One of the historic structures in Washington Heights at 540 West 165th Street.
Parts of Washington Heights – in what’s still the most populous Dominican neighborhood in the nation – are on the path to recognition as historic areas by the National Register of Historic Places. The City College of New York-based CUNY Dominican Studies Institute (CUNY DSI) proposed the designation, which is now backed by the Heights’ inclusion by the Historic Districts Council (HDC) in its annual “Six to Celebrate” program, a listing of historic New York City neighborhoods that merit preservation attention.
The other five neighborhoods to make HDC’s “Six to Celebrate” lineup, New York’s only citywide list of preservation priorities, are: Rose Hill/Kip’s Bay and the Garment District (both Manhattan); Bayside, Queens; Pelham Parkway & Allerton, The Bronx; and Downtown Brooklyn. HDC is New York City’s sole advocate for historic buildings and neighborhoods.
“The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute sought to have parts of Washington Heights listed as a historically and culturally Dominican district in the National Register of Historic Places, overseen by the National Park Service,” said Ramona Hernández, CUNY DSI director. “The Dominican presence in New York City goes as far back as 1613 with the arrival of Juan Rodriguez, and today northern Manhattan is known as the oldest cultural heartland of the Dominican people in the U.S.”
Hernández, who is also professor of sociology in CCNY’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, said the proposed historic district include sections of Washington Heights, from 155th street to Dyckman street. “That represents the core of the community and an area where Dominicans have dwelled for close to a century, establishing a highly visible economic, cultural, and political presence,” she added.
CUNY DSI and HDC will work together to set and reach preservation goals through strategic planning, advocacy, outreach, programs, and building public awareness. In addition, HDC awarded a $1,000 grant to CUNY DSI.
The “Six to Celebrate” projects, including CUNY DSI’s, were chosen on the basis of architectural, cultural, and historic merit, the presence and level of threats to the area, the strength and willingness of local advocates, and an assessment of where HDC’s citywide preservation perspective and assistance could be the most meaningful.
In preparing its submission to the National Register of Historic Places, CUNY DSI created an interactive digital map that shows a high level of incidence of things Dominican in Washington Heights and that is already available for public use.
About the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
Founded in 1992 and housed at CCNY, the CUNY DSI is the nation's first university-based research institute devoted to the study of people of Dominican descent in the United States and other parts of the world. CUNY DSI's mission is to produce and disseminate research and scholarship about Dominicans and the Dominican Republic. CUNY DSI is the locus for a community of scholars, including doctoral fellows, in the field of Dominican Studies and sponsors multidisciplinary research projects. The Institute houses the Dominican Archives, the first and only of its kind outside of the Dominican Republic, dedicated to preserving the records reflecting the experiences of Dominicans in the U.S., and the Dominican Library, the largest depository of bibliographical resources in the U.S. related to Dominican Studies.
For more information about the CUNY DSI or the historic Dominican district project in Washington Heights, please contact Dr. Pierre Losson, associate director, at plosson@ccny.cuny.edu .
About The City College of New York
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Jay Mwamba
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