Audubon Terrace

Infobox_nrhp | name =Audubon Terrace Historic District
nrhp_type = hd


caption =
location= Broadway, between West 155th and West 156th Streets, New York, New York
lat_degrees = 40
lat_minutes = 50
lat_seconds = 0
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 73
long_minutes = 56
long_seconds = 49
long_direction = W
locmapin = New York
area =
built =1907
architect= Charles Pratt Huntington
architecture=Beaux Arts
added = May 30, 1980cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Private
refnum=80002667

Audubon Terrace, also known as Audobon Terrace Historic District, is a landmark complex of approximately eight early 20th century Beaux Arts buildings in New York. Home to several different cultural institutions, the various architecturally complementary buildings, which take up most of a city block, are arranged in two parallel rows facing each other across a common pedestrian plaza. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Resident institutions

The original residents of Audubon Terrace included the American Geographical Society, the American Numismatic Society, the Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation, the Hispanic Society of America, the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Church of Our Lady of Esperanza [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEFDD153DF934A25756C0A961948260 Streetscapes: Audubon Terrace] , "The New York Times", May 17, 1987, accessed March 30, 2008] . The first three organizations have since moved, and the Hispanic Society has been considering a move to larger quarters downtown since 2006 [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/23/arts/design/23amer.html Hispanic Society Board Endorses Plan to Leave Washington Heights for Downtown] , "The New York Times", March 23, 2006, accessed March 30, 2008] . Boricua College, a private bilingual college, has since occupied the former building of the American Geographical Society.

The Hispanic Society maintains a library and a museum with an important collection of art and artifacts from the Iberian peninsula, as well as from Central and South America [ [http://www.hispanicsociety.org/hispanic/collections.htm Hispanic Society - Collections] , accessed March 30, 2008] . It is normally open daily except Mondays. The American Academy of Arts and Letters exhibits to the public occasionally, usually twice each year [ [http://www.artsandletters.org/exhibitions.php American Academy - Exhibitions] , accessed March 30, 2008] .

Location

Audubon Terrace is located on Broadway, bounded by West 155th and West 156th Streets, in the Washington Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. It is directly across 155th Street from Trinity Church Cemetery. Although a subway station is one block away, its location considerably north of midtown has resulted in a perceived detriment to easy access for visitors, especially those from out of town.

History

Named for naturalist and artist John James Audubon, on whose former land the complex sits, and who is buried across the street, Audubon Terrace was commissioned by railroad heir and philanthropist Archer M. Huntington in 1907. Among the well-known architects who designed the buildings were Cass Gilbert, Stanford White, and Charles Pratt Huntington [ [http://www.hispanicsociety.org/hispanic/architecture.htm Hispanic Society - Architectural Context] , accessed March 30, 2008] . Huntington designed the original buildings, housing the Hispanic Society, American Geographical Society, Museum of the American Indian, and American Numismatic Society. The two buildings housing the Academy of Arts and Letters were completed in 1923 and 1930, respectively [ [http://www.artsandletters.org/about_building.php The Buildings of the Academy] , accessed March 30, 2008] . A large equestrian statue of the legendary Spanish knight El Cid, located in the plaza in front of the Hispanic Society, was sculpted by Archer Huntington’s wife, Anna Hyatt Huntington in 1927 [ [http://www.hispanicsociety.org/hispanic/anna.htm Hispanic Society - Anna Hyatt Huntington] , accessed March 30, 2008] .

Audubon Terrace was designated the “Audubon Terrace Historic District” by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on January 9, 1979 [ [http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/maps/audubon_terrace.pdf Landmarks Preservation Commission] , accessed March 30, 2008] . It was listed on the U.S. National Register in 1980.

References

*

External links

* [http://andrewcusack.com/foto/main.php?g2_itemId=19 Audubon Terrace Gallery] - 96 photos