614 West 131st Street

614 West 131st Street is a Privately Owned Public Space in the Manhattanville section of West Harlem, one of the few POPS in upper Manhattan. The outdoor plaza provides public space near the Columbia University Manhattanville campus expansion.

Columbia University's Manhattanville campus, a major expansion of the university's physical plant into West Harlem, has been one of the most significant and controversial development projects in upper Manhattan. The campus includes new academic buildings, a business school, and public open spaces.

The Manhattanville neighborhood has a rich African American history and was once a center of the Harlem Renaissance. The community's response to Columbia's expansion has been complex, with some welcoming the investment and others concerned about displacement.

The POPS at this address serves the Manhattanville community at a moment of profound neighborhood change, providing public outdoor space as the university's expansion reshapes the surrounding blocks.

This plaza exists at the intersection of academic expansion and community preservation, in a neighborhood grappling with the promises and disruptions of major institutional development.