Home / New York City / Urban Renewal / San Juan Hill

New York Coliseum / The Coliseum Park Apartments

In 1946 Robert Moses's Triborough Tunnel and Bridge Authority was given the task of building an exhibition hall for the city. Moses set his sights on a couple of blocks to the west of Columbus Circle, using Title I of the Federal Housing Act to acquire the blocks for "slum clearance". The law required half of the site to include housing, so Moses included this 500-apartment complex on the western half of the superblock. The complex consists of two 15-story wings, separated by a lovely two-acre garden.

The Coliseum was originally envisioned to including a sports arena and opera house, although only the exhibition hall and a for-profit office tower survived the process through completion. The exhibition hall itself was outmoded by the opening of the Jacob Javits Convention Center in 1986 and the sturdy but uninspiring structure was demolished in 2000 to make way for the Time Warner Center.

Next: 60th Street