Sitting atop a hill in the Bronx, on one of the highest spots in New York City, overlooking the Harlem River, is the former University Heights campus, the one time home of New York University’s undergraduate college, University College of Arts and Science and the School of Engineering. From 1894-1973, the campus earned a reputation for its daring and impressive architecture. With buildings as classical as the Parthenon and as modern as the Guggenheim, University Heights remained at the forefront of the latest trends in architecture.  In 1973, New York University, faced with financial hardship, chose to sell the Heights and it became the home of Bronx Community College. Almost forty years later, the campus remains roughly the same, keeping the history of NYU University Heights alive.

A College On A Hill explores the reasons behind the creation of University Heights, the process of dreaming up and constructing a campus, along with an in depth look into some of the defining structures that remain on the campus today.

This web exhibit was created by Catriona Schlosser for completion of a Master’s degree in Public History and Archives from New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science, May 2012.