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Upcoming Free Zoom Presentation
"Art, Theater and Murder: The Master Building" presented by Stephanie Azzarone Thursday, April 24, 2025, 6:30 pm Click HERE to register for this free zoom presentation 
Stephanie Azzarone will guide us on a tour through the history and outstanding design of the Master Building, which architectural historian Andrew Dolkart called “among the finest Art Deco high rise structures in New York City. More info at our UPCOMING EVENTS page
The Latest Blog now available on our BLOGS page
"The Best Goddamn Madam in America" written by Marjorie Cohen, member of BNHG planning committee 
In 1913 when she was 13 years old, Pearl Adler landed on Ellis Island from her home in Yanow, a shtetl in what is now Belarus. Pearl was traveling alone and stepped off the boat, wearing a torn shawl and carrying a potato sack filled with all her worldly possessions.
No one would have guessed then that this teenager would soon be featured in newspaper headlines as Polly Adler, “The Jewish Jezebel”, “Queen of Tarts”, “First Lady of the Underworld” and the “Pushiest Procurer of the Jazz Age”. Read this and other essays of interest on our BLOGS page 
It’s Spring!
Another season is here, with more to learn about Bloomingdale’s history. Join us for a walking tour, zoom in for a presentation, read about an old photo, the first neighborhood playground, and the boys who dug up bones on West 104th Street. Head to the Bloomingdale Library for the latest exhibit. We look forward to feedback, comments, and ideas here. Enjoy this issue and, if you wish, make a donation. Click HERE to read the bulletin Free Walking Tours of Historic Bloomingdale
Wednesday, April 30th, at 6pm Wednesday, May 14th, at 6pm Wednesday, June 18th, at 6pm  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 |
See Rob Garber's previous library exhibits at our EXHIBITS pages
Availability of the BNHG Library Collection!
See a new list of the books in our collection HERE
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, 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. 
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) 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. Vodep
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 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.
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.
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.