17. Briarcliff College (Briarcliff Manor)
Briarcliff College in Briarcliff Manor, separate from Briarcliff College on Long Island, was a women’s college founded as Mrs. Dow’s School for Girls in 1903. The school, located at the Briarcliff Lodge, had a two-year postgraduate course before adopting the junior college model in 1933, which it offered until 1957 when it switched to a four-year model. Early on, the school was known for art and art history classes, as well as courses in ear training, elementary harmony, and domestic sciences. The school was also one of the only ones to offer training in cartography.
Throughout the 1960s, the school rapidly expanded with the addition of at least five buildings. The school operated the Center for Hudson Valley Archaeology, and by 1967, enrollment surpassed 600 students. Students were active in Vietnam War protests on-campus as well, leading sit-down strikes. Once the 1970s hit, the school struggled to remain open, so it was sold to Pace University in 1977. Now, the original Mrs. Dow’s School building serves as the residence hall Dow Hall at Pace University. Alumni included Malcolm X‘s daughter Attallah Shabazz, as well as famous teacher-painter Frank DuMond.