Crossing Broadway: Washington Heights and the Promise of New York City

309 Pages·2014·3.21 MB·English

by  Robert W. Snyder

Praise for Crossing Broadway—
“Far too many people still view Washington Heights through the prism of
the recent past. Crime, drugs, and rampant lawlessness—all of which scarred
the neighborhood in the late ’80s and early ’90s—are the first things that come
to mind. In fact, Washington Heights has emerged phoenix-like from the
ashes of the crack years and is experiencing a renaissance that is reshaping and
redefining the community. Crossing Broadway tells the complete and true story
of this much-maligned neighborhood with erudition, élan, and the soft touch
of personal attachment. Robert W. Snyder’s book is a testament to the tenac-
ity, dynamism, and vitality of the people who have made Washington Heights
their home. If you want to truly understand Washington Heights, then Crossing
Broadway is an absolute must-read.”
—Led Black, writer, filmmaker, and editor-in-chief of
www.UptownCollective.com
“Crossing Broadway gives an immediate sense of the transformation of urban
life since World War II, especially the ‘urban crisis’ of the 1960s and 1970s and
its aftermath. A skillful writer, Robert W. Snyder has constructed a strong, en-
gaging narrative that covers a long sweep of history, balancing big themes with
closely told stories of everyday life.”
—Joshua B. Freeman, Distinguished Professor of History, CUNY Graduate
Center, author of American Empire, 1945–2000: The Rise of a Global
Power, the Democratic Revolution at Home

“Crossing Broadway is a terrific book that successfully links the story of immi-
grant communities and ethnic succession in Washington Heights to the larger
history of the city of New York and the nation at large. Robert W. Snyder shows
how the topography of northern Manhattan reinforced boundaries of race,
class, and ethnicity and made efforts to unite the community around common
interests more difficult. He usefully reminds us that history is made, not by
impersonal forces such as deindustrialization or market revitalization, but by
the actions of individuals who, in the case of Washington Heights, remade their
city in the face of capital flight, crime, and community abandonment.”
—Eric C. Schneider, University of Pennsylvania, author of
Smack: Heroin and the American City

CROSSING BROADWAY

C R O S S ING B R O A D WAY
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS AND THE
PROMISE OF NEW YORK CITY
ROBERT W. SNYDER
CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS
Ithaca and London
Cover design by Scott Levine.
Cover photography by Matthew Gallaway (http://www.matthew-
gallaway.com) of the George Washington Bridge, shot from Fort
Washington Avenue and 160th Street, and the east side of Broadway
looking south at 163rd Street.
Copyright © 2015 by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this
book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without
permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address
Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca,
New York 14850.
First published 2015 by Cornell University Press
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Snyder, Robert W., 1955– author.
Crossing Broadway : Washington Heights and the promise of New
York City / Robert W. Snyder.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8014-4961-1 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Washington Heights (New York, N.Y.)—Social conditions—20th
century. I. Title.
F128.68.W2S69 2015
974.7'1—dc23 2014016070
Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible
suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing
of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks
and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly
composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our
website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.
Cloth printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Clara, Max, and Allison
and
in memory of Max and Mildred Snyder

CONTENTS
Prologue: A Place I Thought I Knew 1
1. An Ordinary Neighborhood in an Extraordinary City 11
2. A Useless and Terrible Death 45
3. Apartness Rules Our Roost 68
4. In the Shadow of the South Bronx 111
5. Crack Years 158
6. A New Neighborhood in a New City 196
Epilogue: Bittersweet Victory 223
Acknowledgments 239
Notes 245
Index 287