Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx

Spuyten Duyvil
Neighborhood of the Bronx

Spuyten Duyvil
Spuyten Duyvil
Spuyten Duyvil

Location in New York City

Coordinates: 40°52′52″N 73°55′02″W / 40.8812107°N 73.9173588°W / 40.8812107; -73.9173588Coordinates: 40°52′52″N 73°55′02″W / 40.8812107°N 73.9173588°W / 40.8812107; -73.9173588
Country  United States
State  New York
City New York City
Borough Bronx
Area[1]
 • Total 1.23 km2 (0.473 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 10,279
 • Density 8,400/km2 (22,000/sq mi)
Economics
 • Median income $83,381
ZIP codes 10463, 10471
Area code 718, 347, 646
Spuyten Duyvil Creek as seen from the Metro North station, with the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge in the background

Spuyten Duyvil /ˈspaɪtən ˈdaɪvəl/ is an upper middle class 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,[2] although some consider it to be the southernmost part of Riverdale.[3]

Etymology

The area is named after Spuyten Duyvil Creek. "Spuyten Duyvil" may be literally translated as "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 is a Dutch word involving outlets for water.[4][5][6] Historian Reginald Pelham Bolton, however, argues that the phrase means "sprouting meadow", referring to a fresh-water spring.[7]

An additional translation, "to spite the Devil" or "in spite of the devil", was popularized by a story in Washington Irving's A Knickerbocker's History of New York published in 1809. Set in the 17th Century, the story tells of trumpeter Anthony Van Corlaer summoned by Dutch colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant to warn settlers of a British invasion attempt, with Corlaer attempting to swim across the creek in treacherous conditions.[5][6][8][9] The creek was referred to as Shorakapok by Lenape Native Americans in the area, translated as “the sitting down place” or “the place between the ridges”.[5]

History

In 1642, Anthony Van Corlaer died while attempting to swim across the Hudson from Spuyten Duyvil[8] 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."[10] This may be the earliest recorded shark attack in the New World.[10]

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.[11]

Development of the neighborhood began in the latter half of the 19th century once the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad came through.[2] 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.[12] 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.[2]

On July 18, 2013, a freight train derailed near the Spuyten Duyvil station due to an excessively wide gauge at one point. No one was killed or injured.[13] Less than six months later on December 1, a commuter train derailment near the Spuyten Duyvil station resulted in 4 deaths and over 70 injuries, 11 of them critical.[14] The cause of the second derailment was determined to be excessive speed.[15]

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

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood in New York". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Wolfe, Gerald R. "Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood" in Jackson 1995, p. 1224
  3. 1 2 3 4 White, Willensky & Leadon 2010, p. 868
  4. ↑ Sixteenth Annual Report, 1911, of the American Secneic and Historic Preservation Society to the Legislature of the State of New York , p. 106. American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, 1911. Accessed November 4, 2015. "Another reason is that there are phonetic elements in the name as first written which suggest other meanings quite appropriate to the locality. There is a Dutch word 'spui' of frequent use in Holland, meaning a sluice way or canal. The Spui at The Hague, part of which is redeemed and used as a street, is a famous thoroughfare."
  5. 1 2 3 "Inwood Hill Park: Spuyten Duyvil Creek". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  6. 1 2 McDonald, Rabecca (April 29, 2010). "History of the Name Spuyten Duyvil". New York Public Library. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  7. ↑ Sypher, Frank J. "Dispute Springs Eternal Over 'Spuyten Duyvil'" (letter to the editor) The New York Times (November 14, 1993)
  8. 1 2 Ed Boland Jr. (October 13, 2002). "F.Y.I. – Beating the Devil". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ Baumstone, Hal (January 28, 1988). "Stanford News: Legend or History" (PDF). Pine Plains Register Herald. Fultonhistory.com. p. 8. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  10. 1 2 Fernicola 2001, pp. 104–105.
  11. ↑ Burrows & Wallace 1999, p. 100.
  12. ↑ Burrows & Wallace 1999, p. 944.
  13. ↑ "Railroad Accident Brief: Metro-North Railroad Derailment" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. October 24, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  14. ↑ Barron, James; Goodman, J. David (2013-12-01). "Focus Turns to Investigation in Fatal Bronx Train Crash". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  15. ↑ "Attorney: Metro-North train engineer was 'in a daze'". ABC7 New York. 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  16. ↑ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, Dolkart & Postal 2009, p. 346

Bibliography


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