. However, there were still a lot of snow on the steps of the cathedral and visitors have to pass through one of the side doors. Looking up as I passed through the door, I had this view.
The artwork on the outside of the cathedral is stunning but I couldn't get good shots because of the snow on the steps. I will definitely come back and take pictures of some of the details. Here's a pic I took last summer, just look at the craftsmanship!
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is huge, and still unfinished. The Statue of Liberty (without the platform) would fit comfortably under its dome, and it is over two football fields long. The church is known for its Rose Window, the largest rose window in the US. This link has a great explanation of the design of the Rose Window.
On the floor of the cathedral are circular designs depicting significant places and events in the life of Jesus. Here's the first one ..
When I was there two weeks ago there was service going on so I wasn't able to take many pics inside, and didn't have the chance to go to its seven chapels, which are at the back of the altar. The designs of the chapels were meant to represent each of the seven most
prominent ethnic groups to first immigrate to New York City upon the
opening of Ellis Island in 1892, the same year the Cathedral was begun. I'll definitely come back and take pics, but I did get to take a couple of shots of some of its beautiful stained glass windows lining the sides of the church.
Here's the south side of church and what the stained glass windows look from the outside.
From the cathedral, I walked a couple of blocks north and then I was at Columbia University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York. That wiki link has a great panoramic view picture of the university campus.
Standing at the steps of the Low Memorial Library, my perch offered me a great view of the campus.
The building at the center in the above pic is Butler Library, the largest single library in the Columbia University Library System, which contains over 9.3 million books, and is one of the largest buildings on the Morningside Heights campus of the university. The figure in facing the Butler Library is called Alma Mater ..
Draped in an academic gown, the female figure of
Alma Mater wears a crown of laurels and sits on a throne. The
scroll-like arms of the throne end in lamps, representing sapientia and doctrina.
A book signifying knowledge, balances on her lap, and an owl, the
attribute of wisdom, is hidden in the folds of her gown. Her right hand
holds a scepter composed of four sprays of wheat, terminating with a
crown of King's College which refers to Columbia's origin as a Royalist
institution in 1754.
This is the Low Memorial Library taken from one of the side steps. The building at the right of the pic is the chapel of Columbia University, St. Paul's Chapel.
Do you see the lamppost in the pics above? I love old lampposts! There are a few around the university, I like this one which is by St. Paul's Chapel.
Charles H. Revson Plaza is the official name for the bridge that links the main university campus to the area across Amsterdam Avenue containing the law school, among others. There are some sculptures in the plaza, and it has great views up and down Amsterdam Avenue.
When I was there, the sculpture Life Force looked like a submarine viewfinder rising up from the snow.
Sprouting from the grass at the south end of Revson Plaza is Columbia Law School’s fourth bronze, “Life Force” by David Bakalar.
The site appealed to the artist, who hoped that students might gather
alongside the sculpture and peer through its “eye.” The conical portal,
directly above the middle of Amsterdam Avenue, offers a long view of
the street toward Midtown Manhattan to the south and toward Washington
Heights to the north.
Here's Amsterdam Avenue from Revson Plaza looking north.
And looking south towards midtown Manhattan.
After walking around
Columbia University, I exited through the Broadway gate and made my way
up to 120th Street where I could see the beautiful bell towers of the
Union Theological Seminary and the Riverside Church. They look golden in
the rays of the late afternoon sun.
When I arrived in Riverside Church, they were already closed for the day so I just went to Sakura Park which is right across the back of the church and took some pics.
Crossing Riverside Drive from Sakura Park led me to the General Grant National Memorial or Grant's Tomb, the final resting place of the 18th U.S. President and his wife Julia. It was closed, too, as workers were still clearing the snow around the monument. Here's the top part of the monument. The inscription flanked by the two figures has the words "Let Us Have Peace".
The memorial has great views of the side of the Riverside Church across Riverside Drive.
Before I left, I took one last pic of the memorial, looking postcard perfect after the winter storm.
By then it was already turning dark so I made my way back to Broadway to board the 1 train which stops at 116th Street near the Columbia University gates. Even the subway stop bears the university's name.
There are many more interesting places in Morningside Heights I haven't been to, I guess that will be a walk for another day.
Last Sunday, I was planning to go to the North Woods in Central Park but when I got off the subway, the exit I took led me to the west end of 110th Street and when I rounded Riverside Drive to go back towards the park, the Peace Fountain was right in front of me. So I stopped by and took some pics. Those pics and the ones I took during this walk are in my Flickr album Around Morningside Heights.
