Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx

For other uses of "Spuyten Duyvil", see Spuyten Duyvil.

Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Spuyten Duyvil

Neighborhood of the Bronx

Looking northwest at Edgehill Church of Spuyten Duyvil

Location in New York City

Coordinates: 40°52′52″N 73°55′01″W﻿ / ﻿40.881°N 73.917°W﻿ / 40.881; -73.917
Country|  United States
State|  New York
City|  New York City
Borough|  The Bronx
Community District| The Bronx 8[1]
Area

[2]

• Total| 1.23 km2 (0.473 sq mi)
Population

(2011)[2]

• Total| 10,279
• Density| 8,400/km2 (22,000/sq mi)
Economics

• Median income| $83,381
ZIP Codes|

10463, 10471

Area code| 718, 347, 929, and 917
Website| www.spuytenduyvil.nyc

Spuyten Duyvil (/ˈspaɪtən ˈdaɪvəl/, SPY-tən-DIE-vəl[3]) is a neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. It is bounded on the north by Riverdale, on the east by Kingsbridge, on the south by the Harlem River, and on the west by the Hudson River,[4] although some consider it to be the southernmost part of Riverdale.[5]

## Etymology[edit]

Further information: Spuyten Duyvil Creek § Etymology

The area is named after Spuyten Duyvil Creek. "Spuyten Duyvil" may be literally translated as "Spouting Devil" or Spuitende Duivel in Dutch, a reference to the strong and wild tidal currents found at that location. It may also be translated as "Spewing Devil" or "Spinning Devil", or more loosely as "Devil's Whirlpool" or "Devil's Spate." Spui is a Dutch word involving outlets for water.[6][7][8] Historian Reginald Pelham Bolton, however, argues that the phrase means "spouting meadow", referring to a fresh-water spring at Inwood Hill.[9][10]

An additional translation, "to spite the Devil" or "in spite of the devil", was popularized by a story in Washington Irving's A Knickerbocker's History of New York published in 1809. Set in the 1660s, the story tells of trumpeter Antony Van Corlear summoned by "Peter de Groodt" to warn settlers of an attempted British invasion, with Corlear attempting to swim across the "Harlean river" from Fort Amsterdam to the Bronx mainland "in spite of the devil (spyt den duyvel)", Irving writes. The treacherous current pulled him under and he lost his life. This resulted in the name "Spuyten Duyvil" for "the adjoining promontory, which projects into the Hudson."[11][7][8][12][13]

An extensive appendix to Studies in Etymology and Etiology (2009) by David L. Gold, which includes commentary by Rob Rentenaar, professor of onomastics at the University of Amsterdam, goes into great detail about all the various translations for "Spuyten Duyvil" which have been mooted over the years.[14] Rentenaar concludes that "Duyvil" means "devil", either literally or in a transferred sense, but he could not determine what the intended meaning of "Spuyten" was because of the many variants that have been used throughout history.[15]

The creek was referred to as Shorakapok by Lenape Native Americans in the area, translated as "the sitting down place" or the place between the ridges".[7]

## History[edit]

In the late 17th century, Frederick Philipse, the lord of Philipse Manor in Westchester County, received permission to construct a bridge across Spuyten Duyvil Creek and charge tolls. "King's Bridge", which was located roughly south of and parallel to where West 230th Street lies today, opened in 1693.[16]

Development of the neighborhood began in the latter half of the 19th century once the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad came through.[4] The tracks originally crossed Spuyten Duyvil Creek and into Manhattan on the west side, but Cornelius Vanderbilt wanted to consolidate his railroad operations into one terminal, so he had tracks laid along the north side of the Harlem River so that trains coming south from Albany could join with the Harlem and New Haven lines and come into Manhattan down Fourth Avenue into his new Grand Central Depot.[17] This is the route still used by Metro-North today.

Through the 1920s development of the Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood continued. Large high-rise apartment buildings, which later became condominiums and cooperatives, began to be built in the 1950s and continued through the 1980s, bringing in affluent families attracted by its scenic qualities, as well as by the area's closeness to desirable neighborhoods such as Fieldston and Riverdale.[4]

Statue of Henry Hudson on top of a tall column at Henry Hudson Park in Spuyten Duyvil

On July 18, 2013, a freight train derailed near the Spuyten Duyvil station due to an excessively wide gauge at one point. No one was killed or injured.[18] Less than six months later, on December 1, a commuter train derailment near the Spuyten Duyvil station resulted in 4 deaths and over 70 injuries, 11 of them critical.[19] The cause of the second derailment was determined to be excessive speed.[20]

## Demographics[edit]

Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of Kingsbridge and Spuyten Duyvil was 30,161, a change of 289 (1%) from the 29,872 counted in 2000. Covering an area of 540.92 acres (218.90 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 55.8 inhabitants per acre (35,700/sq mi; 13,800/km2).[21]

The racial makeup of the neighborhoods were 49.3% (14,872) White, 8.9% (2,691) African American, 0.1% (40) Native American, 5.7% (1,731) Asian, 0% (15) Pacific Islander, 0.3% (98) from other races, and 1.7% (510) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.8% (10,204) of the population.[22]

A restaurant guide once described the neighborhood as "upper middle class".[23]

## Police and crime[edit]

Spuyten Duyvil is patrolled by the 50th Precinct of the NYPD, located at 3450 Kingsbridge Avenue.[24] The 50th Precinct ranked 13th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010.[25]

The 50th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 69.9% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported three murders, 22 rapes, 185 robberies, 213 felony assaults, 126 burglaries, 695 grand larcenies, and 288 grand larcenies auto in 2022.[26]

## Library[edit]

The New York Public Library (NYPL) operates the Spuyten Duyvil branch at 650 West 235th Street. The one-story branch opened in 1971 and was designed by Giorgio Cavaglieri.[27]

The Spuyten Duyvil train station with Henry Hudson Bridge above

## Transportation[edit]

Spuyten Duyvil is the location of the Spuyten Duyvil train station, which is served by the Hudson Line of the Metro-North Railroad, providing service into Grand Central Terminal and north into Westchester County. Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, a railroad swing bridge that carries Amtrak's Empire Corridor line between New York City and Albany, spans Spuyten Duyvil Creek. The north end of the Henry Hudson Bridge connects the neighborhood to the island of Manhattan via the Henry Hudson Parkway.

Hudson Rail Link connects the Metro-North station to the surrounding area, with Routes J, K, L, and M serving Spuyten Duyvil.

## Points of interest[edit]

* Edgehill Church of Spuyten Duyvil (United Church of Christ) was built in 1888-89 as a chapel of the Riverdale Presbyterian Church located nearby, and was designed by Francis H. Kimball in an eclectic mix of styles: Romanesque Revival, Tudor Revival and Shingle style. The church was designated a New York City landmark in 1980.[5][28]
* Henry Hudson Park features a 16-foot (4.9 m) bronze statue of Henry Hudson sculpted by Karl Bitter and Karl Gruppe on top of a 100-foot (30 m) Doric column by architect Walter Cook of the firm of Babb, Cook & Willard.[4][5]
* Villa Charlotte Bronte is an apartment house built in 1926 and designed by Robert Gardner, which overlooks the Hudson and Harlem Rivers.[5]

## Notable people[edit]

* Alexander Calder (1898–1976), sculptor who is best known for his innovative mobiles.[29]
* William Sergeant Kendall (1869–1938), artist.[30]
* Georgina Klitgaard (1893–1976), artist known for panoramic landscape paintings[31]
* Joan Tetzel (1921–1977), actress.[32]

## See also[edit]

* Hell Gate
* List of place names of Dutch origin
* John Jay McKelvey, Sr., Attorney, Park District Protection League Trustee.

## References[edit]

Notes

1. ^ "NYC Planning | Community Profiles". communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov. New York City Department of City Planning. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
2. ^ a b "Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood in New York". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
3. ^ Merims, Belden. Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to New York City, p. 63. First Books, 2001. ISBN 9780912301488. Accessed November 5, 2020. "Spuyten Duyvil (pronounced SPY-ten DIE-vul) has a southward pitch, so it seems to look back at Manhattan, but if you live here you're sure to look west to the spectacular sunsets, which blaze and bleed over the river."
4. ^ a b c d Wolfe, Gerald R. "Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood" in Jackson 1995, p. 1224
5. ^ a b c d White, Willensky & Leadon 2010, p. 868
6. ^ Sixteenth Annual Report, 1911, of the American Secneic and Historic Preservation Society to the Legislature of the State of New York , p. 106. American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, 1911. Accessed November 4, 2015. "Another reason is that there are phonetic elements in the name as first written which suggest other meanings quite appropriate to the locality. There is a Dutch word 'spui' of frequent use in Holland, meaning a sluice way or canal. The Spui at The Hague, part of which is redeemed and used as a street, is a famous thoroughfare."
7. ^ a b c "Inwood Hill Park: Spuyten Duyvil Creek". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
8. ^ a b McDonald, Rabecca (April 29, 2010). "History of the Name Spuyten Duyvil". New York Public Library. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
9. ^ Selyns, Henricus. Liber A: 1628-1700 of the Collegiate Churches of New York, p. 319. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009. ISBN 9780802865090. Accessed November 24, 2020. "In an attempt at giving a historically accurate etymology, Reginald Pelham Bolton maintains that the Dutch name Spuyten Duyvil (the present spelling) is a topographic designation, referring to a spring near Inwood Hill, and meaning 'spouting meadow'"
10. ^ Sypher, Frank J. "Dispute Springs Eternal Over 'Spuyten Duyvil'" (letter to the editor) The New York Times, November 14, 1993. Accessed November 24, 2020. "Reginald Pelham Bolton, in his authoritative history, Washington Heights (1924), argues persuasively that the Dutch name actually means 'sprouting meadow,' referring to the beautiful spring that to this day rises at the foot of Inwood Hill, near what remains of the original course of the Spuyten Duyvil Creek.... Correction: Nov. 21, 1993... It should have read 'spouting meadow,' not 'sprouting meadow.'"
11. ^ Irving, Washington (2004) [1809] Knickerbocker's History of New York, Complete Project Gutenberg. Book VII, Chapter X.
12. ^ Ed Boland Jr. (October 13, 2002). "F.Y.I. – Beating the Devil". The New York Times.
13. ^ Baumstone, Hal (January 28, 1988). "Stanford News: Legend or History". Pine Plains Register Herald. Fultonhistory.com. p. 8. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
14. ^ Gold, David L. (2009). Studies in Etymology and Etiology: With Emphasis on Germanic, Jewish, Romance and Slavic Languages. Universidad de Alicante. ISBN 978-84-7908-517-9.
15. ^ Gold, David L. and Rentenaar, Rob "Appendix 1: On the Etymology of the New York City Place Names Gramercy Park, Hell Gate, and Spuyten Duyvil , the New Jersey Place Name Barnegat, and Regional American English Fly ~ Vlei ~ Vley ~ Vlaie ~ Vly" in Gold, David L. (2009) Studies in Etymology and Etiology: With Emphasis on Germanic, Jewish, Romance and Slavic Languages. Universidad de Alicante. pp.145-146 ISBN 978-8-47-90851-79
16. ^ Burrows & Wallace 1999, p. 100.
17. ^ Burrows & Wallace 1999, p. 944.
18. ^ "Railroad Accident Brief: Metro-North Railroad Derailment" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. October 24, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
19. ^ Barron, James; Goodman, J. David (2013-12-01). "Focus Turns to Investigation in Fatal Bronx Train Crash". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
20. ^ "Attorney: Metro-North train engineer was 'in a daze'". ABC7 New York. 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
21. ^ Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010, Population Division - New York City Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016.
22. ^ Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010, Population Division - New York City Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016.
23. ^ Rossi, Roberto (2018) A Vegan's Guide to New York City
24. ^ "NYPD – 50th Precinct". www.nyc.gov. New York City Police Department. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
25. ^ "Riverdale: Marble Hill, Fieldston, Spuyten Duyvil, Kingsbridge – DNAinfo.com Crime and Safety Report". www.dnainfo.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
26. ^ "50th Precinct CompStat Report" (PDF). www.nyc.gov. New York City Police Department. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
27. ^ "About the Spuyten Duyvil Library". The New York Public Library. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
28. ^ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, Dolkart & Postal 2009, p. 346
29. ^ Perl, Jed. Calder: The Conquest of Time: The Early Years: 1898-1940, p. 153. Accessed November 24, 2020. "In order to spare Stirling the long commute from Croton-on-Hudson, the family moved closer to the city, to Spuyten Duyvil; Sandy was delighted in his Autobiography to comment that the Dutch name meant 'in spite of the devil' or 'spitting devil.'"
30. ^ William Kendall, United States Department of State. Accessed November 24, 2020. "William Sergeant Kendall was born at Spuyten Duyvil, New York, in 1869."
31. ^ Georgina Klitgaard, Smithsonian American Art Museum. Accessed November 24, 2020. "Born Spuyten Duyvil, New York"
32. ^ "THE ESQUIRE CANTEEN We Remember Joan Tetzel", Esquire, March 1, 1945. Accessed November 24, 2020. "Born in New York City, Joan grew up in the Hudson River town of Spuyten Duyvil."

Bibliography

* Burrows, Edwin G. and Wallace, Mike (1999). Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-195-11634-8.
* Fernicola, Richard G. (2001). Twelve Days of Terror: A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press. ISBN 978-1-58574-575-3. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
* Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. (1995). The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300055366.
* New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1.
* White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.

## External links[edit]

* Media related to Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx at Wikimedia Commons

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