Westside Manhattan Chiropractic College

By Michael Dorausch, D.C.

Take a walk today down West 72nd Street in New York City (around the cross streets of Amsterdam and Broadway) and you may pass an Urban Outfitters, General Nutrition Center (GNC), Citibank, Sleepy’s Mattress Center, and many other businesses. But in July of 1920 a stroll past 245 W. 72nd St. would’ve taken you by newly purchased property owned by the New York College of Chiropractic.

I recently came across an old real estate report from June and July of 1920 that included some historical chiropractic information. Among sales listings for private dwellings was the selling of a five-story plus basement dwelling at 245 W. 72nd St in New York City.

The residence was owned by Maria Piel and it was sold to Max Carnot and Alfred Timon for a price of around $110,000.

Max and Alfred were listed as officers for the New York College of Chiropractic and according to the real estate report the premises were to be altered and used exclusively as a college of chiropractic.

The property was located about halfway between West End Ave and Broadway, on Manhattan’s West side. A walk down 72nd St. past Amsterdam Avenue would take one to Central Park West in a mere matter of minutes, offering one a lovely stroll in Central Park.

Today, turning right on Central Park West, that short stroll will take you to the New York Chiropractic office of Dr. Jay Handt and son (located at 91 Central Park West). It’s about a half-mile from the colleges historic location.

There is no longer a chiropractic school located in Manhattan but there are certainly plenty of New York Chiropractors in the city and throughout the state. If anyone has any more history on this New York location as a chiropractic school in the 1920s, I’d love to hear about it.