The Alumni House

New York, NY 10031
Born in 1894, Norman Rockwell called West 103rd Street his childhood home. In 2014, a high school class – after a trip to the Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts – was inspired to petition the city to honor this iconic American artist. Their two year pursuit was successful, and today the corner of Broadway … read more
This 316 West 103rd Street address has a storied past filled with fascinating people, but it is perhaps best known for the years that the Gershwin family called it home. Two beloved composers and lyricists, George and Ira, lived here, along with other members of their family, from 1925-1931.
Designed by Charles B.J. Snyder in 1898, PS 109 stopped functioning as a public school in the 1990s. A number of years later, it took a community-driven team to convince the city to take over the building and turn it into affordable housing. In 2015, the eighty-nine spaces became available to artists … read more
“We have a unique mission in this neighborhood,” Judy Counts, the executive director of the House of the Redeemer, told me. It is true that the house was unlike anything else I had come across in over ninety side streets. The non-profit organization is under the umbrella of the Episcopal Church, … read more