Construction

Boulevard and Morningside Park on the east and west—say that construction has exploded in the past five to 10 years. Buildings once condemned are now high-end residences. The new neighbors are, for the most part, white and wealthier than the long-rooted residents, who tend to be poor and black.

For many members of the community surrounding the northwest corner of Central Park, the completion of Frederick Douglas Circle will come as a huge relief for a community in limbo. The renovation of the intersectionbegan in June 2004 and was supposed to last just one year.

Despite some cries of opposition from community activists, Columbia’s plans for Manhattanville are moving toward the first phase of development. But after a rash of tragic construction accidents in Manhattan—most recently the collapse of a high-rise crane on East 51st Street—Borough President Scott Stringer has set his sights on enhancing safety precautions around building sites.

The construction of the Nexus, Barnard’s new student center, is progressing as planned and is on track to be completed by the start of the 2009-2010 academic year, administrators say.

The noisy brick cutting and demolition that provoked aggravated residents of the Barnard Quad to create an anti-construction Facebook group is the final part of routine renovations to the residence halls.

Much of the student body remains unaware of any of the plans for the Northwest Science Building, or how construction will affect their lives in the meantime.

The Morningside makeover continued over the past months as Columbia began and completed a variety of construction projects.