Video of December 2 Zoom Presentation
"Bloomingdale’s Scoundrels, Scalawags and Scrappers" Presented by John Tauranac, Author of New York’s Now Available at our PAST EVENTS page 
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. Search on the BNHG Website
A Time of New Beginnings!
In this newsletter, we write about new things that once arrived in our neighborhood: the squatters and the bicycling scorchers of the 19th Century, the scandalous dancers of the 1920s. New books are available. A new name adorns the subway stop at Central Park West and 110th Street. The BNHG has new evening programs planned about the Firemen’s Memorial and the history of the Hudson waterfront. Enjoy this issue, and we look forward to your feedback, comments, and ideas HERE. If you wish, please make a donation HERE. The Latest Blog now available on our BLOGS page
The Nineteenth Century Squatters of the West Side written by Pam Tice, member of the BNHG planning committee 
The Nineteenth Century Squatters of the West Side
Every era has its squatters, with people living on land or in buildings they do not own. After World War I, veterans camped along the Hudson River. In the Depression in the 1930s, squatters lived in “Hoovervilles” in Central Park and along the river. In the 1970s, people seized abandoned property and became owners through “sweat equity.” Today, people may find squatters in their unoccupied apartments. In nineteenth-century Manhattan, squatters settled in many areas where land was owned but undeveloped, becoming a part of city life. Read this and 51 essays of interest on our BLOGS page |
Free Walking Tours of Historic Bloomingdale
Sunday, December 21, 2025 at 2pm  Jim Mackin
Meet at south end of Straus Park,
Broadway at W.106th Street 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 Availability of the BNHG Library Collection!
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. You can review the story of our neighborhood’s landmark, which began as the Association for the Relief of Respectable Aged Indigent Females, and is now Hostelling International-New York City. The record is preserved at the NYPAP site here. 
We are a group of neighbors who banded together 23 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) |
To receive email notification of upcoming monthly presentations and seasonal bulletins, please share your email at our CONTACT US page. Of course, we will not give your information to others.
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.