Rat Rock. June 2013. Image by Jennifer Ferretti.
When I first visited Manhattan, I couldn’t help but crane my neck upward in order to get a better view of its soaring buildings. Except for contemplating the vast and seemingly complicated subway system, I never considered what was below my feet and how the natural environment has helped shape the city.
In the 600 block of 114th Street, between Broadway and Riverside Drive, curiously behind a tall fence, sits a large rock. Sandwiched between two turn-of-the-century buildings, the boulder’s dark color makes it impossible not to notice. This is Rat Rock. The rock is actually schist, a common, durable rock type that can be found all over the island (above and below ground), particularly in lower and northern Manhattan. Its prevalence on the island is the reason it is often referred to as Manhattan schist.
Rat Rock, named for its desirable nesting possibilities for rodents, is just one of the distinctive characteristics of the neighborhood of Morningside Heights. With Riverside Park, Morningside Park, and proximity to Central Park, nature and the environment are ever present.
Morningside Heights is actually a rocky plateau, providing a completely natural distinction and isolation from the busy city we’re familiar with. My research for the Morningside Heights project will focus on how the land of the neighborhood has changed from 1820 through 1950. Using Rat Rock as a jumping off point, I will use archival materials, historic newspapers, maps, and drawings to illustrate the transformation of the area.
