NEWS
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October 7, 2015
Fordham In The Bronx
History of King’s Bridge in the Bronx By MICHAEL DOBUSKI BRONX CORRESPONDENT
So far on Fordham in the Bronx, we have explored local food, music, housing and books. Now, we are focusing on the next logical topic: bridges. OK, so perhaps it is not as clear a leap, but the bridge in question is a fascinating bit of Bronx history, and yet another small piece to the Bronx’s puzzle. This week, we are going to take a trip through history via a little known mystery that has pestered architecture academics for centuries: what is the oldest bridge in New York City? Many would assume that the answer is obvious. After all, the Brooklyn Bridge is pretty old, right? Well, having been open since 1883, it is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the city, and indeed the country, but the Brooklyn Bridge is not the answer to this question. For that, we have to go much further back in time, but interestingly enough, not very geographically far away at all. Kingsbridge is a neighborhood in the northwest Bronx. It is pre-
dominantly residential, middle class and has a population of just over 10,000. But turn the clock back just over 300 years, and the story is very different. In essence, there were less people — significantly less people. In fact, New York City was less of a city and more of a soggy marshland under British control. During that time, in what is today the Kingsbridge neighborhood, there was a small island called Marble Hill, which was separated from the surrounding landmass by the Spuyten Duyvil Creek and the Harlem River. In 1914, the creek was filled in, and Marble Hill joined the Bronx, though today it is technically still considered a part of Manhattan. In the process, however, a small structure was covered up: the King’s Bridge. The King’s Bridge was built in 1693 and — just to be upfront about it — it was not all that exciting to look at. It was not very big and was only made out of wood. Not many pictures of the bridge exist from this time period, but we do know that you had to pay to cross it, unless you
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
The King’s Bridge in the Bronx was covered up in the early 20th century, and stands as a symbol of the changing landscape.
happened to be a soldier for the King, in which case you were able to cross for free. This is where the name of the bridge, and subsequently the name of the neighborhood, comes from. This form of taxation was exactly the kind of behavior that irritated the colonies in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. In 1713, the bridge was remodeled, this time using stone, which meant that it stuck around for much longer. It was destroyed by a fleeing George Washington and
his troops in 1776, and rebuilt after the war. The King’s Bridge was also involved in one of the first recorded automobile races on Memorial Day in 1896, which was sponsored by Cosmopolitan Magazine. But here is the most interesting part: in the early days of the twentieth century, the King’s Bridge was never officially dismantled. Which means that when they filled in Spuyten Duyvil Creek in 1914, the bridge was still there. So today, the oldest bridge in
New York City is actually buried somewhere deep underneath the Bronx. No one knows exactly where it is. The King’s Bridge is an excellent example of the hidden wonders of the Bronx, and a testament to the sheer volume of industry and change that swept over New York since the industrial revolution. In fact, it resembles the Bronx itself: often overlooked, but historically indispensable and an integral part of a rapidly evolving cityscape.
SLC Covers CARE, Bias Incident During October Meeting FROM SLC, PAGE 1
positive and constructive and I think healing,” he said. Commenting on the open dialogue hosted by ASILI earlier in September, Rodgers said, “There is some deep thinking going on about these issues in the community, and I was quite impressed with that… I think that generates light as opposed to heat around the situations.” An underlying concern of the SLC was how to sustain “deep thinking” on bias issues all the time, not just when an incident occurs. “When there isn’t an incident, there aren’t as many people looking towards wanting to be engaged with some of these things,” said Juan Carlos Matos, assistant dean and director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “I think
a part of the challenge is having ongoing conversations.” Domagola expressed a similar opinion; “It’s very easy to have a discussion in the week after an incident like the ones in Martyrs’, but it’s important to continue the conversation,” she said. Groups on the board of the SLC discussed the ways they plan to keep this conversation of bias alive. Alanna Nolan, assistant dean for student involvement, mentioned the importance of having a “multi-pronged approach,” in which students are engaged in bias awareness through multiple aspects of student life, such as classroom discussions and programs. She also brought up the Bias Incident Resource Group, which is composed of administrators, whose
aim is to “promote an environment of care, inclusion, respect and moral reflection.” Sarah Horrax, assistant director of leadership and Commuter Student Services, expanded on Nolan’s call for a multi pronged approach in dealing with these issues; Fordham community. “One of their goals this year is collaboration… especially making connections with Resident Assistants,” said Nolan. The goal is to form a more cohesive bond between residents and commuters. She also mentioned plans of an art exhibit on multiculturalism at Fordham. The university also plans to keep discussion of bias going through the use of core programming. Justin Muzzi, assistant director of Residential Life, spoke about how the recent
bias incidents have been incorporated into the civility program. He said the programming confronts students with the question, “What do we do when people act in a way that’s not civil?” The programming “reminds all students that they all play a role in helping to rebuild the community,” said Muzzi. Core programming is mandatory for all freshmen and can therefore reach a large population of students. In addition to business related to the recent bias incidents, SLC discussed new changes to CARE. Updated brochures now include a Students’ Bill of Rights, which is required by law for every New York State school. The Students’ Bill of Rights is essentially a guide to sexual misconduct policy and Title IX pro-
cedures. More inclusive language is used in the new brochure so that it may serve as a guide for the entire population of students at Fordham. It aims to use gender neutral language and be applicable to both victims and responders of sexual misconduct. The updated brochure can be distinguished by its white cover, as opposed to the older brochure’s maroon cover. Kimberly Russell, dean of students and director of Residential Life, shared with the SLC that Residential Life appointed Tyler Martins, FCLC ’15, to fill the new position of Graduate Assistant to CARE. Martins will be working with Resident Assistants and holding staff meetings, as well as planning future CARE projects with Residential Life.
Campus Briefs & Bites Demacopoulos Delivers Inaugural Lecture
Tom Hanks Finds ID in Central Park
Researchers Gather at Bronx Zoo
Alex Trabek Donates $1 Million to Fordham
George E. Demacopoulos, PhD, was named as the inaugural holder of the Father John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies. The event was held on Monday, Oct. 5, in Keating Auditorium. The event was open to the university community. Demacopoulos is also the co-director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center. He founded the center with Aristotle Papanikolaou in 2012, built up the Center’s endowment and started several globally recognized initiatives such as the National Endowment for the Humanities Matching Challenge Grant, which funds two research fellowships in orthodox studies at Fordham. Demacopoulos specializes in the history of Christianity for late antiquity, the early medieval west and Byzantium. At his installation, Demacopoulos gave his inaugural lecture.
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, a photo of a Fordham ID was found in Central Park by Oscar winning actor Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks announced that he found the ID around 1 p.m. via Twitter. As of Tuesday evening, the tweet had 5,200 retweets and 11,400 favorites. In addition, the tweet was shared over Facebook as well as other forms of social media. The story has also been picked up by news outlets such as BuzzFeed and a local ABC affiliate. The student who lost her Fordham ID, Lauren Whitmore, is a senior at Fordham College, Lincoln Center. She most likely lost the ID while she was teaching pilates in Central Park. Hanks’ public return of the ID is most likely in response to an act of kindness he received earlier in the year when someone found his credit card in New York and returned it to him.
The annual Bronx Science Poster Session brought student researchers and scientists from around New York City together to discuss research topics ranging from rat migration to venomous lionfish. The event was held on Sept. 30 at the Bronx Zoo and included the five-member Bronx Consortium consisting of the zoo, Fordham University, the New York Botanical Garden, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Researchers were able to update other program participants on the status of ongoing data collection and results. Among Fordham students and the Wildlife Conservation Society researchers, many area teens were also present to represent Project TRUE. The project is an urban ecology field research program. Fordham biologists and WCS educators worked together with teens during the summer to promote interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
This past Tuesday evening, Alex Trebek, famous “Jeopardy!” host, donated $1 million to Fordham University. The money will be used to create a scholarship to support Fordham Students in the Harlem area. Trebek restricted the gift to this neighborhood with the hopes that this restriction will make a meaningful impact. Estefania Cruz, FCRH ’17 history major, is the first recipient of the Trebek scholarship. Trebeck was influenced by his son to donate the money. Matthew Trebek graduated from Fordham in 2013. In addition, Matthew now resides in Harlem and will soon be opening a restaurant in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood. “I’m at the age now where I don’t need the money,” said Mr. Trebek. “So I guess the goal now is to find new ways to help other people and different ways in which to do it.” — Compiled by Cailin McKenna and Erin Shanahan, Assistant News Editors