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Triumphal arches are usually the center of attention, but the Seaman-Drake Arch in Inwood blends into the background. This 35-foot high marble arch on Broadway and 215th Street is partially obscured behind buildings and was once covered in graffiti. The arch was once the entrance to a grand estate owned by a wealthy family.
According to The New York Times, the Seaman family built their estate in 1855 on a hilltop north of the Dyckman family property. It was made of marble quarried from a location at the foot of the hill along Broadway. A low marble wall extended from the arch, which was said to be an exact replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In 1927 a new addition was created on top with two dormer windows and roof.
Thomas Dwyer, a contractor who built the Soldier and Sailor’s Monument and part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, purchased the Seaman home in 1905. By the time of the home's sale, the area around it and the arch had begun to be built up with a series of low brick buildings. Starting ins 1912, a succession of car dealerships incorporated the arch into their businesses.
Dwyer owned the house for a couple decades before selling it for development in 1938. The home was demolished and now the Park Terrace Garden apartment complex stands in its place. Slightly north of the arch, the late 1890s brought the construction of the massive Kingsbridge Power House by the Third Avenue Railway Company, which provided power to the city's trolleys.
In the 1960s, the arch was part of Jack Gallo Auto Body, and today it is part of Inwood Arch Automotive Inc. The graffiti that once covered the arch has been painted over with a clean white paint job.
See this remnant of the past for yourself and learn more about Inwood's important role in powering and moving the city on our upcoming walking tour!
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