Happy Summer!
It’s summer and there’s lots to do in historic Bloomingdale. Take a walking tour. View an outdoor photography exhibit. Enjoy the Open Streets. Say goodbye to the Holy Name school building. Check out the famous Knicks players who lived right here in Bloomingdale. Even shoot some hoops yourself at one of the several local courts. We look forward to feedback, comments, and ideas here. Enjoy this issue and, if you wish, make a donation. Read the Summer Bulletin at our BULLETINS page. Watch Video of the May 27, 2026 Zoom Presentation,
"A Bloomingdale Artist: Maximo Rafael Colon" 
Free Zoom Presentation
Wednesday , September 16, 2026 at 6:30 pm "The Battle of Harlem Heights: Our Neighborhood Connection to the Revolutionary War on the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States" The Battle of Harlem Heights was a win for the Patriots of the American Colonies and showed that they were capable of fighting the British. The battle took place on September 16th, 1776, and now 250 years later, the presentation will show what happened and where it happened in the historic area of Bloomingdale and before Harlem Heights became Morningside Heights. (look for registration link on this website in week prior to the presentation) 
Free Zoom Presentation
Wednesday , October 7, 2026 at 6:30 pm "Notable New Yorkers of Harlem: A New Book by Historian Jim Mackin" More than 800 notables will be featured who lived in Harlem from the earliest days of the Dutch to the present. There was a Colonial Harlem, a Jewish Harlem, an Italian Harlem, a Spanish Harlem, a Finnish Harlem (!) and an African American Harlem that flowered so many notables of the Harlem Renaissance. Numerous tidbits of Harlem history and culture will also be illuminated. (look for registration link on this website in week prior to the presentation) Search the BNHG Website
Rob Garber, a member of the BNHG planning committee, created a series of 11 exhibits that were displayed at the Bloomingdale Library. He covered a multiude of topics beginning in March of 2023 with "History of Police in Bloomingdale until concluding in October 2025 with "Riverside Park Then & Now."
See the complete project at our EXHIBITS page. |
 Jim Mackin
Free Walking Tours of Historic Bloomingdale
Wednesday August 26, 2026 at 6pm Wednesday September 9, 2026 at 6pm Meet at south end of Straus Park, Broadway at W.106th St No reservations needed Explore the history of the Upper West Side between W.96th and W.110th Streets Led by renowned local historian Jim Mackin More Information at our UPCOMING EVENTS page 
Our public archive of documents related to the history of the neighborhood is at the Bloomingdale branch of the New York Public Library, on West 100th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues. The files are easy to find, near the circulation desk. Whether you are researching a specific topic or just browsing, you're welcome to copy pages in the library or to take a folder to one of the tables to read through it in comfort.
See the material available by clicking BNHG Library Collection See a new list of the books in our collection HERE Check out our Resources pages.
At our Resources pages you'll find fascinating Bloomingdale history under the following headings: Sources of Historical Information Useful Links and Resources Paterno Archive Bookshelf 2020 Project NYT Articles about Manhattan Valley from 1865-1998 Peter Salwen Collection Upper West Side History Quiz 
PRESERVING NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY
The New York Preservation Archive Project was organized in 1990 to “preserve preservation history.” Every effort to save an historic building or place has a story. NYPAP exists to provide an archival record of the people involved, their victories and defeats, and the many documents that tell the story of each place. Thanks to Pam Tice (member of the BNHG planning committee) , the story of 891 Amsterdam Avenue is now a part of that record. The record is preserved at the NYPAP site HERE. You can also read Pam Tice's website blog about this landmark, which began as the Association for the Relief of Respectable Aged Indigent Females, and is now Hostelling International-New York City HERE 
We are a group of neighbors who banded together 26 years ago to explore the history of our region of the Upper West Side, roughly 96th to 110th Streets --- an area historically known as Bloomingdale.
We promote research and education about the history of the Bloomingdale neighborhood, and we are available as a resource. We share our findings through free public programs, walking tours, workshops, publications, a blog, our website, and a Neighborhood History Collection of materials housed at the Bloomingdale Branch of the New York Public Library. We’re reaching out to our Bloomingdale community for your support through a tax-deductible donation. (Checks should be made out to Columbus/Amsterdam Business Improvement District. If you wish to donate from a donor advised fund, Our EIN is 13-3466792) The Latest Blog on our BLOGS page
"The Pasteur Institute on Central Park West at 97th Street" written by Pam Tice, member of the BNHG planning committee 
"The Pasteur Institute on Central Park at 97th Street"
In 19th-century New York, a dog bite by a “mad dog” was a sure way of terrorizing a New Yorker, especially in the summer months. If a snarling, rabid dog with a foaming mouth bit us, within a few weeks, we would die from the disease, hydrophobia. This was an especially fearful event in the summertime.The scientists of the era, particularly at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, were applying “germ theory” to many diseases, discovering antidotes, and treating patients from around the world. Louis Pasteur was a highly respected scientist who had discovered how to make milk safe to drink by heating it to reduce bacteria. In 1884, he announced a cure for hydrophobia with a series of inoculations that, if taken in time, could prevent the onset of the disease and save the life of the person bitten by a rabid dog. It wasn’t long before New York City had its own research and treatment facility, the Pasteur Institute, built on Central Park West at 97th Street. Read this and 51 essays of interest on our BLOGS page |
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The content of this website is offered for educational purposes; You may not reproduce, distribute, copy, sell or otherwise use any portion of this website for political or commercial purposes. If you know the identity of people depicted in historical photographs reproduced here, we’d love to hear from you.