An NYC Day Trip to the Bronx

A Special Feature: Fordham University—Rose Hill Known as the Jesuit University of New York

For some living in Manhattan, it is easy to think that the “Fordham University” just south of Lincoln Center is Fordham University. This is wrong. Though the university’s performing arts center is located near Lincoln Center, the entire university is so much more. The campus is actually made up of 3 parts in and around New York City: the city campus, the Westchester location, and Rose Hill. Students can also study further afield in Armonk, NY at the biological facilities there and abroad in London.

The tranquil campus at Rose Hill Fordham. It is only a short distance north of NYC. Photography from Wikipedia.

Rose Hill in the Bronx that is the oldest campus. It was started in 1841 as St. John’s College. The name was changed in 1907 to reflect its location—“ford” in conjunction with “ham” refers to a shallow or wading place across water. Today, Fordham is included as one of the 60 best national universities in the US.

St John’s College in 1846. From Wikipedia.

For the visitor, Fordham is about more than education. What is most striking about the Rose Hill campus is its beauty. It is heavily populated with trees and well-situated buildings so that the effect is more like Oxford or Cambridge or Ivy League schools in America.

“The Exorcist” was filmed on the campus in 1973 and more recently “A Beautiful Mind,” in 2001. Keating Hall was particularly featured. This same building is on one border of the grounds in which graduation takes place every year. Fordham has a graduation rate of 78% compared to the national average of 56%.

Keating Hall in winter on the campus of Rose Hill Fordham. The movie, A Beautiful Mind, was filmed here. From Widepedia.

Of particular interest is the Fordham University Church, currently undergoing renovation. It was built in 1845. The organ was added in 1879. A story about its 6 well-traveled windows can be found here.

The chapel in the Fordham University Church on the campus of Rose Hill Fordham. The stained glass windows have a particularly engaging story behind them. Photograph by Thomas M. Mueller

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How to get there: The D line from NYC stops just a few blocks from the campus. Other options include the bus, train, and car. Nearby are the Bronx Zoo (from the Rose Hill Fordham Campus, take the Bx9 bus eastward to 183rd Street and Southern Blvd) and the New York Botanical Garden (get back on the D train to Bedford Park Blvd Station and then there are 2 choices given here). Though seeing all 3 would surely be too much to tackle in one day, selecting a few would be manageable.

Other Neighborhood Sights:

● Bronx Zoo — 2300 Southern Blvd. (718) 367-1010. www.bronxzoo.com.

● New York Botanical Garden — 2736 Marion Ave., at 200th Street and Kazimiroff Boulevard. (718) 817-8700. www.nybg.org.

● Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse, at 165th Street. (718) 681-6000. www.bronxmuseum.org.

● Yankee Stadium — 880 River Ave., at 161st Street. (718) 293-4300. www.yankees.com.

● Lehman College Art Gallery — 250 Bedford Park Blvd. West (718) 960 8731. www.lehman.edu/gallery.

● The Hall of Fame for Great Americans — On the Campus of Bronx Community College, University Avenue and West 181st Street. (718) 289-5161. www.bcc.cuny.edu/halloffame.

● Van Cortlandt House Museum — Van Cortlandt Park, Broadway and West 246th Street, Riverdale. (718) 543 3344. www.vancortlandthouse.org.

● Valentine-Varian House/Museum of Bronx History — Varian Park, 3266 Bainbridge Avenue at East 208th Street. (718) 881-8900. www.bronxhistoricalsociety.org/vvhouse.html.