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Bronx · Area collection

University Heights

A Harlem River crossing, a former university campus and a music-history address offer different visits in this part of the West Bronx. Choose the University Heights Bridge or the Hip Hop Boulevard exterior, and check the college separately before planning campus entry.

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The small white Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in Poe Park in the Bronx
JHSmithArch · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized.
Edgar Allan Poe Cottage on NYFE

Understanding University Heights

The former university campus was planned as a retreat from NYU’s downtown setting. Stanford White designed Gould Memorial Library around a circular, domed reading room inspired by the Pantheon.

The University Heights Bridge began as the Broadway crossing over the Harlem Ship Canal. Its spans were floated downstream and reopened here in 1908. The current crossing keeps that engineering story visible, although its swing span was replaced in 1992.

Farther south in Morris Heights, DJ Kool Herc held a back-to-school party with his sister on August 11, 1973. Hip Hop Boulevard commemorates that address in the genre's history.

Places to explore

  • University Heights Bridge

    West Fordham Road/Cedar Avenue crossing to West 207th Street, Manhattan

    Use the pedestrian sidewalk for the river crossing and its metal trusses and ornamental ironwork. The Bronx and Manhattan approaches are different destinations; consult current DOT notices before planning the crossing.

  • Hip Hop Boulevard exterior

    1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Morris Heights

    Look for the street commemoration of the 1973 party. Keep the visit on public streets and respect residents; this is a music-history address, without a public apartment or recreation-room tour established.

  • Gould Memorial Library

    Bronx Community College campus

    The domed library provides the architectural context for the former NYU campus. Contact Bronx Community College about any campus or interior visit; a historical description of the reading room does not establish walk-in admission.

    Read the NYFE place guide

Planning a visit

The bridge's grade and a step-free approach from transit have not been checked.

Visitor update

Bronx Community College reports that the Hall of Fame is temporarily closed for construction.

Sources and visitor information