Mystery on the Rock Cropping
Steven McKenzie
Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: Op Ed
Blended in among the glut of mid-rise apartment buildings and small retail shops in Riverdale, an affluent section of the Bronx, sits a student apartment building owned by Manhattan College, a small liberal arts college.
That building, Overlook Manor, has been used exclusively for student living since its purchase by the college in March of 1967. During the early years of the building being used, it saw a mixture of clergy, staff, faculty and students living in the building as well approximately 58 outside tenants.
Fast forward to today, and although the building has seen renovations and an influx of resident students over the years, it still maintains the same brick façade and red painted fire escapes that have hung from the building for over 40 years. But behind the L-shaped building sits an interesting spot on the property.
In a 1988 property appraisal that the soon to be former president of the school, Brother Thomas Scanlon, had commissioned at the beginning of his tenor, the property is described as, "located on a ridge which slopes downwards on an east to west axis. The site includes a large rock outcropping situated north of the site improvements."
The rock cropping itself is an oddity. It sits tall behind a worn down green fence along a sidewalk on Dash Place and breaks up the monotony of red brick and concrete. On top of the rock cropping is a patch of woods that sits silently and in staunch opposition of Overlook and the two other mid-height apartment buildings that envelope it. The area is overgrown and littered with trash that has accumulated throughout the years.
Upon closer inspection, mostly during winter and late fall when leaves are scarce, a fenced in area can be seen. You really have to strain to notice, as time has taken its toll on the metal pipes and chain link, with rust and dirt accumulating over the years. It has camouflaged the fence into the surroundings. At first, it is easy to dismiss the fence as simple barriers between the collision of multiple property lines. But even further investigation reveals something surprising.
That building, Overlook Manor, has been used exclusively for student living since its purchase by the college in March of 1967. During the early years of the building being used, it saw a mixture of clergy, staff, faculty and students living in the building as well approximately 58 outside tenants.
Fast forward to today, and although the building has seen renovations and an influx of resident students over the years, it still maintains the same brick façade and red painted fire escapes that have hung from the building for over 40 years. But behind the L-shaped building sits an interesting spot on the property.
In a 1988 property appraisal that the soon to be former president of the school, Brother Thomas Scanlon, had commissioned at the beginning of his tenor, the property is described as, "located on a ridge which slopes downwards on an east to west axis. The site includes a large rock outcropping situated north of the site improvements."
The rock cropping itself is an oddity. It sits tall behind a worn down green fence along a sidewalk on Dash Place and breaks up the monotony of red brick and concrete. On top of the rock cropping is a patch of woods that sits silently and in staunch opposition of Overlook and the two other mid-height apartment buildings that envelope it. The area is overgrown and littered with trash that has accumulated throughout the years.
Upon closer inspection, mostly during winter and late fall when leaves are scarce, a fenced in area can be seen. You really have to strain to notice, as time has taken its toll on the metal pipes and chain link, with rust and dirt accumulating over the years. It has camouflaged the fence into the surroundings. At first, it is easy to dismiss the fence as simple barriers between the collision of multiple property lines. But even further investigation reveals something surprising.