Gentrification

In the face of luxury real estate development and rising rent prices, the Morningside Heights Community Coalition sent a memorandum to University President Lee Bollinger and several Columbia officials on Feb. 1, calling for the institution to preserve the rent-regulated units in its residential buildings as a source of affordable housing for the community. Local residents feel that the preservation of rent-regulated units is vital not only to provide much-needed affordable housing but also to maintain the neighborhood’s diversity and sense of community.

West Harlem is simultaneously a recognized site of rich history and culture as well as a neighborhood fighting to maintain its character. Residents have long clashed with developers and Columbia University to protect their neighborhood from gentrification and the loss of its historic integrity.

McGiffert Hall, designed in 1931 by the same architects responsible for the architecture of Vassar College, Williams College, and Union Theological Seminary, is a beloved, seven-story granite and limestone apartment building adjacent to Riverside Church. These days, however, McGiffert is vulnerable and at risk of being demolished.

I came to New York City when I was four. I spent the next seven years living in a flat in Gravesend. Perhaps the most aptly named neighborhood in the city, Gravesend is as weary and empty as its name suggests. I don’t remember much about those days besides that the winters were cold; sharing a room, my sister and I would sleep in winter coats because the heater was broken.

For some, the joy of shopping at thrift stores resides in sifting through racks of used clothing, finding a unique pair of jeans or an interesting dress, and discovering that it only costs $2. But for others who primarily rely on secondhand stores to shop for clothing, finding those cool pants or a name-brand dress might be met with relief rather than joy.

My late father once told me: Broadway is a road paved with dreams; in Manhattan alone, it encompasses everything from Wall Street and Times Square to countless theaters and the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. For some, though, Broadway has proven to be a nightmare: At just one address, 2888 Broadway, two different campus favorites, Amigos and e’s BAR, have both closed their doors over the last two years.

Home Sweet Harlem feels like chef and owner Donna Lewis’s home. The brick walls are lined with modern artwork by black artists, while the pale yellow backroom showcases old framed photographs. Lewis’ menu—which offers Southern food like homemade pancakes, fresh buttermilk biscuits, and salmon croquettes—exudes a similar sense of comfort.

Columbia is a landlord. Since moving into Harlem in 1897, Columbia has been taking hold of more and more property in the neighborhood, and its aggression seems to know no bounds. From lobbying for the closure of single-room occupancies (or SROs), to the use of eminent domain to acquire project housing, to the lack of enforcement of the concessionary Community Benefits Agreement, Columbia has continually acted with its own moneyed interests in mind, with no regard for the community in which it resides. The administration’s relationship to community members is like that of an antagonistic proprietor: It makes continued efforts to take land that is not its own, minimize dissent, and enforce its own sense of order. Public Safety, which patrols the surrounding neighborhood, seems to prioritize a sense of security for students above all else, including a sense of safety for community members. In light of all this, we should wonder: What are we as students doing to endorse this relationship between the administration and the community? What sort of culture are we as students fostering on campus?

Recent reports extolling Columbia for seeing Manhattanville residents as “partners and collaborators” misportray Columbia’s plan to metastasize into 133rd Street as a consensual expansion. They embellish the truth and tokenize the recruitment of Manhattanville entrepreneurs to execute the plan.