Bronx Community College

Bronx Community College

The interior of the Gould Memorial Library, designed by Stanford White
Established 1957
Type public
Affiliation City University of New York
President Eduardo J. Marti (interim)
Location University Heights, Bronx, New York City, New York, US
Athletics NCAA Division III – CUNYAC
Nickname Broncos[1]
Website bcc.cuny.edu
University Heights Campus
(formerly New York University)
Location in New York City
Coordinates: 40°51′29″N 73°54′45″W / 40.85806°N 73.91250°W
Architect Stanford White
Marcel Breuer
Architectural style Classical Revival (White)
Brutalist (Breuer)
Governing body CUNY
NRHP Reference # 12001013
Significant dates
Designated NHL October 16, 2012
Designated NYCL Gould Memorial Library
Hall of Fame for Great Americans
Hall of Languages &
Cornelius Baker Hall of Philosophy:
February 15, 1966
Begrisch Hall:
January 8, 2002

The Bronx Community College of The City University of New York (BCC) is a community college located in the University Heights neighborhood of The Bronx on a landmarked campus. It is part of the City University of New York system.

History and description

The college was established in 1957 through the efforts of civic-minded groups who felt that there was a growing need for more higher education facilities in the Bronx. Classes began at Hunter College, and later at the former site of the Bronx High School of Science.

In 1973, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York acquired the University Heights campus from New York University (NYU), which had sold the campus under threat of imminent bankruptcy. Beginning in the fall of that year, the BCC moved its operations to the 55 acres (22 ha) site overlooking the Harlem River.

The college is home to the Center for Sustainable Energy, which was founded in 2003 as an educational resource for students pursuing careers in alternative energy.[2]

Bronx Community College offers a wide array of workforce community development and personal enrichment courses and programs through Continuing & Professional Studies.[3] CPS also delivers customized training for local employers. CPS works closely with unions, city, state and federal agencies and accepts vouchers and other forms of financial aid for individual students.

In 2012, the North Hall and Library opened. The building is designed to resemble many of the historic buildings on campus, and on one end is located next to an entrance of the Hall of Fame for Great Americans.

Campus

The library of Bronx Community College, designed by architect Stanford White, shown in 1904 when the campus was part of New York University; the Hall of Fame for Great Americans arcade is visible to the left and right of the library

The BCC campus originally housed New York University's undergraduate college and engineering school – which was absorbed by Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1973 but is once again part of NYU – and was created at a time when a number of prominent local universities had made the move to upper Manhattan and the Bronx in order to build bigger campuses, including Columbia University, and the City College of New York.[4]

The campus consists of a mix of Classical revival buildings designed by architect Stanford White in 1892-1901 – including the Hall of Languages, the Cornelius Baker Hall of Philosophy and the Gould Memorial Library[5] – and Brutalist concrete buildings by Marcel Breuer, including Begrisch Hall (1956–61)[5] and the Colston Residence Hall and Cafeteria (1964).[6] Other buildings – such as South Hall, formerly the Gustav H. Schwab House (1857); Butler Hall, formerly William Henry W. T. Mall House (c.1859); and MacCracken Hall, originally the Loring Andrews House (c.1880) – are repurposed mansions which predate the campus.[6] The original landscaping for the campus was by Vaux & Co..[6]

The BCC campus is notably home to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, founded in 1900 by Henry Mitchell MacCracken, Chancellor of NYU from 1891 to 1910. It was the first such hall of fame in the United States. The Hall, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was also designed by Stanford White, and was established to honor prominent Americans who have had a significant impact on the country's history. It includes bronze busts of Alexander Graham Bell, Eli Whitney, and George Westinghouse[4] along with many others. The Hall has not had any new inductees since 1973.

Athletics

Bronx Community College teams participate as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Broncos are a member of the community college section of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, track & field and volleyball.

Notable alumni

Among the distinguished early alumni of BCC is Richard Carmona, who served as the Surgeon General of the United States from 2002 to 2006.

In popular culture

Gallery

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ Wolfer, Sondra (November 3, 2004). "Federal DOE grant fuels Bronx, N.Y., community college's energy center". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  3. ↑ "Continuing & Professional Studies" on the BCC website
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sheraton, Mimi (December 15, 2000). "My Bronx: Yesterday's Heroes, Up on Pedestals". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 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 & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1, pp.331-333
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot with Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195383867., pp.860-61
  7. ↑ Halber, Deborah (February 13, 2002). "MIT facts meet fiction in ‘A Beautiful Mind’". MIT News Office. Retrieved 2005-10-04.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bronx Community College.