Manhattanville Timeline

1841

Manhattanville is founded by Mother Aloysia Hardy as the Academy of Sacred Heart, a Catholic boarding school for girls, on Houston Street in New York City.

1847

The Academy relocates to the property of Jacob Lorillard on the far Upper West Side of Manhattan, in the neighborhood of Manhattanville.

1860s

Approximately 200 young women from the United States and abroad attend the Academy, which includes elementary grades and high school.

1888

The Academy is mostly destroyed by fire.
New buildings open in 1889.

1917 to 1919

The Academy is chartered as the College of the Sacred Heart by the New York State Board of Regents.

1937

The College of the Sacred Heart is renamed Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart on February 19, 1937.

1938

After the college receives its first application from an African-American, Mother Grace Dammann, President of the College, gives her famous talk "Principles vs. Prejudices."

1943 to 1948

Responding to wartime needs, the College opens a School of Nursing, in addition to its pre-med program.

1947

The College celebrates its 100th anniversary in the Manhattanville neighborhood with a variety of events, including participation in the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

The 100th anniversary celebration continues with a party for children of alumnae.

1952

The College moves to the former estate of newspaper publisher / diplomat Whitelaw Reid in the village of Purchase, in Westchester County.

The College, now known as the Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, undertakes construction of a new campus.

1950s

Construction continues on  the new campus, including the Kennedy Gymnasium and the Spellman Hall dormitory, shown here.

1957

Robert F. Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy, Rose Kennedy, Francis Cardinal Spellman, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and Ethel Kennedy dedicate the Kennedy Gymnasium in October, 1957.

1966 to 1971

These years bring dramatic change to Manhattanville, as the college becomes non-denominational, admits men as full time students, and adopts the portfolio system.

In September 1966 the Board of Trustees decide to revise  by-laws so that the several Catholic representatives would no longer be appointed ex officio.  This effectively changes the College to non-denominational.  At the same annual meeting the Trustees also decide to change the name from Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart to, simply, Manhattanville College.  This becomes official on December 7, 1966.

Then, in September 1969 the Charter is further amended and the College becomes co-educational.  The words "for the instruction of girls and women" are changed to "for the instruction of men and women".

1995

Richard Berman becomes Manhattanville's tenth president.

2000

A Manhattanville Graduation