Rat Rock (Morningside Heights)

For the schist boulder near West 62nd Street in Manhattan, see Rat Rock (Central Park).

Rat Rock
Schist outcrop
View from West 114th Street
Rat Rock Location of Rat Rock Show map of Manhattan Rat Rock Rat Rock (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°48′24.8″N73°57′55.8″W / 40.806889°N 73.965500°W / 40.806889; -73.965500
Location	Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.

Rat Rock is an outcrop of Manhattan schist between 600 and 604 West 114th Street in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

Description

The boulder measures approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) high and 100 feet (30 m) long; it is notable as one of the only remaining such rocks in Manhattan's street grid. ^[1] It was named Rat Rock for the large number of rats nesting in it, similar to the other Rat Rock in Central Park. ^[2]

The row houses around it were built in the 1890s, when land in Manhattan was significantly less valuable. Though the land on which it sits has greatly appreciated, Columbia University, which owns Rat Rock along with most of West 114th Street, has no plans to remove it, as it has been estimated that removing the rock could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. ^[3] The university placed a fence around it to prevent vandalism. Columbia professor Andrew Dolkart described it as "an extraordinary survivor" of New York City's development, because it "hints at the geology of the city", and The New York Times labelled it one of New York's "most amazing natural wonders". ^[4]

References

1. Young, Michelle (October 16, 2019). "A Giant Rock Sandwiched Between Two Buildings in Morningside Heights". Untapped New York. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
2. LoRe, Michael (November 30, 2018). "Rat Rock in Morningside Heights". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
3. Carlson, Jen (August 1, 2018). "This Gigantic Rock Jammed Between Two Buildings Is A Huge Part Of NYC History". Gothamist. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
4. Fairfield, Hannah (September 24, 2000). "CITY LORE; The Rock That Gives New York Its Face". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 13, 2021.