New York, NY - Urban Archive

South of Union Square

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Essential New York: Morningside Heights

Morningside Heights holds a very different ground than the Upper West Side - probably because it is home to Columbia University, Barnard College, the Manhattan School of Music, and other smaller schools. 🏫📚✍️

Explore the area between the Hudson and the Manhattan Schist…

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Urban Archive

11 stops•2.4km•30 min

1

Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Cathedral of St. John the Divine

The massive Cathedral of St. John The Divine is the largest church in the United States and one of the largest in the world (and technically it is not yet finished)!

2

St. Luke's Hospital

St. Luke's Hospital

St. Luke's opened 1858 at 54th Street and Fifth Avenue before moving to its current location in 1896. Walk west on 113th towards Morningside Drive to see the historic portion of the hospital.

3

Carl Schurz Memorial

Carl Schurz Memorial

The Carl Schurz Memorial was designed by the German-born sculptor, Karl Bitter. Carl Schurz was a Union general during the Civil War, a Secretary of the Interior, and a U.S. Senator who immigrated from Germany after the revolutions of 1848-49.

4

Morningside Park

Morningside Park

Take a hike in Morningside Park. It contains a cliff of Manhattan schist rock. The Manhattan schist is said to be about 30 million years old!

5

St. Paul's Chapel, Columbia University

St. Paul's Chapel, Columbia University

St. Paul's Chapel is "Columbia's most spectacular building," (according to some). Built in a Northern Italian Renaissance style on the outside and a Byzantine style on the inside, the chapel was completed in 1907.

6

Columbia University Low Memorial Library

Columbia University Low Memorial Library

Columbia University (then Columbia College) was originally located at Madison Avenue and 50th Street. When the new campus was built at the university's current location, the library was its first structure.

7

Barnard College Milbank Hall

Barnard College Milbank Hall

Barnard College was founded as a response to Columbia's refusal to admit women. The college is now affiliated with Columbia, though it is legally and financially separate.

8

Corpus Christi School

Corpus Christi School

Corpus Christi School has been serving the Upper West Side for 100 years.

9

Manhattan School of Music

Manhattan School of Music

Manhattan School of Music was founded in 1917-1918 and took over this building after the Institute of Musical Art (now Juilliard) moved to Lincoln Center. In the late 19th century, this land was the Bloomingdale Insane Asylum.

10

Riverside Church

Riverside Church

Riverside Church opened in 1930. It is known for its social justice advocacy. Notable speakers have included: Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez, and many others.

11

General Grant National Memorial (Grant's Tomb)

General Grant National Memorial (Grant's Tomb)

We end our walk at Grant's Tomb, where you can take in views of the Hudson. On his radio and TV show, Groucho Marx asked contestants, "Who was buried in Grant's Tomb?" The correct answer? "No one," since Grant and his wife are entombed above ground rather than buried!

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