Bronx Community College
The interior of the Gould Memorial Library, designed by Stanford White | |
Type | public |
---|---|
Established | 1957 |
Affiliation | City University of New York |
President | Thomas A. Isekenegbe |
Location | University Heights, Bronx, New York City, New York, US |
Athletics | NJCAA – CUNYAC |
Nickname | Broncos[1] |
Website | bcc.cuny.edu |
University Heights Campus (formerly New York University) | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Location in New York City | |
Coordinates | Coordinates: 40°51′29″N 73°54′45″W / 40.85806°N 73.91250°W |
Architect |
Stanford White Marcel Breuer |
Architectural style |
Classical Revival (White) Brutalist (Breuer) |
NRHP Reference # | 12001013 |
Significant dates | |
Designated NHL | October 16, 2012 |
Designated NYCL |
Gould Memorial Library Hall of Fame for Great Americans Hall of Languages & Cornelius Baker Hall of Philosophy: February 15, 1966 Begrisch Hall: January 8, 2002 |
The Bronx Community College of The City University of New York (BCC) is a community college located in the University Heights neighborhood of The Bronx on a landmarked campus. It is part of the City University of New York system.
History and description
The college was established in 1957 through the efforts of civic-minded groups who felt that there was a growing need for more higher education facilities in the Bronx. Classes began at Hunter College, and later at the former site of the Bronx High School of Science.
In 1973, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York acquired the University Heights campus from New York University (NYU), which had sold the campus under threat of imminent bankruptcy. Beginning in the fall of that year, the BCC moved its operations to the 55 acres (22 ha) site overlooking the Harlem River.
The college is home to the Center for Sustainable Energy, which was founded in 2003 as an educational resource for students pursuing careers in alternative energy.[2]
Bronx Community College offers a wide array of workforce community development and personal enrichment courses and programs through Continuing & Professional Studies.[3] CPS also delivers customized training for local employers. CPS works closely with unions, city, state and federal agencies and accepts vouchers and other forms of financial aid for individual students.
Since 1987, the college is also the local administrator of the SUNY Bronx Educational Opportunity Center.[4] The SUNY Bronx EOC provides tuition free academic and vocational programs to New Yorkers who qualify[5] and it is funded by the University Center for Academic and Workforce Development (UCAWD) part of the State University of New York.[6]
In 2012, the North Hall and Library opened. The building is designed to resemble many of the historic buildings on campus, and on one end is located next to an entrance of the Hall of Fame for Great Americans.
Campus
![](../I/m/NYU_library2_crop.jpg)
The BCC campus originally housed New York University's undergraduate college and engineering school – which was absorbed by Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1973 but is once again part of NYU – and was created at a time when a number of prominent local universities had made the move to upper Manhattan and the Bronx in order to build bigger campuses, including Columbia University, and the City College of New York.[7]
The campus consists of a mix of Classical revival buildings designed by architect Stanford White in 1892-1901 – including the Hall of Languages, the Cornelius Baker Hall of Philosophy and the Gould Memorial Library[8] – and Brutalist concrete buildings by Marcel Breuer, including Begrisch Hall (1956–61)[8] and the Colston Residence Hall and Cafeteria (1964).[9] Other buildings – such as South Hall, formerly the Gustav H. Schwab House (1857); Butler Hall, formerly William Henry W. T. Mall House (c.1859); and MacCracken Hall, originally the Loring Andrews House (c.1880) – are repurposed mansions which predate the campus.[9] The original landscaping for the campus was by Vaux & Co..[9]
The BCC campus is notably home to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, founded in 1900 by Henry Mitchell MacCracken, Chancellor of NYU from 1891 to 1910. It was the first such hall of fame in the United States. The Hall, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was also designed by Stanford White, and was established to honor prominent Americans who have had a significant impact on the country's history. It includes bronze busts of Alexander Graham Bell, Eli Whitney, and George Westinghouse[7] along with many others. The Hall has not had any new inductees since 1973.
Athletics
Bronx Community College teams participate as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Broncos are a member of the community college section of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, track & field and volleyball.
Notable alumni
Among the distinguished early alumni of BCC is Richard Carmona, who served as the Surgeon General of the United States from 2002 to 2006.
In popular culture
- In 2001, parts of the film A Beautiful Mind that depicted MIT were instead filmed in the BCC, due to the film's low budget.[10] The dome at BCC was also used in the filming of The Good Shepherd.
- The Meister Hall building at BCC by architect Marcel Breuer was featured as a Russian Embassy in the 2008 film Burn After Reading by the Coen brothers.
Gallery
- The Stanford White-designed Hall of Languages
- The Hall of Philosophy, also designed by Stanford White
- The Hall of Fame for Great Americans is located on the BCC campus
- The dome of the Gould Memorial Library can be seen above the trees from many locations in Upper Manhattan
- The western elevation of Marcel Breuer's Bergisch Hall
- Inside the Gould Memorial Library
See also
- List of New York City Landmarks
- National Register of Historic Places listings in New York County, New York
- Bronx Community College Library
References
Notes
- ↑
- ↑ Wolfer, Sondra (November 3, 2004). "Federal DOE grant fuels Bronx, N.Y., community college's energy center". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ↑ "Continuing & Professional Studies" on the BCC website
- ↑ "About | SUNY Bronx Educational Opportunity Center". www.bronxeoc.org. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
- ↑ "Tuition Free Academic & Vocational Training | SUNY Educational Opportunity Center". www.bronxeoc.org. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
- ↑ "Ten Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) are a part of the University Center for Academic and Workforce Development (UCAWD) educational and workforce training programs in New York State". www.ucawd.suny.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
- 1 2 Sheraton, Mimi (December 15, 2000). "My Bronx: Yesterday's Heroes, Up on Pedestals". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- 1 2 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S. (text); Postal, Matthew A. (text) (2009), Postal, Matthew A., ed., Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.), New York: John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1, pp.331-333
- 1 2 3 White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010), AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.), New York: Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780195383867, pp.860-61
- ↑ Halber, Deborah (February 13, 2002). "MIT facts meet fiction in 'A Beautiful Mind'". MIT News Office. Retrieved 2005-10-04.
External links
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