International House of New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
International House New York

Founded	1924
Founders	John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Cleveland Hoadley Dodge, Harry Edmonds
Focus	Educational and cross cultural collaboration and leadership training
Location	500 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10027, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Members	Current 700 residents, 65,000 alumni
Key people	Brian Polovoy - Interim President Frank G. Wisner - Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Endowment	$34 million
Employees	75
Website	http://www.ihouse-nyc.org
International House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in New York City Show map of New York City Location in New York Show map of New York Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	500 Riverside Drive, New York, New York
Area	1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built	1924
Architect	Louis E. Jallade; Marc Eidlitz and Sons
Architectural style	Italianite
NRHP reference No.	99001129
Added to NRHP	September 10, 1999

International House New York, also known as I-House, is a private, non-profit residence and program center for postgraduate students, research scholars, trainees, and interns, located at 500 Riverside Drive in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City.

The I-House residential community consists of 700+ students and scholars from over 100 countries annually, with about one-third of those coming from the United States. The residential experience includes programming designed to promote mutual respect, friendship, and leadership skills across cultures and fields of study. International House has attracted prominent guest speakers through the years, from Eleanor Roosevelt and Isaac Stern to Sandra Day O'Connor, Valerie Jarrett, George Takei, and Nelson Mandela. Students attend various universities and schools throughout the city, which include Columbia University, Juilliard School, Actors' Studio Drama School, New York University, the Manhattan School of Music, the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, Teachers College, Columbia University, and the City University of New York.

The original entrance to International House is inscribed with the motto written by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.: "That Brotherhood May Prevail"; the piazza (The Abby O'Neill Patio) of its entrance opens onto Sakura Park, the site of Japan's original gift of cherry trees to New York City in 1912.

The 500 Riverside Drive building, designed in the Italianite style by architects Louis E. Jallade and Marc Eidlitz and Sons, was built in 1924 and was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as International House in 1999.

History

The initial impetus for forming I-House occurred when, after a chance encounter with a lone Chinese graduate student on the steps of Columbia University in 1909, YMCA official Harry Edmonds began efforts to obtain funding to establish the House in order to foster relationships between students from different countries. International House opened its doors in 1924 with funding from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (who later funded identical houses at the University of Chicago and the University of California at Berkeley), as well as the Cleveland Hoadley Dodge family. Other Rockefeller family members to have served on the board of trustees include Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. John D. Rockefeller III, David and Peggy Rockefeller, David Rockefeller, Jr., Abby M. O'Neill, and Peter M.O'Neill.

International House was one of the first of many international houses in a global movement to create a diverse environment for international students seeking to further their education. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. built International Houses at Berkeley, Chicago, and Paris prior to World War II. Other cities with international houses include: Philadelphia, Harrisburg, San Diego, and Washington, D.C., United States; Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Darwin, and Wollongong, Australia; Alberta, Canada; Auckland, New Zealand; and London, England.

The chairman of the Board of Trustees is longtime diplomat and businessman Ambassador Frank G. Wisner. The Chairman of the Board's Executive Committee is Peter O'Neill. The latter role has also been held by William D. Rueckert, a member of the Dodge family, whose generous gifts contributed to the development of both International House and the Columbia University Teachers College. In October 2020, I-House appointed as interim president Brian Polovoy, a former partner with the law firm Shearman & Sterling and a Board Member of 11 Years. The previous president was Calvin Sims, a former Program Officer at The Ford Foundation and foreign correspondent for The New York Times.

Trustees and Board Members

Current Chairman of the Board

• Frank G. Wisner

Honorary Trustees

• David Rockefeller, Honorary Chairman
• Henry A. Kissinger
• Abby M. O'Neill
• Daisy M. Soros '51
• Paul A. Volcker
• John C. Whitehead

Chairman of the Executive Committee

• Peter O'Neill

Past Chairmen of the Board

• George W. Wickersham
• Henry L. Stimson
• George C. Marshall
• John J. McCloy
• Charles W. Yost
• George W. Ball
• Henry A. Kissinger
• Gerald R. Ford
• John C. Whitehead
• Paul A. Volcker
• William D. Rueckert

Past Honorary Chairman

• Dwight D. Eisenhower

Notable alumni

Auditorium inside I-House

An estimated 65,000 individuals have lived in I-House from around the world. Among the more notable alumni are: