Entrance to the apartment complex at 658-666 West 188th Street, ca. 1995.

Yeshiva College, 1928. Designed by Charles B. Meyers Associates in 1928, the style of this Orthodox Jewish education institution is a mix of Art Deco touches with prominent Moorish/Byzantine/Near Eastern Romanesque elements such as colored stone blocks and ceramic tiles; and towers, turrets, and domes. Today the building is mostly occupied by the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy, also known as Yeshiva University High School for Boys. It was the first academic Jewish high school when it was organized in 1916 downtown with the rest of the Yeshiva University. Though this uptown building was designed for the high school specifically, for many years it shared the space with Yeshiva College, the undergrad institution which began in 1928 in this location with 31 students.

185 Wadsworth Avenue, east side between 182nd and 183rd Streets, showing P.S. 132. Board of Education, N.Y.C.

Yeshiva University, founded as "Yeshiva College of America" in 1928 has historically provided a seminary level Jewish education alongside a modern academic one. Like many Jewish educational institutions, as it grew, Yeshiva College, whose class of male students are seen here in this image, moved on up from the Lower East Side to Washington Heights where its campus is still located. "YU" as it's known by its legions of fans, emerged out of the merging of two historically important orthodox Jewish educational facilities: the Eitz Chaim elementary type traditional Jewish school known as a "cheder" founded in 1886 and a rabbinic seminary was known as Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) established a decade later in 1896. Both located on the Lower East Side and founded by Eastern European Jewish immigrants.

9-11 Washington Terrace, 1916. Washington Terrace is a small private street tucked away in Washington Heights. The land here was purchased in 1898 by Daniel J. Murphy, who constructed (he listed himself as both architect and builder) 18 three-story tan brick attached homes. The early tenants of the street included Murphy (though he had lost ownership through foreclosure), a postal superintendent, a couple of actors, and a driver. Despite early efforts by residents petitioning the city to take over ownership of the roadbed (ie make it a public street), the road remains private. By the 1980s a number of homes on the street were abandoned and left to deteriorate. Today, only two of the original nine buildings that lined the east side of the terrace remain, including no. 11, the building at right in this photo. The west side of Washington Terrace has fared better, with six of the original nine still standing.

W. T. Grant Co. Store, 1950. W. T. Grant was an American chain store that was in business from 1906 until 1976. The original store was advertised as a 25-cent store, and sold a variety of mass-produced merchandise. By the time the founder, William T. Grant died in 1972 (at nearly 100 years old) more than 1,100 stores operated nationally. The company went bankrupt in 1976 and this location closed along with all of the others. In 1936 William T. Grant set up a foundation to support research that would contribute to “human betterment and social progress.” That foundation, which has largely focused on education and research related to childhood development, is still active today.

Isabella Home for Aged Women, 1927. In 1873, Isabella Url, the daughter and step-daughter of the German-language newspaper publishers Anna and Oswald Ottendorfer, died at age 27. Having a charitable spirit, Isabella, on her death bed, requested that her mother establish an organization that helped poor older women who were alone in life. Two years later the Ottendorfers opened in the Isabella Heimath, or the Isabella Home for Aged Women in Astoria. Free of charge and generally serving the aging German women, the facility quickly outgrew its Queens home. A new complex was funded by Oswald and completed in 1889, a grand building at Amsterdam Avenue and 190th Street. This larger facility provided a nursing home not just for older women, but for anyone (regardless of sex or ethnic background) in need, as well as offering hospital and recovery spaces for the same population. In 1965, an additional 17-story building was constructed to expand services. In the early 1970s the 80-year-old building was razed for the construction of a modern 14-story building. Both of these 20th century buildings continue to serve the elderly community as the Isabella Geriatric Center.

Wadsworth Avenue, west side, north from 187th Street, 1934. This series of eight small wood-frame homes were constructed circa 1895 (according to the photographer's notes). Today a number of the homes are still standing, though the wooden facades have been covered by brick or stucco.

My Archive Spring 2019 "This is a photo of grandmother, my siblings, and I in Washington Heights between summer 1995-1998. When my siblings and I were younger my parents would drive us from Brooklyn, NY to Washington Heights to visit my Grandmother- Maria Salgado. I remember her selling Ice's on a corner. My siblings and I would get excited because my Grandma would let us get any flavors for free. I recently asked my Grandmother how many years did she sell Ice's and she said from 1982 to 2003. My Grandmother was born in Honduras and came to New York in the early 80s. She's always been a hardworking woman, she's an inspiration." —Priscella Guillen

Dr. Henry L. Hirscher, Dog & Cat Hospital, 1932. In 1939 a wealthy New York woman named Louise Baier passed away and left her former alley cat, Tommy, a trust fund of $5000. Dr. Henry Hirscher was the cat's veterinarian and was entrusted with his care. When the doctor requested a payment of $2 a day for the cat's housing and care, the executors of the estate refused and the case went to court. A judge ruled that the bequest to the cat was illegal. Dr. Hirscher, who had also been left a sum of money in the woman's will, decided to keep the cat despite it no longer having its own trust fund.

516 West 185th Street, ca. 1932.