9. Inwood’s waterfront holds a series of boathouses, including two owned by Columbia University
Along Inwood’s waterfront are a series of boathouses, with two being owned by Columbia University on the Harlem River Ship Canal near Inwood Hill Park at the northern end of the neighborhood. The first is the Gould-Remmer Boathouse, a white brick English-style clubhouse built-in 1931. The second is the Class of 1929 Boathouse, completed in 2001 in honor of the year in which the school’s rowing team last captured the national championship. This boathouse replaced the ‘97 Boathouse, which had been built by funds from the class of 1897 and opened in 1922.
In addition, Inwood is also home to the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse, one of the Harlem River’s newest boating facilities. The boathouse opened in June 2004, becoming the first community boathouse of its kind on the river in over 100 years. Currently, it houses the non-profit organization, Row New York — providing young New Yorkers from under-resourced communities with rowing programs to instill pride, motivation, and life skills essential for college and beyond. In addition, the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse is used by the rowing team of Fordham University and Manhattan College.
It was specifically created as an integral component of the New York Restoration Project, which sought to revitalize the surrounding Sherman Creek area. Once home to various boathouses during the 1950s, the area was left abandoned with illegal dumping by the 1990s. Today, Sherman Creek Park encompasses five reclaimed areas along the Hudson River, such as Swindler’s Cove, the Riley-Levin Children’s Garden, and the Harlem River Greenway — consisting of an esplanade, bike path, and cherry tree planting project on Harlem River Drive.
