Author Archives: bloomingdale history

Every era has its squatters, with people living on land or in buildings they do not own. After World War I, veterans camped along the Hudson River. In the Depression in the 1930s, squatters lived in “Hoovervilles” in Central Park … Continue reading →

Pam Tice is a member of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group In the early morning hours of April 14, 1918, the New York Assistant District Attorney led a group of police officers and military policemen in a series of raids … Continue reading →

by Pam Tice Pam Tice is a member of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group The opening of the Votes for Women Grocery Store at 2540 Broadway at West 95th Street in February 1913 made news across the country. The store … Continue reading →

By Pam Tice, Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group Planning Committee In the 1890s, a bicycling craze swept America as men and women purchased bicycles and took to the roads. The safety bicycle, a machine much like the one we have today … Continue reading →

by Pam Tice, Bloomingdale History Group Planning Committee “The Sun may be in eclipse, but New York, never!” Mayor John F. Hylan, quoted during the January 24, 1925, total solar eclipse over New York City As we look forward to … Continue reading →

The story of the House of Mercy, located at the far end of West 86th Street on the Hudson River, is a tale of women’s work. The House was founded in 1855 by a devoted Episcopal woman, Mrs. William Richmond, … Continue reading →

by Pam Tice, member of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group Program Committee A recent question from a family researcher led me to the 1855 New York State census. As I located our Bloomingdale neighborhood in the city’s 12th Ward, I … Continue reading →

by Pam Tice, member of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group Program Committee Scrolling through the 1923 Daily News articles about our Bloomingdale neighborhood, I was struck by the number of automobile accidents and deaths, as well as the arrests of … Continue reading →

by Pam Tice, member of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group Planning Committee The Upper West Side, a suburb in the early to mid-19th century, provided an excellent location for an orphanage.  Land was cheap, the neighborhood’s country-like setting provided the … Continue reading →