TV: In the Heights: Washington Heights Quick Facts

Click to watch this special video and read below to learn more about Washington Heights!

1) So how did this section of Manhattan get the name, Washington Heights?
During the Revolutionary War, a fierce battle was waged between American soldiers and the British and Hessian forces, this epic battle took place at Manhattan's highest natural elevation, 265 ft (80.8 m) above sea level, which was the location of Fort Washington, the war camp of General George Washington and his troops. This area later was proudly named for America's first president, and that is why we know it as Washington Heights.

2) There is a really cool church in Washington Heights that looks like something out of an old movie, what's the history behind it?
The Church of the Intercession on 155th Street and Broadway is considered the finest example of Gothic Revival or Neo-Gothic architecture in New York City.

3) Word is that New York City professional baseball had its beginnings in Washington Heights, true or false?
Home run, that's correct! The New York Giants (now known as the San Francisco Giants) and the New York Mets both played at the famous Polo Grounds (155th Street near the Harlem River), The Giants called it home from 1889 to 1957, and the Mets played there from 1962 and 1963. The Heights was also home to the city's first American League baseball team, Hilltop Stadium, on the site of the present Columbia University Medical Center (165th Street and Broadway), housed the New York Highlanders from 1903 to 1913. You know them as, THE NEW YORK YANKEES!

4) I used to love to read The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge when I was little kid, it's "in the heights" too, right?
On October 10, 1921, the 40 foot high Little Red Lighthouse, was built on its present location by the U. S. Coast Guard, ten years later the opening of the George Washington Bridge rendered the lighthouse obsolete. It happily gained newfound interest in 1942 when Hildegarde H. Swift and Lynd Ward published the children's story The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. In 1947 the Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse and later put it up for sale as excess property. This created a public outpouring of protest. Children who read the book sent dimes, nickels and pennies from all over the country to keep the lighthouse in place. The ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to New York City Department of Parks and Recreation on July 23, 1951 and had become a fixture in Fort Washington Park.

5) What's the name of that great 70's police thriller starring Roy Scheider. It's got a great chase scene that was filmed in Washington Heights?
"The Seven-Ups" with Roy Scheider was filmed on location on 179th Street and Fort Washington Avenue. The chase sequence is regarded as one of cinema's greatest, and is located near the middle of the film. Many other films have filmed "in the heights" too, most notably, Alfred Hitchcock's "The Wrong Man" with Henry Fonda and "Coogan's Bluff" starring Clint Eastwood.

6) Where did Malcom X give his last speech?
Malcom X was assassinated while speaking at the Audobon Ballroom in Washington Heights on February 21, 1965. This occurred on 3940 Broadway between 165th and 166th Streets.

7) Is it true that at one time an American Indian tribe called uptown Manhattan home?
The Marechkawiek tribal group had a settlement in Washington Heights. These lands were used mostly for trading. The only record of ownership by this tribal group was of the sale of Harlem to the Dutch.

8) The West 186th Street Basketball Court between Audubon and Saint Nicholas Avenues in Washington Heights is a great place to pick up a game in the summer, but it goes way back, what is the story behind it?
During the American Revolution (1775-1783), this area housed several colonial forts, including the neighborhood's namesake, Fort Washington. Once the site of useless rubble, this small urban lot has been transformed into much needed recreational space.

9) Where is Manhattan's oldest remaining house?
The Morris-Jumel Mansion, is located in the landmark Jumel Terrace Historic District. An AAM-accredited historic house museum, the Mansion interprets the colonial era, the period when General George Washington occupied it during the American Revolutionary War, and the early 19th century in New York.

10) We know that Lin-Manuel Miranda is from "The Heights", any other famous or well known people come from this part of the New York City?
Lots of celebrated names hail from Washington Heights, here are just a few:
Jacob Javitz, United States Senator;
Julio 204, one of the originators of NY graffiti;
Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk;
MIMS, successful hip hop artist
Freddie Prinze, the late stand-up comic and star of Chico and the Man,
Alex Rodriguez, Dominican-American Baseball player for the New York Yankees;
Alfonso Ribeiro, actor best known for his role as Carlton Banks in the TV sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" but Broadway fans will remember him as The Tap Dance Kid
Lawrence Fishburne, Academy Award nominated actor
Leonel Fernandez, President of the Dominican Republic