Washington Heights & Inwood Online

The Isabella Geriatric Center was established on May 15, 1875, as the Isabella Heimat Home for the Aging by Anna Uhl Ottendorfer (1815-1884) and was named for the founder’s daughter Isabella Uhl who died at the age of 27 (1846-1873). Anna came to New York City from Germany and married Jacob Uhl who went into the publishing business. When Uhl died in 1852, Anna rejected offers from potential purchasers of the publishing operation. She married her collaborator Oswald Ottendorfer and remained in the business. Anna had directed her energies to help suffering people which enabled her to create the home.

The Home initially cared for 25 aged and indigent women. The Home relocated to Washington Heights from Astoria on November 9, 1889. During the better part of the Nineteenth Century many institutions, including Isabella, purchased land above Central Park at a cheap price. It provided a rustic setting for its residents, since this part of Manhattan still had farms and a woodland setting.

The original building for Isabella’s Washington Heights location was a four-storied structure. The first floor was used for offices and social rooms. The upper floors were bedrooms. The top floor had a Mansard roof with dormered windows with a cupola that graced the top of the building. The porch and balconies on the front of the building were used for the residents to get fresh air. The main entrance of Isabella faced Audubon Avenue. In 1969 the building was razed to make room for the expansion of its facilities.

Other historic sites near the Isabella Home when it first opened in the Washington Heights and Inwood area were Fort George and the Fort George Amusement Park. Fort George was an outer defense post for Fort Washington during the American Revolution. The Fort George Amusement Park was located on Amsterdam Avenue between 192nd and 194th Streets. The park opened in 1885 and was forced to close in 1914 due to a fire that destroyed much of the park. The Third Avenue Trolley Car Company facilitated accessibility to the area from other parts of Manhattan and the Bronx.

On December 6, 1993 a groundbreaking ceremony took place for an expansion of the center to include an additional 233 beds for the care of the elderly. This $62 million building (much of which was federally funded) was dedicated on October 19, 1995, thus giving the center a total of 705 beds. The new facilities include a ventilator unit, dementia unit and short-term rehab unit. The opening ceremonies were held in a large classroom in the new wing with locally elected officials and community dignitaries in attendance.

The new building provides for additional nursing stations on each floor, a new pharmacy, an occupational therapy area and a rehabilitation center. This facility was under the direction of Edward J. McFadden who oversaw the construction and expansion of the center.

The Isabella Center offers services and programs for the residents and the general public. The Isabella Home has a residential care center offering medical and nursing care. The Home also provides for long- and short-term rehabilitation care for people with brain injuries. Apartments for senior citizens are available too. The Isabella-at-Home service provides professional and personalized home health care.

There is a daycare center provided by Isabella that offers education and day care programs for children of the community and for employees of the center. The Institute for Older Adults has wellness programs and educational seminars, which provides for a more positive aging experience. The 50+ Club offers free exercise and walking workshops for the elderly.

The Center publishes a quarterly newsletter called “Eye on Isabella” which informs the residents and the public of what is happening at the center. There is an information packet of what is provided at the Isabella Center, which shows what programs and services it offers. The center has a library for the visually impaired as well as for those who can read with normal sight. There are seminars, open house and other special events provided at the center.

The Isabella Home instituted the McFadden Scholarships to honor Edward J. McFadden who retired on October 5, 1998, after 25 years of service to the center as President and Chief Executive Officer. Unlike other awards that recognize only scholastic achievements, the McFadden Scholarships recognize more. They salute high school students, such as those from George Washington High School, who come from foreign lands to this community where they excel academically while making extraordinary contributions to the community.

Mark Kantor was unanimously appointed by Isabella’s Board of Directors to succeed Mr. McFadden as President and Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Mr. Kantor had served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Village Care of New York.

The Isabella Geriatric Center is a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization that helps the elderly with housing and health care. Isabella has a long tradition of providing community services that go beyond the standard of care required by government regulations.

The Isabella Geriatric Center is located at 515 Audubon Avenue between 190th and 192nd Street. For further information on the center, call 1-888-7-ISABELLA (747-2235) or 1-212-342-9200, or visit their Web site.