History of the Police in Bloomingdale:
A 200-year Story Told in Pictures ![]() Where: The Bloomingdale Library on West 100th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues (across from the 24th precinct station house)
When: Monday/Tuesday10-7; Wednesday/Thursday 11-7; and Friday/Saturday 10-5. A project by Rob Garber, a member of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group’s planning committee Did you know? · At the time of the Civil War Bloomingdale’s police station was at 84th Street and the Bloomingdale Road--now Broadway—on the same property where Edgar Allan Poe had once rented a room and written The Raven. · On a May day in 1931 Francis “Two Gun” Crowley, wanted for the murder of a police officer in Nassau County, was holed up in a boarding house at 303 West 90th Street. According to the Daily News, 200 officers shot 400 bullets and loads of teargas into the building. Ten thousand spectators watched the hour-long drama from the street. · Mayor LaGuardia, wanting to show that he was tougher on gambling than the Feds, held a press conference in 1934 at the 100th Street station house designed to embarrass the FBI. At that time, the police station was located where the parking lot next to the library is now. Once you’ve visited the exhibit, you’ll know all about these pieces of Bloomingdale history and much, much more. There are 8 panels in all, every one chock-a-block with photos, copies of newspaper articles, and explanatory text. According to Jim Mackin, a local historian and a member of the BNHG planning committee, this may be the only history of a police precinct in Manhattan/NYC; it’s local history at its best.” Free Walking Tours of Historic Bloomingdale
April 16, 2023, Sunday at 2pm May 3, 2023, Wednesday at 6pm June 14, 2023, Wednesday at 6pm Meet at south end of Straus Park Broadway at W106th Street ![]() 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 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 Past Exhibits Upper West Side History Quiz ![]() See a complete list with links to all 51 BNHG Blogs at
BNHG BLOGS Histories of their Bloomingdale neighborhood residences compiled by BNHG planning committee members, Robert Garber and Jim Mackin
View online the complete series of Robert Garber's 20 posters on the history of 375 Riverside Drive on the occasion of its one hundredth anniversary. (The physical posters are on display at 375 Riverside Drive)
Click here ![]() View Jim Mackin's video on the history of 370 Riverside Drive on the occasion of its one hundredth anniversary
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![]() New Year’s Greetings
As we look forward to a new year, we also look back to honor the history of our neighborhood. This first issue of 2023 features the celebration of the centennials of two local residential buildings and offers tips on how you can do the same for the building you call home. Also note other events and items of interest in our neighborhood between 96th and 110th Streets from Central Park to the Hudson River. To view this bulletin click BULLETINS or download the file below: ![]()
BNHG’s downloadable digital brochure:
How To Research the History of Buildings in Manhattan ![]() Whether you’re a student, researcher or simply someone interested in finding out the history of any building in Manhattan, there’s now a free guide that will help you to get started. How to Research the History of Buildings in Manhattan, includes links to free online sources of data on individual buildings, their physical characteristics, the date of their construction and the name of their designer
To assist in your own research, click on the BNHG Building Database, which is the product of more than three years of research and field work by BNHG members, led by Gilbert Tauber. The table lists all of the 1,056 buildings in the area from the north side of 96th Street to the south side of 110th Street between Central Park West and Riverside Drive. A New Video Overview of the BNHG
If a picture is worth a thousand words, is a video likely to be worth even more? We think so, which is why a few members of the planning committee of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group (BNHG} got together to produce this ten minute video. It's an introduction to the neighborhood that is our home, the neighborhood that inspires our research and is the inspiration for the free public programs we offer throughout the year.
Find out more about the BNHG at our ABOUT US page Reopening of the Bloomingdale Branch Library
and availability of the BNHG Library Collection! ![]() Our public archive of documents related to the history of the neighborhood is back 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 now, near the circulation desk, and they are chock-full of interesting material. 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. On top of the filing cabinets you'll find an eclectic selection of books about NYC history donated by historian Peter Salwen, which are also for reading and reference use in the library. The Bloomingdale Library's own webpage is here, and a few highlights of our collection are posted digitally here.
DIGITAL COLLECTIONS OF THE BLOOMINGDALE NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY GROUP
Select items from the BNHG Library Collection have been digitized https://bnhgdigitalcollections.omeka.net/ for more information about the library collection visit our BNHG LIBRARY COLLECTION page. Dear Friends,
We’re reaching out to our Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group community to ask for your help in continuing our mission. We are a small group of neighbors who banded together 20 years ago to dig deeper into the local history of our region of the Upper West Side. During these years, we’ve made a commitment to discover, explore, preserve, and share that history. Prior to Covid our expenses were met by voluntary donations at our live presentations. Our move to Zoom presentations has dried up that source of revenue. To help us please click the "Donate now" button. For more Information visit our DONATE page 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.
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