History of WaHI: Hospitals & Institutions of Washington Heights & Inwood

Hospitals & Institutions of Washington Heights & Inwood

James Renner

Date: May 2003

The House of Mercy Washington Heights and Inwood have a variety of hospitals and institutions that have served the communities over the years, some of which have left their mark on the lives of people while others have not.

Inwood Hill Park was home to two of these organizations. The House of Mercy bought land in 1888 and moved in two years later. It was run as an Episcopal girls home for the benefit and education of girls committed to its care. The House of Mercy closed its doors in the 1930s. Jewish Memorial Hospital got its start as the Inwood House of the Redeemer, run by the Magdalene Benevolent Society, and was in the park until 1933. In 1936 it moved to Broadway, where it operated until 1983, when it was forced to close its doors because of financial difficulties. The building was torn down to make way for Intermediate School 218, which was completed in the early 1990s.

The New York Juvenile Asylum was located at 176th and Audubon Avenue and was founded in 1851 by the Children’s Aid Society under a legislative act. It sheltered young children for as long as five years before placing them with families. The Asylum has a plot at Trinity Cemetery on 155th Street and Broadway dating to 1873. The asylum had been linked to the New York Foundling Hospital. It was also involved with the Orphan Trains, which sent orphans to families in 45 states here in America and also sent children to Canada and Mexico to be adopted. In 1901 a 277-acre farm was purchased in Dobbs’ Ferry, New York, and was renamed The Children’s Village.

New York Juvenile Asylum, 1851 Fort Washington Avenue at 163rd Street was the location of three institutions of note. The first was the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, which was founded in 1817. The building that it operated from opened in 1834 and closed in the late 1920s to relocate to Valhalla, New York. In 1948 Delafield Hospital opened as a cancer research center for Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. It was named for Francis Delafield (1841-1915) a graduate of Physicians and Surgeons in 1863 who became a professor of pathology at Columbia. The hospital closed its doors in 1979, and the building lay dormant until May 16, 1985, when the Fort Washington Houses for the Elderly opened for senior citizens. Nearby, on Fort Washington Avenue and 166th Street, was the Institute for the Blind, which also closed in the 1920s.

The Saint Lawrence Hospital on Edgecombe Avenue and 163rd Street was taken over by Mother Cabrini’s Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1920. In 1958 the hospital was renamed Mother Cabrini Memorial Hospital. The hospital closed and was sold to become a minimum-security prison called the Edgecombe Correctional Facility.

Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, located between 165th Street and 168th Street from Broadway to Riverside Drive, is the only major hospital in Washington Heights and Inwood. The property was originally purchased in 1921 when the Presbyterian Hospital, originally located at 71st Street and Park Avenue, had plans for building the complex in conjunction with the College of Physicians and Surgeons located at Tenth Avenue and West 59th Street.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Medical Center were held on January 31, 1925. The hospital formally started its operations on March 16, 1928. By the end of the year, the Babies Hospital had moved from 56th Street and Lexington Avenue to its present quarters. The Neurological Institute move in the following year.

Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center In 1977, the Julius and Armand Hammer Health Sciences Building opened. This contains medical libraries, offices for the Medical Center employees, the offices for Community Board 12 and Arts Interaction’s Hinter Steiner Gallery, the Washington Heights and Inwood Council for the Arts. A new era was heralded for the Medical Center in 1988. The Millstein Building on Fort Washington Avenue was opened. The Allen Pavilion was opened on Broadway and 220th Street to help provide for extra medical services for northern Manhattan and the Bronx.

The Wadsworth Hospital located on Wasworth Avenue and 185th Street served the community from the 1920s to the 1960s. It was taken over and made into a clinic.

The Isabella Geriatric Center is located on Amsterdam Avenue and 190th Street and has been a haven for the elderly for over 100 years. The center was established in 1875 as the Isabella Heimat Home for the Aging. The home was named for the founder’s daughter, who came from a German immigrant family and died at the age of 27.

The original building was erected and opened in 1889 and was razed in 1969 to make room for the expansion of the home�s facilities. It is a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization that helps the elderly with housing and health care.

With the health care problems of Washington Heights and Inwood constantly changing and expanding, the needs of the community are feeling the pinch of higher and higher costs for more facilities and less services provided.

Comments

Hi - I will be teaching at George Washington HS on 191 and Audubon Avenue next year and was wondering if you have any information on the history of the school and/or the remarkable building it occupies. Thanks!

Posted by: Jessie | June 29, 2003 4:22 PM

Hi Jessie, George Washington High School I think had opened in the 1920's. Its alumni is wide and varied. Such notables as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, newscaster Edwin Newman and entertainer Tiny Tim were among the graduates. It now houses several schools of which you will learn about. The site of the school was the site of Fort George which was a northern defensive post for Fort washington during the American Revolution. Nearby in Highbridge Park was the site of the Fort George Amusement Park which was in existance from 1895 to 1914. I hope you will find this information helpful. James Renner Community District 12 Historian

Posted by: James Renner | September 8, 2003 8:02 PM

i was just sent your site by a cyberbuddy and find the links i've accessed so far very interesting. but i'm puzzled by something: with the exception of the mention of a shul in your audubon hall segment, i see no reference to institutions of the large german-jewish community which until recent years was a prominent feature of "the heights." you have segments on several churches but not on any synagogues. or have i missed the segments in which community-relevant synagogues are mentioned?

Posted by: inge | October 25, 2003 11:15 AM

Attended George Washington in the late 30's and early 40's-a wonderful school at the time. There the same time as Kissinger and Ed Newman. In another location of this site mentioned that in one of my biology classes the teacher was in charge of the reconstruction of the Fort George wall, the construction by the WPA. The stone wall can be seen surrounding the schools stadium. GW had championship baseball and football teams in those days, winning City Championships in both sports-playoffs were at Ebbets Field in BRooklyn,It was, academically, a tough school that required entrance exams to get in. Was fortunate to live off Amsterdam and 182nd Street then-they usually took students from the neighborhood without question. One of the school Inwood Annex was called Isham. Many great stories about a wonderful school that gave me an eduation that's lasted a lifetime.

Posted by: Pio DeVito | November 6, 2003 6:30 PM

I attended George Washington High School the same time as Henry Kissenger, but he didn't graduate as a day student. He attended night school in order to work during the day and help his family out. At least that's what I heard.

Posted by: cathy | November 18, 2003 4:35 PM

Re: hospitals.. You make no mention of Jewish Memorial Hospital which was originally in a hard to reach spot not far from the Dykman St. Ferry. Later it moved across from Ft. Tryon Park and I beleive was demolished when the housing project cam into that area.

Posted by: cathy | November 18, 2003 4:38 PM

After writing my comments on Jewish Memorial Hosp. I read about it under Inwood Hill Park. Thanks for the extra information.

Posted by: cathy | November 18, 2003 4:46 PM

My family grew up in Washington Heights in the 1920's & 1930's on Amsterdam Ave. & 168 Street. I think most of my relatives attended George Washington H.S. Does anyone know how to track down school records that far back?

Posted by: Philip Haderer | December 7, 2003 3:11 PM

Any info on the building at the NW corner of Ft Washington and 190th (689 Ft Wash, I believe), which I've seen on old maps listed as "St. Elizabeth Hospital?"

Posted by: ken | December 8, 2003 11:08 PM

The Inwood House (of the Redeemer), originally a facility of the Magdalen Benevolent Society, still exists. Its original mission was to help prostitues rehabilitate themselves. Before leaving Inwood, the Magdalen Benevolent Society changed its name and became simply "The Inwood House." Today they run a facility and program at East 82nd St., known as the Inwood House. For further information, check their Website. The facility they occupied in Inwood, which was subsequently used by the Jewish Memorial Hospital, was a lovely French chateau type structure that may be seen in photos and paintings from the period. The building was vacated by Jewish Memorial Hospital and torn down under orders from Robert Moses, probably to facilitate the construction of the Henry Hudson Parkway because, as Moses put it, park development was the first priority. Jim

Posted by: Jim Taylor | December 13, 2003 4:06 PM

Saint Elizabeth's Hospital is now a co-op.

Posted by: James Renner | December 21, 2003 8:17 PM

My comment is directed to Pio DeVito. I would be interested in hearing from him since he attended GWHS about the same time as my uncle, Phil Simonetti. Phil Simonetti was on the 1936 Football team. I'm not sure when he graduated. Perhaps 1937. Looking forward to hear from Pio DeVito.

Posted by: Philip Haderer | December 29, 2003 6:18 PM

Born in 1955 at Misrecordia Hospital. Was that in the Bronx at the time and the hospital was relocated to Manhattan. We lived on Post Ave., Inwood then. Maybe someone can help me out with the dates ? Thanks !

Posted by: Eileen | February 6, 2004 10:31 PM

I am especially interested in Pio DeVito, Philip Haderer and anyone who attended GWHS in the early 40's. My father, Howard Myles McLaughlin, went there about that time. I never met him as he was reported missing in action (Airborne) at Bastogne in December 1944 or January 1945 in the Battle of the Bulge right after I was born. Would like to learn more about him.

Posted by: Kerry McLaughlin | February 16, 2004 1:53 AM

Anyone remember the Robins football team? They were a semi-pro team that played their games on Sundays at GWHS during the late 40's. Also, the Fanwoods, who played there in the late 20's-early 30's. My dad played for them. Anyone else have any memories of these teams.

Posted by: Ira Nathanson | March 6, 2004 1:49 PM

I have some of the stained glass from St. Elizabeth Hospital(689 Fort Washington Avenue.) Do you know where i can get info on the original building?

Posted by: barbara rubin | July 27, 2004 1:08 PM

Being the oldest child of three and oldest living member of my entire family, you might say I take charge of finding out family history. My late father, George Kiarulff, died at Francis Delafield Hospital on Jan. 16, 1970. I was 14 at the time. He had cancer. We lived in Toms River, NJ and didn't see him much. My two brothers and I were just rummaging through death certificates and found our fathers. It surprised me to find no cause of death. Not even a space to enter the cause of death. Even my grandfather who died at age 29 in London in 1929 had a cause of death. We are interested in obtaining the records if possible as we have children who will benefit from any information. My mother, who suffered from severe depression could or would not offer any information before her death in 1986. If anyone knows where I can get any info. regarding his records it would be appreciated. Sincerely, Karen Kiarulff-Conway

Posted by: Karen Kiarulff-Conway | November 7, 2004 7:40 PM

Re: barbara rubin I am looking for original stained glass from St. Elizabeth. Do you know where I can find out more info. on the hospital and pictures.

Posted by: Chris Brown | July 25, 2005 5:24 PM

Another illustrious graduate of GWHS was Alan Greenspan,Chairman of the Federal Reserve Banking System.

Posted by: Jim Taylor | November 21, 2005 10:49 PM

In the Times on Thursday, January 5, there was a listing for an apartment at 689 Fort Washington. 1 bedroom, 1 bath, $320,000 in "postwar building". Was St. Elizabeth's demolished and a new building constructed?

Posted by: Cosmo | January 6, 2006 7:35 AM

Hi, I am a national education reporter with The New York Times, and I am writing a book about the current George Washington High School baseball team -- and its most famous alumnus, Manny Ramirez. It is not a conventional sports book, but a book about the aspirations and dreams of a group of young Dominican ballplayers, as well as the dreams of their families and neighbors. I am interested in talking with George Washington alumni about the history of the high school and the neighborhood -- and what the baseball team was like in, say, the 1950's, and even earlier. Thanks so much, Sara Rimer

Posted by: Sara Rimer | January 26, 2006 3:15 PM

Hey... I was trying to look for some history on a building in washington heights located on 177 street and amsterdam. The building is name Bolton, (no idea why). I lived in this building for 19 years, and rumer has is that, before it was a living space, it was a hospital. The building is the only one in the area of its size. It houses 84 apartment,has two entrances, one entrance is located at 500 west 177 street and the other is at 501 west 176 street, Making the building one block long, and it also has two elevators. One on each side. Hope you can help me out...thank you

Posted by: Erik | February 14, 2006 2:47 AM

I was born in St. Elizabeth's Hospital which closed in 1981; I need a copy of my birth certificate and the NYC Bureau which usually provides this copy says they can't do it without a letter noting my birth or some kind of certificate attesting to my birth. Does anyone know what happened to these birth records and who if anybody has these archives?

Posted by: mike gill | April 6, 2006 7:44 PM

No one mentioned Wadsworth Hospital or Isabella Nursing home these were in wahsington Heights.

Posted by: Michelle | May 11, 2006 4:34 PM

I was born in Wadswoth Hospital in 1951. It was located on 184th bet wadswoth and audobon aves.My family ran a laundry on 173rd and St. nick for 35 yrs. Recently went to a reunion from p.s. 173 , jhs 115 and gwhs. Still have a few friends left in the heights

Posted by: vernon lee | July 10, 2006 2:39 PM

As I recall, St. Elizabeth's operated as a "private" hospital under Catholic auspices at the northwest corner of Ft Wash Av and 190th St until it was converted into coop apartments (late 60s?). It had no emergency room -- the nearest was at Jewish Memorial or Presbyterian. I lived across the street at 690 Ft Wash until 1962. Last visited the area in 2001.

Posted by: John Gartner | April 8, 2007 5:07 PM

Wow. You just blew my mind with the mention of Isabella Nursing Home. We lived in Inwood and my grandmother was in that home for a few years. I moved from Inwood to Florida in 1986 and will be visiting again in July. Can't wait to see the old neighborhood. I went to Good Shepherd School on Isham St.

Posted by: Jane | April 8, 2007 10:14 PM

Oh. P.S. I was born in Jewish Momorial Hospital in 1966.

Posted by: Jane | April 8, 2007 10:16 PM

i grew up in the 60's and 70's on Sickles Street right across from PS 152 on Nagle Ave. i remember playing in the huge school yard of concrete and high fenced walls. recently i went on google earth and was sad to see an aerial view of the many new buildings constructed in the once vast school yard area. even the small garden area is built upon. how can children enjoy their youth without a safe place to play. very sad. i went online and was further saddened by the low test scores this school now gets. i have such fond memories of being a child and taking trains alone, walking up to the GW bridge and even crossing the bridge on foot, not to mention safely walking all around Ft. Tryon Park and the surrounding neighborhood. i doubt it is anything like that anymore...very sad. the Cloisters was like home to me. Times have surely changed.

Posted by: rob prosky | June 21, 2007 3:45 PM

This comment addressed to Philip Hederer who addressed me in 12/29/03, again in 1.26/06 Atte4nded GWHS1938-42, lst year in evening school. Didn't immedietly recognize the name Phil Simonetti however during an intense period of "remembering" for my bio did recall hearing the name as I was writing about GW'football and baseball Only recalling it was one of the bames talked about then. The City baseball and football teams were City Champions-possibly i 1939-40playing Erasmus Hall for City Championshi in Ebbets Field.

Posted by: Pio (Peter) J.Devito | September 1, 2007 6:54 PM

Answering Cathy's posting of 11/18/03 Yes Kissenger did graduate GW's evening program my own diploma reads "George Washington Evening High School", unfortunately not dated, but about the same time as Henry's.

Posted by: Pio (Peter) J.Devito | September 1, 2007 6:59 PM

Answering Philip Haderers posting of 12/7/03 Imagine you could ask GW's business office about old records which could have been saved I haven't had any luck there however things have changed and possibly the records are now microfilmed and stored somewhere, possibly in the Board of Educations site.

Posted by: Pio (Peter) J.Devito | September 1, 2007 7:02 PM

Answering Kerry mClAUGHLIN'S POSTING OF 2/1/04 Was in GW's evening school program in the 1940's graduating in 1942, the second year of wwII. Sorry to say did not know your father and further saddened by reading he'd passed away in the Battle of the Bulge.

Posted by: Pio (Peter) J.Devito | September 1, 2007 7:05 PM

Wow, reading all these posts is tripping me out. I lived on Ellwood St in the early to mid 80s right around the time Jewish Mem. Hospital ended its time. I went to PS 152 as well. I later moved to the Bronx on W 231 St. Did any of you know my parents Gale Glendon or Randy Newell? If so write me back ... I miss the old 'hood. I'm now out here in Orange County, California.

Posted by: eddie newell | September 23, 2007 3:13 AM

Hello, I found your site while researching info on my Mother, and found info very interesting. Mom, who was born in 1902, always told us when she was a child she was very sickly for a long time, and had been sent to an "Asylum" in a strange named place called "Spuyten Duyvil", NY, for the possible treatment of TB. as I remember, she also mentioned there were a lot of orphans there. I am wondering if that could have been the NY Juv. Asylum on 176th and Audubon? Would it have been operating in the 1906-12 time period? Did the Children's Aid Society send sick children there for treatment/rehab? And is it possible there might be some records from that era on file somewhere. Thank you for any info.

Posted by: Rich Gardner | December 21, 2007 9:43 PM

This site is awesome! My mother died in childbirth at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in the 1940s Recently, in researching her life, I visited the area and, sure enough, the hospital -- a still lovely old building--is a co-op. I was most curious about the comment that the hospital "had no emergency room." Because that would make it a strange destination for a woman in the throes of delivering prematurely, especially since my parents lived on Ryer Avenue (E. 183rd Street) in the Bronx -- not a great distance, but one that makes the choice of hospital odd. That it was a private Catholic hospital is correct, but does anyone know anything else about it? Which order of nuns operated it? What happened to the stained glass windows? What did they look like? Did they fill in the slightly larger windows on the lower level? Any information about the hospital would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by: Barbara Donsky | May 14, 2008 4:47 PM

Another famous person who graduated from GW High is Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank.

Posted by: Jim Taylor | December 23, 2008 8:56 PM

I was born at the Wadsworth Sanitarium in 1933 as was my brother in 1931. Is that the same as the Wadsworth Hospital? I attended PS 173, JHS 115 and GW, graduating in 1950. My Mother moved to the Heights to the first apartment building ever built. Anyone from GW class of 1950? Barbara

Posted by: Barbara | January 1, 2009 4:41 PM

Both of my parents grew up in Washington Heights. My mother was born in 1914 and my father was born in 1913. My father was on the Fanwoods football team. Does anyone remember the Donohue or Quinn families that lived there in the 1930's?

Posted by: Peg | February 27, 2009 1:02 AM

My Father (Charles Plaw)recently died at age 98. Shortly before he died, he said that his aunt, Marie Nagle (nee Nerent) graduated from the Washington Heights Normal School (the old fashioned designation for a teacher's college). Does anyone know anything about this school? He and his entire extended family lived in Washington Heights (around 212th, 214th street) from about the turn of the century. He remembered that there were vegetable farms from 214th Street north. They may have attended Good Shepherd-there was a lot of debate about sending me there, or to PS 98(98 won)and some of them went to St Nicholas of Tollentine in the Bronx.

Posted by: Carolyn Plaw Miller | June 16, 2009 9:52 AM

I see that two hospitals weren't mentioned (also noted by earlier comments), the first is Saint Elizabeths Hospital and the second is Jewish Memorial Hospital. My mother worked at Saint Elizabeths Hospital (Fort Washington Ave & 190nd/st) as a nurses aide. I was born in Jewish Memorial Hospital (1963) which was on Broadway right across the street from Fort Tryon Park (Broadway & 197th/st). I remember as a young child my mother taking me to visit a sick neighbor at Wadsworth Hospital (184th/street between Wadsworth Ave & Saint Nicholas Ave). I grew up on 192nd/st (between St Nicholas Ave & Audobon Ave) and later on Wadsworth Ave (corner of 192nd/st). My mother grew up on 192nd/st in the same building I grew up in. My father grew up on Fairview Ave. I went to PS 189 Man, and JHS 143, and George Washington High School (where I played football). When my family moved to the Bronx, I still remained a student at GWHS. I remember in the summer the swimming pools at GWHS would be opened to the community. My brother and sisters went to ST Elizabeths School. My parents were married at St Elizabeths church. I was a alter boy at St Elizabeths for a while. My aunt and uncle lived on broadway next to Jewish Memorial Hospital. My father worked at the Fort George Post Office (10040). I loved the neighborhood I grew up in (192nd/st).

Posted by: C Conlan | June 25, 2009 4:48 PM

I lived in Washington Heights from 1935 to 1958 at 10-22 Fairview Ave and 652 W 189 St. I attended PS 189 and George Washington HS. Played on theGW Baseball Team 1942/43. It was a great neighborhood. I fondly remember my childhood days there. Had great freinds,recalling their names Wally Babson,Marty and Tommy Jaycard, the Vartanian Bros. Ronnie Drinkwater, Jack Speisman and Sy Serber. Speisman and Serber took Basic Training with me at Camp Blanding, FL. in early 1944. Subway Station .St. Nicholas. . Ave.at 191 St

Posted by: Ralph C. Scholtz | July 11, 2009 12:45 PM

I was born in St. Elizabeth's Hospital in 1934. I believe that it had a rather poor record according to the city's medical establishment.

Posted by: protase woodford | October 20, 2009 2:50 PM

Someone asked about the block-long Bolton building at Amsterdam Avenue -- my father, born in 1926, told me that he lived in this building for the first 10 years of his life... I'd be curious for any further information. My father is still living and I could ask him questions if anyone has any.

Posted by: Fred | November 22, 2009 8:19 PM

I was born and raised in Washington Heights I was born 1933 went to PS 173 then 115 then G. W. Highh school have been trying to find someone who remembers me Ellen Clooney, BarbarbaCiers i lived 621 west 172 St.I remember the Rams from 175st Amsterdam Ave Aud. ave Also hung out at wall 173 St. Park on aud Ave seems so long ago but wonderful memories I remenber the movies Lane Gem Empress Collisiem Lowes 175th st Loved going to tea room on 181 st. Also Upton movie house My married name is verna payne but I was verna Noell on washington heights anyone remember me?

Posted by: verna payne | December 22, 2009 8:08 PM

I see several postings for people who were looking for information about St Elizabeth's Hospital. Has anyone been successful in tracking down where the records went? or any other information?

Posted by: Barbara W | August 22, 2010 10:11 AM

I grew up at 461 Audubon Avenue at 188th St. Had my tonsils out at age 4 (1950) at Jewish Memorial Hospital. Had all my inoculations at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Attended PS 189. Made Communion at St. Elizabeth's church and went to CYO dances at St. Elizabeth's school where Fr. Wilde was our mentor. Watched the "Rebels" play baseball in the school yard at PS 189. Played Hop Scotch on the sidewalk. Summer nights parents would bring folding chairs down to the sidewalk and watch the children as we waited for Bungalow Bar Ice Cream to roll up. Rented a two wheeler from a bike shop a few blocks down Audubon Avenue. Was the first class to be thrown out of elementary school after 6th grade and was sent to JHS 52 in Inwood. Would walk past the Isabella home (a beautiful historic building that should have been preserved) to George Washington High School. What an imposing building and what luxury to have two swimming pools (boys only & girls only) for P.E. Wonder who chose Orange and Black as the school colors? Went back for a visit when the school was celebrating a birthday (70 yrs?) and the grand staircases in the entry seemed smaller than I remembered. Also, just about everyone spoke Spanish or English with a heavy accent. The auditorium looked so much smaller too. Still have my Senior Ring, but it doesn't fit. All the "kids" I knew moved away in all directions. I landed in Staten Island because my dad worked in Brooklyn. I keep in touch with some of my friends like Sue Farkas, Patricia Dunne, Christenia Phillips, Susan (& twin Diane) Fleiss, Nancy Newkirk, Seena Cohen, Billy Rega, Allen Gonzalez. I will have to tell them all about this site. It was fun reminiscing.

Posted by: Mary (Terrio) Kain | August 22, 2010 12:33 PM

Washington Heights & Inwood Online

Hospitals & Institutions of Washington Heights & Inwood

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