Leo Baeck Institute works to preserve and promote the history and culture of German-speaking Jews.
The Pachner Wolff Family
Hollywood Legends at LBI
Drawing From Memory: From Archive to Graphic Memoir
Help LBI keep the past present with a financial donation or by contributing historical materials.
Once home to the Wiechquaesgeck tribe and later the high ground from which George Washington defended northern Manhattan during the Revolutionary War, Washington Heights was rural in character until the second half of the 19th century, when affluent New Yorkers saw the area as an alternative to busy downtown corridors and began building estates on the land. By 1870, the name Washington Heights had come into use.
The Tenement House Act of 1901 outlined requirements for all new apartments, including more windows, improved ventilation, and private bathrooms. When the subway reached 157th Street in 1904, the stage was set for a major wave of real estate development. Diverse new residents—including Armenians, Irish, Eastern-European Jews, and Greeks—settled in the Heights in great numbers.
In 1923 Othmar Ammann, a Swiss-born architect and engineer, proposed a bridge design to connect New York City and New Jersey across the Hudson. A marvel of construction and engineering, the bridge opened to traffic in 1931. During its first full year of operation in 1932, more than 5.5 million vehicles crossed the six-lane roadway.
We use cookies on our site to enable functionality and analyze traffic. By clicking “I Accept” or “X” on this banner, or using our site, you consent to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them in your browser settings. To learn more, view our Privacy Policy.