The Dinosaur (English Elm in Washington Heights)
“The Dinosaur” is tha name of an English Elm tree at St. Nicholas Avenue and 163rd Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan. George Washington is said to have walked by the tree around the time of the Battle of Long Island in August 1776.
“The Dinosaur” is one of New York’s oldest trees, and this name was cited in the New York (NY) Times in January 2008.
Other famous New York City trees include the “Hangman’s Elm,” the “Hare Krishna Tree” and the “Tree of Hope.”
NYC Parks
English Elm at St. Nicholas Ave. and 163rd St.
The English elm growing beside an apartment complex on the east side of St. Nicholas Avenue at 163rd Street was probably planted on the estate of the nearby Morris Jumel Mansion. George Washington stood here on the night of September 21, 1776 to watch the fire set by American rebels that destroyed much of New York City.
Tree Details
Species English Elm (Ulmus procera)
Height: 78.72 Feet
Trunk Diameter 60.7 Inches
Average Canopy Spread 57.5 Feet
New York (NY) Times—City Room
Old Trees of New York, Reborn
By SEWELL CHAN JANUARY 11, 2008 6:07 PM
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Among the English elm trees that are being sampled is one at 163rd Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, in Washington Heights. George Washington is said to have walked under the tree, popularly known as “The Dinosaur,” during the American Revolution.
The Christian Science Monitor
‘Cloning’ comes to trees in new preservation push
To keep natural history alive, a New York program tries grafting ancient giants.
By Matthew Shaer, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monito
FEBRUARY 28, 2008
NEW YORK — For generations, the towering English Elm has presided over the intersection of 163rd St. and St. Nicholas Ave., in the Washington Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan. Fifty-three blocks from the tip of Central Park, the “dinosaur,” as residents fondly call it, might have served as a natural gateway for Gen. George Washington, rumored to have passed under its boughs at the onset of the Revolutionary War.
USK NYC (urban sketchers)
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
The Great Trees of NYC - Sketching for April 26, 2014
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THE DINOSAUR
Our sketch tour will start at 163rd Street and St. Nicholas Avenue where we will sketch The Dinosaur, an English Elm standing 110’. The tree stood on what was the Morris-Jumel estate. On November 16, 1776, nearly 238 years ago, George Washington stood under this tree and watched the tides of battle turn against his forces. At the battle of Fort Washington New York City fell to the British and remained in English control until the end of the civil war. Today this tree stands inconspicuously in the middle of a typical NYC street, a giant witness to history.
New York (NY) Times
New York Today: Nature, Preserved
By TATIANA SCHLOSSBERG NOV. 18, 2015
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Other trees around the city have received similar amounts of love and admiration.
. An English elm in Washington Heights, known as “the Dinosaur,” which George Washington is said to have walked under during the American Revolution. A few years ago, it was grafted and its clone was planted elsewhere in the city.