From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Audubon Terrace, also known as Audubon
Terrace Historic District, is a landmark complex of
approximately eight early 20th century Beaux Arts buildings in New York City. Home
to several different cultural institutions, the various
architecturally complementary buildings, which take up most of a
city block, are arranged in two parallel rows facing each other
across a common east / west pedestrian plaza. It is listed on the
National Register of
Historic Places.
Resident
institutions
The original residents of Audubon Terrace included the American Geographical
Society, the American Numismatic
Society, the Museum of the
American Indian-Heye Foundation, the Hispanic Society of
America, the American Academy of
Arts and Letters and the Church of Our Lady of Esperanza[2].
The first three organizations have since moved, and the Hispanic
Society has been considering a move to larger quarters downtown
since 2006[3]. Boricua
College, a private bilingual college, has since occupied the
former building of the American Geographical Society, the
easternmost building on the north side of the plaza.
The Hispanic Society maintains a library and a museum with an
important collection of art and artifacts from the Iberian peninsula, as well as from Central and South America[4]. It is
normally open daily except Mondays. The American Academy of Arts
and Letters exhibits to the public occasionally, usually twice each
year[5].
Location
Audubon Terrace is located west of Broadway, bounded by West 155th and West 156th Streets,
in the Washington Heights
neighborhood of upper Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. It is directly across
155th Street from Trinity Church Cemetery.
Although a subway station is one block away, its location
considerably north of midtown has resulted in a perceived detriment
to easy access for visitors, especially those from out of town[2].
History
Named for naturalist and artist John James Audubon, on whose former
land the complex sits, and who is buried across the street, Audubon
Terrace was commissioned by railroad heir and philanthropist Archer M.
Huntington in 1907. Among the well-known architects who
designed the buildings were Cass Gilbert, Stanford White, and Charles Pratt Huntington[6].
Huntington designed the original buildings, housing the Hispanic
Society, American Geographical Society, Museum of the American
Indian, and American Numismatic Society. The two buildings housing
the Academy of Arts and Letters were completed in 1923 and 1930,
respectively[7]. A
large equestrian statue of the legendary Spanish knight El Cid, located in the plaza in
front of the Hispanic Society, was sculpted by Archer Huntington’s
wife, Anna Hyatt Huntington in 1927[8].
Audubon Terrace was designated the “Audubon Terrace Historic
District” by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on
January 9, 1979[9]. It was
listed on the U.S. National Register in 1980.[1]
References
- ^ a
b
"National Register Information
System". National Register of Historic Places.
National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
- ^ a
b
Streetscapes: Audubon
Terrace, The New York Times, May 17, 1987, accessed
March 30, 2008
- ^
Hispanic Society Board
Endorses Plan to Leave Washington Heights for Downtown, The
New York Times, March 23, 2006, accessed March 30, 2008
- ^
Hispanic Society -
Collections, accessed March 30, 2008
- ^
American Academy -
Exhibitions, accessed March 30, 2008
- ^
Hispanic Society -
Architectural Context, accessed March 30, 2008
- ^
The Buildings of the
Academy, accessed March 30, 2008
- ^
Hispanic Society - Anna Hyatt
Huntington, accessed March 30, 2008
- ^
Landmarks Preservation
Commission, accessed March 30, 2008
- Walsh, Kevin (2006). Forgotten
New York. New York: Collins. pp. p.206. ISBN
0061145025.
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