Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx
Coordinates: 40°52′52″N 73°55′02″W / 40.8812107°N 73.9173588°W
Spuyten Duyvil /ˈspaɪtən ˈdaɪvəl/ is a neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, It is bounded on the north by Riverdale, on the east by Kingsbridge, on the south by the Harlem River, and on the west by the Hudson River,[1] although some consider it to be the southernmost part of Riverdale.[2]
The area is named after Spuyten Duyvil Creek, where "Spuyten Duyvil" literally means "Spouting Devil" or Spuitende Duivel in Dutch; a reference to the strong and wild tidal currents found at that location. It may also be translated as "Spewing Devil" or "Spinning Devil", or more loosely as "Devil's Whirlpool" or "Devil's Spate." Spui and spuit are still today commonly used Dutch words involving outlets for water.[citation needed] Historian Reginald Pelham Bolton, however, argues that the phrase means "sprouting meadow", referring to a fresh-water spring.[3]
History
In 1642, Anthony Van Corlaer died while attempting to swim across the Hudson from Spuyten Duyvil.[4] A witness to Van Corlaer's death stated that "the devil" in the shape of a giant fish swam up and proceeded to "seize the sturdy Anthony by the leg and drag him beneath the waves."[5] This may be the earliest recorded shark attack in the New World.[5]
In the late 17th century, Frederick Philipse, the lord of Philipse Manor in Westchester County, received permission to construct a bridge across Spuyten Duyvil Creek and charge tolls. "King's Bridge", which was located roughly south of and parallel to where West 230th Street lies today, opened in 1693.[6]
Development of the neighborhood began in the latter half of the 19th century once the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad came through.[1] The tracks originally crossed Spuyten Duyvil Creek and into Manhattan on the west side, but Cornelius Vanderbilt wanted to consolidate his railroad operations into one terminal, so he had tracks laid along the north side of the Harlem River so that trains coming south from Albany could join with the Harlem and New Haven lines and come into Manhattan down Fourth Avenue into his new Grand Central Depot.[7] This is the route still used by Metro-North today.
Through the 1920s development of the Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood continued. Large high-rise apartment buildings, which later became condominiums and cooperatives, began to be built in 1950s and continued through the 1980s, bringing in affluent families attracted by its scenic qualities, as well as by the area's closeness to desirable neighborhood such as Fieldston and Riverdale.[1]
On December 1, 2013, a train derailment near Spuyten Duyvil station resulted in 4 deaths and over 70 injuries of which 11 were critical.[8]
Transportation
Spuyten Duyvil is the location of the Spuyten Duyvil train station, which is served by the Hudson Line of the Metro-North Railroad, providing service into Grand Central Terminal and north into Westchester County. Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, a railroad swing bridge that carries Amtrak's Empire Corridor line between New York City and Albany, spans Spuyten Duyvil Creek. The north end of the Henry Hudson Bridge connects the neighborhood to the island of Manhattan via the Henry Hudson Parkway.
Points of interest
- The Henry Hudson Memorial Park, which features a 16-foot (4.9 m) bronze statue of Henry Hudson sculpted by Karl Bitter and Karl Gruppe on top of a 100-foot (30 m) Doric column by architect Walter Cook of the firm of Babb, Cook & Willard.[1][2]
- Villa Charlotte Bronte, an apartment house built in 1926 and designed by Robert Gardner, which overlooks the Hudson and Harlem Rivers.[2]
- Edgehill Church of Spuyten Duyvil (United Church of Christ) was built in 1888-89 as a chapel of the Riverdale Presbyterian Church located nearby, and was designed by Francis H. Kimball in an eclectic mix of styles: Romanesque Revival, Tudor Revival and Shingle style. The church was designated a New York City landmark in 1980.[2][9]
References
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wolfe, Gerald R. "Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood" in Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. (1995). The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300055366., p.1224
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot & Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195383867., p.868
- ↑ Sypher, Frank J. "Dispute Springs Eternal Over 'Spuyten Duyvil'" (letter to the editor) New York Times (November 14, 1993)
- ↑ Boland, Ed, Jr. "F.Y.I.: Beating the Devil" New York Times (October, 13, 2002)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fernicola, pp. 104–105
- ↑ Burrows, Edwin G. & Wallace, Mike (1999). Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195116348., p.100
- ↑ Burrows, Edwin G. & Wallace, Mike (1999). Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195116348., p.944
- ↑ “Metro-North Train Derails in the Bronx”, (New York Times, December 1, 2013)
- ↑ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Postal, Matthew A. (ed. and text); Dolkart, Andrew S. (text). (2009) Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.) New York:John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1, p.346
Bibliography
- Fernicola, Richard G. (2001). Twelve Days of Terror: A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press. ISBN 978-1-58574-575-3. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
External links
Media related to Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx at Wikimedia Commons
