(DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

SOHO AND TRIBEC A  99


GREENWICH
VILLAGE
4. Singer Building EAST
This terracotta beauty was Hudson River VILLAGE
built in 1904 for the famous SOHO &
TRIBECA
sewing machine company.
LOWER
EAST SIDE
LOWER MANHATTAN
Richard Haas, the & THE CIVIC CENTER
prolific muralist, has Locator Map
transformed a blank See map pp16–17
wall into a convincing
cast-iron frontage.
Key
Suggested route




Prince Street subway
station (lines N, R)


Dean & DeLuca
is one of the best
gourmet food
T P R I N C E S T R E E T stores in New
M E R C E R S T R E E includes a global
York. Its range
choice of coffee
beans (see p330).
T B R O A D W A Y
G R E E N E S T R E E S P R I N G S T R E E T T 101 Spring Street, with its


C R O S B Y S T R E E Spring Street and large windows, is a fine
simple, geometric facade
example of the style that
led to the skyscraper.
B R O O M E S T R E E T
subway station
2 St. Nicholas Hotel
During the Civil War, this
former luxury hotel was
used as a headquarters
for the Union Army.

G R A N D S T R E E T






0 meters 100
0 yards 100 1 Haughwout Building
Dating back to, 1857 this elegant store,
featured the first Otis safety elevator.




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100  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


It is small wonder, then, that it stores housed within to see
cost over $1 million to build – the spacious interior lofts. At the
and with profits of over $50,000 corner of Greene and Prince
for that year it must have streets, the illusionistic muralist
seemed money well spent. Its Richard Haas has created an
glory was short-lived, however. eye-catching work, disguising
In the Civil War it served as a a plain brick sidewall as a cast-
Union Army head quarters. iron frontage. Look for the detail
Afterward, the better hotels of the little gray cat, which sits
followed the entertain ment primly in an “open window.”
district uptown, and by the
mid-1870s the St. Nicholas 4 Singer Building
had closed. There is little left
on the ground floor to attest 561–563 Broadway. Map 4 E3.
to its former opulence, but look q Prince St.
Haughwout Building facade up to the remains of its once-
stunning marble facade. The “little” Singer Building built
1 Haughwout by Ernest Flagg in 1904 is the
Building second and smaller Flagg
structure by this name, and
488–492 Broadway. Map 4 E4. many critics think it superior
q Canal St, Spring St. to the 41-story tower on lower
Broadway that was torn down
This cast-iron building was in 1967. The charmingly ornate
erected in 1857 for the E. V. building is adorned with
Haughwout china and glass- wrought-iron balconies and
ware company, which once graceful arches painted in
supplied the White House. striking dark green. The 12-story
The design is superb: rows of facade of terracotta, glass, and
windows are framed by arches steel was advanced for its day,
set on columns flanked by a forerunner of the metal and
taller columns. Mass-produced glass walls to come in the 1940s
sections repeat the pattern and 1950s. The building was
over and over. The building Haas mural on Greene Street an office and warehouse for
was the first to use a steam- 3 Greene Street the Singer sewing machine
driven Otis safety elevator, an company, and the original
innovation that made the Map 4 E4. q Canal St. Singer name can be seen cast in
skyscraper a possibility. iron above the entrance to the
This is the heart of SoHo’s Mango store on Prince Street.
2 St. Nicholas Hotel Cast-Iron District. Along five
cobblestoned blocks are
521–523 Broadway. Map 4 E4. 50 cast-iron buildings dating
q Prince St, Spring St. from 1869 to 1895. The block
between Broome and Spring
English parliamentarian W. E. streets has 13 full cast-iron
Baxter, visiting New York in 1854, facades, and from 8–34 is
reported of the recently opened the longest row of cast-iron
St. Nicholas Hotel: “Every carpet buildings in
is of velvet pile; chair covers and the world.
curtains are made of silk or satin Those at
damask... and the embroidery 72–76 are
on the mosquito nettings itself known as the
might be exhibited to royalty.” “King of Greene
Street,” but
28–30, the
“Queen,” is
considered
to be the finest.
The architecture
is best apprec iated
as a streetscape,
with row upon row
St. Nicholas Hotel in its heyday in the of columned facades. Early electric-powered Singer
mid-19th century Walk into any of the sewing machine




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SOHO AND TRIBEC A  101


5 Children’s piled 22 inches (56 cm) deep in architect, and were moved from
a 3,600-sq-ft (334-sq-m) room. Washington Street, their original
Museum of the Arts The Broken Kilometer, another site, for preservation purposes.
103 Charlton St. Map 3 C4. Tel (212) sculpture by De Maria, can be The houses had previously
274-0986. q Houston St. @ M20, seen at 393 West Broadway. It been used as warehouses and
M21. Open noon–5pm Mon, noon– is composed of 500 solid brass were about to be razed to
6pm Thu & Fri, 10am–5pm Sat & Sun. rods arranged in five parallel rows. the ground, when, in 1969,
& 7 ∑ cmany.org the Landmarks Preservation
Commission intervened to
Founded in 1988, this innovative secure the necessary funding
museum aims to make the most to enable them to be restored.
of children’s artistic potential by They are now privately owned.
providing plenty of hands-on On the other
activities, sing-alongs, side of the high-rise
workshops, and complex is Washington
performances. Children Market Park. This area
aged 1–12 can busy was formerly the site
themselves with of New York City’s
paint, glue, paper, wholesale produce
and other messy A 1901 La France center. The market
materials to create horse-drawn steam relocated to the Bronx
their own drawings and pumper in the City Fire Museum in the 1970s.
sculptures. For inspir ation,
displays of work by local 7 New York City 9 Hudson
artists are exhibited alongside Fire Museum
examples of children’s art from River Park
around the world. Kids can play 278 Spring St. Map 4 D4. Tel (212) Map 4 E5. Tel (212) 627-2020.
around in the dressing-up room 691-1303. q Spring St. Open 10am– q Canal St, Franklin St, Houston St.
and the ball pond, and the 5pm daily. Closed public hols. & 7 ∑ hudsonriverpark.org
museum also hosts a varied = ∑ nycfiremuseum.org
pro gram of events appealing Immediately beyond West Side
to children and families. This museum is housed Highway is the Hudson River
in a Beaux Arts–style 1904 Park, a landscaped promenade
firehouse. New York City’s that stretches north towards
unsurpassed collection of Chelsea and Midtown. Visitors
firefighting equipment and can walk to the tip of the island
memorabilia from the 18th along the shady Battery Park
century to 1917 includes scale City Esplanade all the way to
models, bells, and hydrants. Battery Park. The once-decaying
Upstairs, fire engines are neatly piers and wharves have been
lined up for an 1890 parade. transformed, with fountains,
An interactive fire simulation, gardens, dog parks, and tennis
available for groups, gives courts. Pier 25 features Grand
an insight into firefighting. Banks, an oyster bar on an old
Brightly colored exhibition space at the The museum’s first floor sailing ship, mini-golf and
Children’s Museum of the Arts features an exhibition on beach volleyball, plus a host of
9/11, filled with tributes. snack stalls.
6 New York
Earth Room 8 Harrison Street
141 Wooster St. Map 4 E3. Map 4 D5. q Chambers St.
Tel (212) 989-5566. q Prince St.
Open noon–3pm & 3:30–6pm Wed– Surrounded by modern
Sun. Closed mid-Jun–mid-Sep. 7 ^ high-rise blocks, this rare row
∑ diaart.org/sites/main/earthroom of eight beautifully restored
Federal town houses, with their
Of the three Earth Rooms created pitched roofs and distinctive
by conceptual artist Walter De dormer windows, almost seems
Maria (1935–2013), this is the like a stage set. The houses
only one still in existence. were constructed in the late
Commis sioned by the Dia Art 1700s and early 1800s. Two
Foundation in 1977, the interior of the buildings were designed
earth sculpture consists of by John McComb, Jr., New The city skyline, as seen from Hudson
280,000 lb (127,000 kg) of dirt York’s first major native-born River Park




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NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA  103
GREENWICH VILLAGE


Since the 1920s, Greenwich Village has been Stonewall Riots of 1969, which initiated the gay
the bohemian heart of New York. Popularly rights movement, began at the Stonewall Inn.
known as the West Village, or just “the Village,” With its quaint streets and charming
the area became a sanctuary for city dwellers brownstones, Greenwich Village is one of
during the yellow fever epidemic in 1822. the city’s more artistic, liberal neighborhoods.
The 1950s saw the emerging Beat Movement, It has steadily become an expensive part
while the 1960s witnessed folk singers, such as of Manhattan, with large expanses owned
Bob Dylan, beginning their careers here. The by New York University.
Sights at a Glance
Historic Streets and Buildings Churches Restaurants see pp294–9
1 St. Luke’s Place w First Presbyterian Church 1 Babbo
2 75½ Bedford Street e Church of the Ascension 2 Blue Hill
3 Grove Court y Judson Memorial Church 3 Blue Ribbon Bakery
4 Isaacs-Hendricks House Parks and Squares 4 Buvette
6 Meatpacking District 7 Sheridan Square 5 Corner Bistro
8 Jefferson Market Courthouse u Washington Square 6 Da Silvano
9 Patchin Place 7 Gotham Bar & Grill
q Salmagundi Club 8 Jane
r Washington Mews 9 Kesté
t New York University 10 The Little Owl
11 Lupa
Museums and Galleries 12 Minetta Tavern
5 Whitney Museum of Art pp 108–9 13 Moustache
0 Grey Art Gallery 14 One if by Land, Two if by Sea
15 Otto
16 Pearl Oyster Bar
See also Street Finder maps 3, 4 17 Red Farm
18 Spice Market
PIER 54
19 The Spotted Pig
20 The Standard Grill
WEST 14TH ST
PIER 53 BLOOMFIELD ST
14th St- 21 Strip House
Eighth Ave
PIER 52 12TH ST A.C.E.L 22 Tertulia
LITTLE W
WEST 13TH STREET

r GANSEVOORT ST JACKSON 23 The Waverly Inn and Garden
e SQUARE 24 Westville
v HORATIO STREET 14th St
i H U DSO N ST REE T 1.2.3
R PIER 51 JANE STREET GREENWICH ST EIGHTH AVENUE
SEVENTH AV SOUTH
T
E WEST 12TH ST Sixth Ave
E B.D.F.L.M

R BETHUNE STREET BANK STREET
T ABINGDON GREENWICH AVENUE
S WAVERLY
n BANK STREET W 11TH STREET WEST 13TH ST
W E S T 1 4 T H S T R E E T
o SQUARE BLEECKER ST S I X T H AV E N U E
s HUDSON RIVER PARK WEST 11TH ST PERRY ST WEST 12TH ST
14th St-
d McCARTHY WEST 11TH ST Union Sq
STREET
SQUARE
u PERRY ST L.N.Q.R
WEST 4TH STREET
H S T R E E T S T R E E T Christopher St- PLACE WEST 10TH ST F I F T H AV E N U E
CHARLES ST Sheridan Sq 1 SQUARE
PIER 46
WEST 10TH ST West 4th St- UNIVERSITY PLACE
PIER 45 T CHRISTOPHER ST Washington Sq B R O A D W A Y
VILLAGE WEST 9TH ST
G R E E N W I C H
S WASHINGTON A.B.C.D.E.F.M W E S T 8 T H S T
E GROVE ST
W BARROW ST H U D S O N 10 •13 JONES ST E 8TH STREET
AV SOUTH LEROY ST A V E W 3RD STREET WASHINGTON SQ NORTH 8th St-NYU
EA ST 9T H S T
WEST
4TH ST
MORTON STREET
N.R
FATHER
DEMO
PIER 40 LEROY STREET ST LUKE'S PL SQUARE WASHINGTON SQ SOUTH WAVERLY PL
JAMES J. WASHINGTON PL
WALKER SEVENTH BEDFORD ST MACDOUGAL ST THOMPSON ST
CLARKSON STREET
PARK DOWNING ST S I X T H
WEST HOUSTON
STREET LA GUARDIA PLACE B R O A D W A Y
Houston St BLEECKER STREET
11 •8
1 WEST HOUSTON ST M ERC ER ST R EE T
0 meters 500
Broadway-
0 yards 500 Lafayette St
B.D.F.M
Entrance to a charming, old-fashioned house in Greenwich Village For keys to symbols see back flap
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Street by Street: Greenwich Village

A stroll through historic Greenwich Village is a feast of
unexpected small pleasures – charming row houses, hidden
alleys, and leafy courtyards. The often quirky architecture
suits the bohemian air of the Village. Many famous people,
particularly artists and writers, such as playwright Eugene
O’Neill and actor Dustin Hoffman, have made their homes
in the houses and apartments that line these old-fashioned
narrow streets. By night, the Village really comes alive. Late-
night coffeehouses and cafés, experimental theaters, and
music clubs, including some of the city’s best jazz venues,
beckon you at every turn.
The Lucille Lortel Theater Christopher Street, popular with
is at No. 121 Christopher New York’s gay community, is C H A R L E S S T R E E T
Street; it opened in 1955 lined with all kinds of shops,
with The Threepenny Opera. bookstores, and bars.
W

4
Twin Peaks at No. 102 T H W 1 0 T H S T R E E T
Bedford Street began life
in 1830 as an ordinary S
T
house. It was rebuilt in R
1926 by architect Clifford E
E
Daily to house artists, T
writers, and actors.
Daily believed that
the quirky house
would help
their creativity C H R I S T O P H E R S T R E E T
flourish.
G R O V E S T R E E T
3 Grove Court
Six houses dating from B W A S H I N G T O N P L A C E
L
1853–4 are set at the back B E
of a quiet leafy courtyard. E E C
D
K
F J O N E S S T
E
O
R

R
The building at 90 Bedford D E S
Street was used as the exterior S N U T R
of Monica’s apartment block B A R R O W S T R E E T T R E E E
in the TV sitcom Friends. E E A V T
H
T
T
N
E Christopher St subway
V
E
S
2 No. 75½
M O R T O N S T R E E T
Bedford Street
Built in 1873 in an alley,
this is the city’s narrowest
house. The poet Edna
St. Vincent Millay lived
S T L U K E ’ S P L A C E To Houston here in the 1920s.
Street subway The Cherry Lane
(2 blocks) Theatre was founded
in 1924. Originally a
1. St. Luke’s Place brewery, it was one of
This beautiful row of Italianate the first of the Off-
houses was built in the 1850s. Broadway theaters.
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GREENWICH VILLA GE  105


9 Patchin Place CHELSEA & THE
Built in 1848 to house GARMENT DISTRICT
waiters from the Brevoort Hudson River GRAMERCY &
Hotel, it was later home to GREENWICH THE FLATIRON
DISTRICT
VILLAGE
the poet E. E. Cummings
and other famous writers
of the 1920s and 1930s.
SOHO & EAST
TRIBECA VILLAGE
Locator Map
See map pp16–17
To W 14th
P E R R Y S T St subway
(3 blocks)
Key
G
R
E
Suggested route
C H A R L E S S T R E E T N W
E
I C
H
W




W 1 0 T H S T R E E T A V
4
T
H
S E N
U
T
E
R
E
E
E
T
U
N 8. Jefferson Market Courthouse
E The courthouse was built in 1877,
A V and has been voted the fifth most
H beautiful building in the US. It was
C H R I S T O P H E R S T R E E T I X T designed by Calvert Vaux, who
co-designed Central Park. The
S
building was converted into
a public library in 1967.
J O N E S S T
W A S H I N G T O N P L A C E
0 meters 100
0 yards 100
To West 4th Street
subway (2 blocks)



The Northern
Dispensary began Gay Street attracted many aspiring artists,
offering free medical care to the poor in 1831. Edgar writers, and musicians during the 1920s. It was
Allan Poe (1809–49) was treated here for a cold in the setting for Ruth McKenney’s novel My Sister
1837. Since 1998, the building has been unoccupied. Eileen and the film Carlito’s Way (1993).




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2 75½ Bedford
Street
Map 3 C2. q Houston St. Closed to
the public. ∑ cherrylanetheatre.org
New York’s narrowest home, just
9½ ft (2.9 m) wide, was built in
1893 in a former passageway. Isaacs-Hendricks House
The poet Edna St. Vincent Millay
lived here briefly, followed by 4 Isaacs-Hendricks
the actor John Barrymore, and
later Cary Grant. The three-story House
building, now renovated, is 77 Bedford St. Map 3 C2. q Houston
Row houses on St. Luke’s Place, a street marked by a plaque. St. Closed to the public.
with literary associations Just around the corner, at 38
Commerce Street, Miss Millay This is the oldest surviving home
1 St. Luke’s Place founded the Cherry Lane in the Village, built in 1799. The
Theater in 1924 as a site for old clapboard walls are visible on
Map 3 C3. q Houston St.
avant-garde drama. It still the sides and rear; the brickwork
Fifteen attractive row houses, premieres new works. Its and third floor came later. The
dating from the 1850s, line biggest hit was the 1960s first owner, John Isaacs, bought
the north side of this street. The musical Godspell. the land for $295 in 1794. Next
park opposite is named for a came Harmon Hendricks, a
previous resident of St. Luke’s copper dealer and associate of
Place, Mayor Jimmy Walker, the 3 Grove Court revolutionary Paul Revere. Robert
popular dandy who ran the city Map 3 C2. q Christopher St- Fulton, who used copper for the
from 1926 until he was forced Sheridan Sq. boilers in his steamboat, was
to resign after a financial one of Hendricks’s customers.
scandal in 1932. In front An enterprising grocer named
of the house at Samuel Cocks built the six town
No. 6 are the houses here, in an area formed 5 Whitney Museum
tall lamps that by a bend in the street. (The of Art
always identify a bends in this part of the Village
mayor’s home originally marked divisions See pp108–9.
in New York. The between colonial properties.)
most recognizable Cocks reckoned that having
house on the block residents in the empty passage 6 Meatpacking
is probably No. 10, between 10 and 12 Grove Street
used as the exterior of would help his business at No. 18. District
the Huxtable family But residential courts, Map 3 B1 q 14th St (on lines A, C, E);
home in The Cosby now highly prized, were not 8th Ave L.
Show (although the considered respectable in 1854,
series places it in and the lowbrow residents Once the domain of butchers
Brooklyn). This is also attracted to the area earned it in blood-stained aprons hacking
the block where Wait the nickname “Mixed Ale Alley.” at sides of beef, these days
Until Dark was filmed, O. Henry later chose this block (and particularly nights) the
starring Audrey as the setting for his 1902 work Meatpacking District is very
Hepburn as a blind The Last Leaf. different. Squeezed into an area
woman living at No. 4.
Theodore Dreiser and
the poet Marianne
Moore are just two of
the several writers
who have lived here.
Dreiser wrote An
American Tragedy
while living at No. 16.
One block north, the
corner of Hudson
and Morton streets
Mayor’s marked the edge of
lamp at the Hudson River in
No. 6 the 18th century. The mid-19th-century town houses at Grove Court




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GREENWICH VILLA GE  107


south of 14th Street and west of The Draft Riots of 1863 took moved, court sessions had been
9th Avenue, the neighborhood is place here. Over a century later, discontinued, the four-sided
now dotted with trendy clubs, another disturbance rocked clock had stopped, and the
lounges, and boutique hotels the square. The Stone wall building was threatened
that swell with New Yorkers Inn on Christopher Street with demolition. In the 1950s,
out for a good time. The (the inn that stands today preservationists campaigned
neighborhood’s hipness is not the original) was first to restore the clock and
factor rose when Soho a gay bar, at a time then the whole building. Its
House, the New York when such bars were renovation was undertaken by
branch of the London illegal, that had stayed architect Giorgio Cavaglieri, who
private members’ club, in business by paying off preserved many of the original
moved in, followed by the the police. On June 28, details, including the stained
classy Hotel Gansevoort, 1969, the patrons glass and a spiral staircase
with its rooftop swimming rebelled, and in the that now leads to the library’s
pool. Fashion able designers, pitched battle that dungeonlike reference room.
including Stella McCartney and ensued police officers
Marc Jacobs, have outlets here; were barricaded inside
upscale restaurants the bar. It was a
have opened; and new landmark victory
nightclubs and bars for the budding gay
pop up every month. rights movement
The great allures of and the Village
the Meatpacking District Statue of General Sheridan remains a focus
are the Whitney in Christopher Park for the city’s gay
Museum of American community.
Art (see pp108–9), and the High
Line (see p134), which begins on
Gansevoort Street. The face of the 8 Jefferson Market
neighborhood may be forever Courthouse
changed, but club-hoppers might
still catch the occasional whiff of 425 Ave of the Americas. Map 4 D1.
the meat-processing business that Tel (212) 243-4334. q W 4th
gave the area its name. St-Washington Sq. Open 10am–8pm
Mon & Wed, 11am–6pm Tue & Thu, “Old Jeff,” the pointed tower of Jefferson
10am–5pm Fri & Sat. Closed public Market Courthouse
hols. 7 ∑ nypl.org
This treasured Village landmark 9 Patchin Place
was saved from the wrecking W 10th St. Map 4 D1. q W 4th St-
ball and converted into a branch Washington Sq.
of the New York Public Library
through a spirited preservation One of many delightful and
campaign that began at a unexpected pockets in the
Christmas party in the late 1950s. Village is this tiny block of small
In 1833 the site became a residences. It is lined with
market named after former ailanthus trees that were
president Thomas Jefferson. Its planted in order to “absorb the
fire lookout tower had a giant bad air.” The houses were built in
bell that was rung to alert the the mid-19th century for Basque
A busy street in the trendy neighborhood’s volunteer waiters working at the Brevoort
Meatpacking District firefighters. In 1865, the Hotel on Fifth Avenue.
founding of the municipal fire Later, the houses became
department made the bell fashionable addresses, with
7 Sheridan Square obsolete, and the Third Judicial many writers living here. The
District, or Jefferson Market, poet E. E. Cummings lived at No.
Map 3 C2. q Christopher St- Courthouse was built. With its 4 from 1923 until his death in
Sheridan Sq.
Venetian Gothic-style spires and 1962. The English poet laureate
This square, where seven streets turrets, it was named one of the John Masefield also lived on the
converge, is the heart of the ten most beautiful buildings in block, as did the playwright
Village. It was named for the the country when it opened in Eugene O’Neill and John Reed,
Civil War General Philip Sheridan, 1877. The old fire bell was whose eyewitness account of
who became commander in installed in the tower. Here, in the Russian Revolution, Ten Days
chief of the US Army in 1883. 1906, Harry Thaw was tried for That Shook The World was made
His statue stands in nearby Stanford White’s murder (see into a film, Reds (1981), directed
Christopher Park. p122). By 1945, the market had by Warren Beatty.




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108  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

5 Whitney Museum of American Art

The Whitney Museum is the foremost show­ The angular
case for American art of the 20th and 21st exterior of the
centuries. It was founded in 1930 by sculptor Whitney Museum
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney after the
Metropolitan Museum of Art turned down Floor 8
her collection of works by artists such as
Bellows and Hopper. From 1966, the Whitney
was located on the Upper East Side; it moved
to the present building designed, by Renzo
Piano, in 2015. The Whitney Biennial, held in
even years, is the most significant exhibition
of new trends in American art.


Library


Floor 7

Three Flags (1958)
Jasper Johns’s use of familiar objects
in an abstract form was influential
in the development of Pop Art.


Green Coca-Cola Bottles
Andy Warhol’s 1962 work is a
commentary on mass
production and monopoly.

Floor 5

Little Big Painting
The 1965 work by Roy
Lichtenstein is a comic
critique of Abstract
Expressionist painting.









Theater
Museum Guide
The sixth and seventh floors showcase pieces
from the museum’s collection – there is not a
permanent display, rather a constant rotation
Early Sunday Morning (1930) of works. Special, temporary exhibitions occupy
Edward Hopper’s paintings often convey the first, fifth and eighth floors.
the emptiness of American city life.




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GREENWICH VILLA GE  109


VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
99 Gansevoort St.
Map 3 B1.
Tel (212) 570-3600
Open 10:30am–6pm Mon, Wed–
Thu & Sun, 10:30am–10pm Fri–
Sat; Jul & Aug: 10:30am–6pm Tue.
Closed some public hols. & ^
7 8 Film/video presentations,
lectures. 0 =
∑ whitney.org
Transport
q 14 St.














Floor 6
Dempsey and Firpo
In 1924, George Bellows depicted one of
the most famous prizefights of the century.


Key to Floor Plan
Permanent Collection
Temporary Exhibitions
Education Center
Non-exhibition area


Floor 3 Painting Number 5
The early Modernist
artist Marsden Hartley
painted this oil on
canvas between
1914 and 1915.








Main entrance Cirque Calder (1926–31)
Floor 1 Alexander Calder’s fanciful
creation is usually
on display.





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0 Grey Art Gallery Periodic art exhibits open the
late 19th-century interior to
100 Washington Sq E. Map 4 E2.
Tel (212) 998-6780. q W 4th St, 8th St. the public.
Open 11am–6pm Tue, Thu & Fri,
11am–8pm Wed, 11am–5pm Sat.
∑ nyu.edu/greyart w First Presbyterian
Church
This fine arts museum belongs
to New York University, and 12 W 12th St. Map 4 D1. Tel (212)
features exemplary traveling 675-6150. q 14th St-Union Sq.
exhibitions in a wide range of Open 11:45am–12:30pm Mon, Wed,
media, such as photography, Fri, 11am–12:30pm Sun. 5 6pm Wed
in chapel. ∑ fpcnyc.org
experimental video art,
paintings, and scupture. The
exhibitions are displayed on Designed by Joseph C. Wells in
rotation every three months. 1845, this Gothic church was
There are temporary exhibits modeled on the Church of St
from the university’s permanent Saviour in Bath, England. The Church of the Ascension
collection – American paintings, church is noteworthy for its
between the 1940s to now, are brownstone tower. The carved designed some of the stained
particularly well represented. wooden plaques on the altar list glass. The belfry tower is lit at
The gallery is located in the every pastor since 1716. The night to show off the colors. In
Silver Center, which was the site south transept by McKim, Mead 1844, President John Tyler
of the original University & White was added in 1893. The married Julia Gardiner here; she
Building, demolished in 1892. fence of iron and wood was built lived in nearby Colonnade Row
Henry James based much of his in 1844 and restored in 1981. (see p116).
novel Washington Square on his
grandmother’s house, located
at nearby Washington Square e Church of r Washington
North 19. the Ascension Mews
36–38 5th Ave. Map 4 E1. Between Washington Sq N and E 8th
Tel (212) 254-8620. q 14th St-Union St. Map 4 E2. q W 4th St.
Sq. Open noon–2pm & 5–7pm daily.
5 6pm Mon–Fri, 9am & 11am Sun Built originally as stables, this
(except during services).
∑ ascensionnyc.org hidden enclave was turned into
carriage houses around 1916.
This English Gothic Revival The south side was added in
church was designed in 1840–41 1939. Gertrude Vanderbilt
by Richard Upjohn, architect of Whitney, founder of the Whitney
the Trinity Church. The interior Museum (see pp108–9), once
was re-done in 1888 by Stanford lived here.
White, with an altar relief by At No. 16 is NYU’s French
Exterior of the Salmagundi Club Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Above House, remodeled in the French
the altar hangs The Ascension, a style. Movies, lectures, and
q Salmagundi Club mural by John La Farge, who also classes in French are held here.
47 5th Ave Map 4 E1. Tel (212)
255-7740. q 14th St-Union Sq.
Open 1–6pm Mon–Fri, 1–5pm Sat
& Sun. ^ ∑ salmagundi.org
America’s oldest artists’ club
resides in the last remaining
mansion on lower Fifth Avenue.
Built in 1852 for industrialist
Irad Hawley, it now houses
the American Artists’
Professional League and the
American Water color Society.
Washington Irving’s satiric
periodical, The Salmagundi
Papers, gave the club its name.
Founded in 1871, the
club moved here in 1917. Washington Mews, a hidden quarter that once housed stables




110-111_EW_New_York_City.indd 110 4/3/17 11:11 AM

GREENWICH VILLA GE  111


y Judson The square was used as a
Memorial dueling ground for a time,
then as a site for public
Church hangings until 1819. The
55 Washington Sq S. Map 4 D2. “hanging elm” in the northwest
Tel (212) 477-0351. q W 4th St. corner remains. In 1826 the
Open 10am–1pm & 2–6pm Mon–Fri. marsh was filled in and the
5 11am Sun. ∑ judson.org brook diverted underground,
where it still flows; a small
Built in 1892, this McKim, Mead sign on a fountain at the
& White church is an impressive entrance to Two Fifth Avenue
Italianate building with stained marks its course.
glass by John La Farge. The magnificent marble
Designed by Stanford White, arch by Stanford White
it is named after the first was completed in 1892 and
American missionary sent replaced an earlier wooden
to foreign soil, Adoniram arch that spanned lower Fifth
Bust of Sylvette by Picasso, between Judson, who served in Burma Avenue to mark the centenary
Bleecker and West Houston streets in 1811. A copy of his Burmese of George Washington’s
trans lation of the Bible was put inauguration. A stairway is
t New York in the cornerstone when the hidden in the right side of the
University building was dedicated. arch. In 1916, a group of artists
led by Marcel Duchamp and
It is the unique spirit of this
Washington Sq. Map 4 E2. Tel (212) church, not the architecture, John Sloan broke in, climbed
998-1212, (212) 998-4636. that makes it stand out. Judson atop the arch, and declared the
q W 4th St. ∑ nyu.edu Memorial Church has played an “free and independent republic
active role in local and world of Washington Square, the
Originally called the University concerns and has been the state of New Bohemia.”
of the City of New York, NYU site of activism on issues Across the street is “the
was founded in 1831 as an ranging from AIDS to the Row.” Now part of NYU, this
alternative to Episcopalian arms race. It is also home to block was once home to New
Columbia University. It is now avant-garde art exhibitions York’s most prominent families.
the largest private university in and Off-Off-Broadway plays. The Delano family, writers Edith
the US and extends for blocks Wharton, Henry James, and
around Washington Square. The John Dos Passos, and artist
visitor center is on West 4th St. Edward Hopper all lived here.
Construction of the school’s No. 8 was once the mayor’s
first building on Waverly Place official home.
sparked the Stone cutters’ Today, street entertainers,
Guild Riot of 1833, in which students, families, and free
contractors protested the use spirits mingle and enjoy the
of inmates from a state prison park side by side.
to cut stone. The National Guard
were brought in to restore
order. The original building no
longer exists, but a memorial
with a piece of the original
tower is on a pedestal set into Arch on the north side of
the pavement on Washington Washington Square
Square South. Samuel Morse’s
telegraph, John W. Draper’s first u Washington
ever photographic portrait, and
Samuel Colt’s six-shooter were Square
invented here. Map 4 D2. q W 4th St.
The Brown Building, on
Washington Place near Greene This vibrant open space was
Street, was the site of the once marshland through
Triangle Shirtwaist Company. which the quiet Minetta
In 1911, 146 factory workers Brook flowed. By the late
died in a fire here, leading to 1700s, the area had been
new fire safety and labor laws. turned into a public cemetery –
A 36-ft (11-m) enlargement when excavation began for
of Picasso’s Bust of Sylvette can the park, some 10,000 skeletal Window on the corner of West 4th Street
be found in University Village. remains were exhumed. and Washington Square




110-111_EW_New_York_City.indd 111 4/3/17 11:11 AM

14th St-
14th St- Union Sq
Union Sq 4.5.6
L.N.Q.R
F O U R T H AV E N U E E A S T 1 4TH S T R E E T

Third Ave
L
8th St-NYU T HI R D AVE NU E First Ave
N.R L E A S T
S E C O N D A V E N U E
E A S T 1 3 T H S T R E E T
B R O A D W A Y COOPER E A S T 1 1 T H S T R E E T S T R E E T
Astor Place
ASTOR PL
1 4 T H
6
A V E N U E A
LAFAYETTE STREET E A S T 5 T H E A S T 7 T H S T R E E T A V E N U E B
E A S T 9TH STREET
A V E N U E
SQUARE
E A S T 1 2 T H S T R E E T


E A S T 9 T H S T R E E T

E A S T 1 0 T H S T R E E T
F I R S T
S T M A R K S P L A C E
GREAT JONES ST
S T R E E T
SQUARE
BLEECKER
Broadway- BOND STREET B O W E R Y E A S T 6 T H S T R E E T TOMPKINS EAST 9TH STREET N U E C
Lafayette St STREET
A V E N U E A EAST 7TH STREET A V E
B.D.F.M Bleecker St
6 EAST 8TH STREET
E A S T 3 R D S T R E E T
EAS T 1ST STRE ET
EAST HOUSTON STREE T
E A S T 4 T H S T R E E T
Second Ave A V E N U E B EAST 6TH STREET
E A S T 2 N D S T R E E T
F EAST 5TH STREET
600m
PERETZ
SQUARE
112-113_EW_New_York_City.indd 112 4/3/17 11:11 AM

NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA  113

EAST VILLAGE

Home to a country estate in the 17th century, attracted the “Beat Generation,” and, ever since,
owned by Peter Stuyvesant, the East Village music clubs and theaters abound in the area.
neighborhood only really took shape in the From the 1990s, the culinary and bar scene
early 1900s. The Irish, Germans, Jews, Poles, here blossomed, making this one of the city’s
Ukrainians, and Puerto Ricans all left their most fashionable districts. To the west lies
mark on the area, not least in the form of NoHo (north of Houston), while to the east,
Manhattan’s most varied and least expensive avenues lettered A–D form “Alphabet City,” a
ethnic restaurants. In the 1950s, low rents trendy district of restaurants and gardens.
Sights at a Glance
Historic Streets and Buildings Churches Restaurants see pp294–9
1 Cooper Union 5 St. Mark’s-Church-in-the-Bowery 1 Angelica Kitchen
3 Colonnade Row 6 Grace Church 2 Caracas Arepa Bar
8 Bayard-Condict Building Parks and Squares 3 Dirt Candy
Museums and Galleries 7 Tompkins Square 4 Dumpling Man
4 Merchant’s House Museum Famous Theaters 5 Edi & the Wolf
6 Empellón Cocina
2 The Public Theater 7 Great Jones Cafe
8 Hearth
9 Ippudo
10 Jewel Bako
14th St- 11 Lil’ Frankies
14th St- Union Sq
Union Sq 4.5.6 12 The Mermaid Inn
L.N.Q.R 13 Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque
14 Momofuku Noodle Bar
F O U R T H AV E N U E EAST 1 4 TH STR E E T 16 Pardon My French
15 La Palapa
17 Il Posto Accanto
18 Prune
Third Ave
L
19 Veselka
8th St-NYU THIRD AVE NUE First Ave 20 Zum Schneider
N.R E A S T L E A S T
S E C O N D A V E N U E
B R O A D W A Y ASTOR PL Astor Place 9TH STREET E A S T 1 1 T H S T R E E T 1 4 T H S T R E E T
6
A V E N U E A
LAFAYETTE STREET E A S T 5 T H E A S T 7 T H S T R E E T A V E N U E B
A V E N U E
E A S T 1 3 T H S T R E E T
COOPER
SQUARE
E A S T 1 2 T H S T R E E T


E A S T 9 T H S T R E E T

E A S T 1 0 T H S T R E E T
F I R S T
S T M A R K S P L A C E
GREAT JONES ST
S T R E E T
SQUARE
BLEECKER
Broadway- BOND STREET B O W E R Y E A S T 6 T H S T R E E T TOMPKINS EAST 9TH STREET N U E C
Lafayette St STREET
A V E N U E A EAST 7TH STREET A V E
B.D.F.M Bleecker St
6 EAST 8TH STREET
E A S T 3 R D S T R E E T
EAST 1 ST S T REET
EAST HOUSTON STREE T
E A S T 4 T H S T R E E T
Second Ave A V E N U E B EAST 6TH STREET
E A S T 2 N D S T R E E T
F EAST 5TH STREET
600m
PERETZ
SQUARE
0 meters 400
0 yards 400
Gothic bas-relief on the facade
of Grace Church See also Street Finder maps 4, 5
People relaxing in Tompkins Square Park For keys to symbols see back flap
112-113_EW_New_York_City.indd 113 4/3/17 11:11 AM

114  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

Street by Street: East Village

At the spot where 10th and Stuyvesant streets now
intersect, Governor Peter Stuyvesant’s country house
once stood. His grandson, also named Peter, inherited
most of the property and had it divided into streets
in 1787. Among the prize sites of the St. Mark’s Historic
District are the St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery,
the Stuyvesant-Fish house and the 1795 home of
Nicholas Stuyvesant, both on Stuyvesant Street. Astor Place
Many other homes in the district were built between subway (line 6)
1871 and 1890 and still have their original stoops,
lintels, and other architectural details.


Alamo is the title of the 15-ft (4.6-m)
black steel cube in Astor Place
designed by Bernard Rosenthal.
It revolves when pushed. E 8 T H S T





Astor Place saw rioting A S T O R P L A C E
in 1849. English actor William
Macready, playing Hamlet at
the Astor Place Opera House,
criticized American actor Edwin T
T E S T R E E T H I R D A V E N U E
Forrest. Forrest’s fans revolted,
and there were 34 deaths.
T
L A F A Y E E

N U
E
V
A

H
T
R
U
3 Colonnade Row F O E 6 T H S T R E E T
S T A B L E C O U R T
Built in the Greek Revival style in the 1830s, these buildings
were once expensive town houses. The houses, of which B O W E R Y
only four are left, are unified by
one facade in the European
style. The Astor Place Theatre,
which is located here, has been
home to the Blue Man Group
since 1991.

2 The Public Theater
In 1965 the late Joseph
Papp convinced the 4. Merchant’s House Museum
city to buy the Astor This museum displays Federal,
Library (1849) as a home American Empire, and Victorian
for the theater. furniture.




114-115_EW_New_York_City.indd 114 4/3/17 11:11 AM

EAST VILLA GE  115


1. Cooper Union GRAMERCY &
This institution, THE FLATIRON
DISTRICT
known for its art GREENWICH
VILLAGE
and engineering
programs, provided EAST
free education to its VILLAGE
students until 2014.
East Side
LOWER EAST SIDE
Locator Map
See map pp16–17
The Stuyvesant-Fish House
(1803–4) was constructed out of Key
brick. It is a classic example of a 5St. Mark’s Church-
Federal-style house. in-the-Bowery Suggested route
The church was built
Renwick Triangle is in 1799, and the Stuyvesant Polyclinic was
a group of 16 houses steeple added in 1828. built in 1884 as the German
built in the Italianate Dispensary and was used as
style in 1861. a clinic until 2007. The facade
is decorated with the busts
of many famous physicians
and scientists. It now houses
a consulting firm.

E 1 0 T H S T R E E T
S T U Y V E S A N T S T
T H I R D A V E N U E




St. Mark’s Place was once the
E E 9 T H S T R E E T epicenter of hippie life and
U S T M A R K ’ S P L A C E continues to be a hub for
N the East Village youth
E S E C O N D A V E N U E scene. Hip shops
V E 7 T H S T R E E T
A now occupy

H many of the
T basements.
R
U
O E 6 T H S T R E E T
F
B O W E R Y 0 meters 100 100
0 yards
Little Tokyo is a belt of
noodle shops, sushi bars,
and Japanese businesses,
located on and around
Little Ukraine East 9th Street.
is home to around
25,000 Ukrainians.
The hub is St. George’s
Ukrainian Catholic
Church.
McSorley’s Old Ale House still
serves its own ale in surroundings
virtually unchanged since it
opened in 1854 (see p311).




114-115_EW_New_York_City.indd 115 4/3/17 11:11 AM

116  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


eminent citizens as John Jacob
Astor and Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Washington Irving, author of Rip
Van Winkle (1819) and other classic
American tales, lived here for a time,
as did two English novelists, William
Makepeace Thackeray and Charles
Dickens. Five of the houses were
lost when the John Wanamaker
Department Store razed them in
the early 20th century to make
Great Hall at Cooper Union, where Abraham Lincoln spoke room for a garage. The remaining
buildings are being restored, with
1 Cooper Union the city’s first free library, thanks the Blue Man Group occupying
to a bequest from millionaire the Astor Place Theatre (No. 434).
7 East 7th St. Map 4 F2. Tel (212) 353-
4000. q Astor Pl. Open 11am–7pm John Jacob Astor. It is a
Mon–Fri, 11am–5pm Sat, and for prime American example
lectures and concerts in the Great Hall. of German Romanesque
Closed Jun–Aug, public hols. ^ 7 Revival style.
∑ cooper.edu When the
building was
Peter Cooper, the wealthy threatened with
industrialist who built the first demolition in
US steam locomotive, made 1965, Joseph Papp,
the first steel rails, and was a founder of the New
partner in the first trans atlantic York Shakespeare
cable venture, had no formal Festival, which
schooling. In 1859 he founded became The Public
New York’s first free, non- Theater, persuaded
sectarian coeducational New York City to buy
college specializing in design, it as a home for the The original 19th-century iron stove in the kitchen
engineering, and architecture. company. Renovation of the Merchant’s House Museum
Though no longer free, the began in 1967, and much
school still inspires intense of the handsome interior was 4 Merchant’s
competition for places. The six- preserved during its conversion House Museum
story building, renovated in into six theaters. Although much
1973–4, was the first with a of the work shown is experi- 29 E 4th St. Map 4 F2. Tel (212)
steel frame, made of Cooper’s mental, the theater was the 777-1089. q Astor Pl., Bleecker St.
own rails. The Great Hall was original home of hit musicals Hair Open noon–5pm Mon, Fri–Sun,
inaugurated in 1859 by Mark and A Chorus Line and hosts the noon–8pm Thu. & ^ 8 =
∑ merchantshouse.com
Twain, and Lincoln delivered popular Shakespeare in the Park
his “Right Makes Might” speech (in Central Park) every summer. This remarkable Federal-style
there in 1860. brick town house, improbably
tucked away on an East Village
3 Colonnade Row block, is a time capsule of a
2 The Public Theater vanished way of life. It still has
428–434 Lafayette St. Map 4 F2.
425 Lafayette St. Map 4 F2. Tel (212) Tel (800) 258-3626. q Astor Pl. both its original fixtures and its
967-7555 (tickets). Admin (212) 539- ∑ blueman.com kitchen, and is filled with the
8500. q Astor Pl. See also Entertain­ actual furniture, ornaments, and
ment p336. ∑ publictheater.org The Corinthian columns across utensils of the family who lived
these four buildings are all that here for almost 100 years. Built
This large red-brick and brown - remain of a once-magnificent row in 1832, it was bought in 1835
stone building began its life of nine Greek Revival town houses. by Seabury Tredwell, a wealthy
in 1854 as the They were completed in 1833 by merchant, and stayed in the
Astor Library, developer Seth Geer and were family until Gertrude Tredwell,
known as “Geer’s the last member, died in 1933.
Folly” by skeptics, She had maintained her father’s
who thought no home just as he would have
one would live liked it, and a relative opened
so far east. They the house as a museum in 1936.
were proved The first-floor parlors are very
wrong when the grand, a sign of how well New
houses were York’s merchant class lived in
The Public Theater on Lafayette Street taken by such the 1800s.




116-117_EW_New_York_City.indd 116 4/3/17 11:11 AM

EAST VILLA GE  117

5 St. Mark’s Church- the crowds turned the event A small statue of a boy and a
in-the-Bowery into complete chaos. girl looking at a steamboat
The marble spire replaced a commemorates the deaths of
131 E 10th St. Map 4 F1. Tel (212) 674- wooden steeple in 1888 amid over 1,000 local residents in
6377. q Astor Pl. Open 10am–4pm fears that it might prove too the General Slocum steamer
Mon–Fri (hours may vary). 5 6:30pm heavy for the church – and it disaster. On June 15, 1904,
Wed, 11am Sun; in Spanish 5:30pm has since developed a distinct the boat caught fire during a
Sat. ∑ stmarksbowery.org
lean. The church is visible from pleasure cruise on the East
One of New York’s oldest afar because it is on a bend on River. The boat was crowded
churches, this 1799 building Broadway – Henry Brevoort with women and children
replaced a 1660 church on forced the bend to divert it from this then-German
the bouwerie (farm) of Governor around his apple orchard. neighborhood. Many local men
Peter Stuyvesant. He is buried lost their entire families and
here, along with seven gener- moved away, leaving the area
ations of his descendants and and its memories behind.
many other prominent early
New Yorkers. Poet W. H. Auden 8 Bayard-Condict
was a parishioner and is also
commemorated here. Building
In 1878, a grisly kidnapping 65 Bleecker St. Map 4 F3.
took place when the remains q Bleecker St.
of department store magnate
A. T. Stewart were removed The graceful columns, elegant
from the site and held for filigreed terracotta facade, and
$20,000 ransom. magnificent cornice on this
The church rectory at 232 1898 building mark the only
East 11th Street dates from New York work by Louis Sullivan,
1900 and is by Ernest Flagg, the great Chicago architect who
who achieved renown for his taught Frank Lloyd Wright. He
Singer Building (see p100). died in poverty and obscurity
in Chicago in 1924.
Sullivan is said to have
6 Grace Church objected vigorously to the
Grace Church altar and window sentimental angels supporting
802 Broadway. Map 4 F1. Tel (212) the Bayard-Condict Building’s
254-2000. q Astor Pl, Union Sq.
@ M1–3, M8, M101–3. 5 Jul & Aug: 7 Tompkins Square cornice, but he eventually gave
10am, 6pm Sun; Sep–Jun: 9am, in to the wishes of Silas Alden
11am, 6pm Sun. ^ 7 Concerts. Map 5 B1. q 2nd Ave, 1st Ave. Condict, the owner.
∑ gracechurchnyc.org @ M8, M9, M14A. Because this building is
squeezed into a commercial
James Renwick, Jr., the This English-style park has the block, it is better appreciated
architect of St. Patrick’s makings of a peaceful spot, from a distance. Cross the street
Cathedral, was only 23 but its past has more often and walk a little way down
when he designed this been dominated by strife. Crosby Street for the best view.
church, yet many consider It was the site of America’s
it his finest achievement. first organized labor
Its delicate early Gothic demonstration in 1874,
lines have a grace the main gathering
befitting the place during the
church’s name. The neighbor hood’s
interior is just as hippie era of the
beautiful, with Pre- 1960s, and, in 1988,
Raphaelite stained an arena for violent
glass and a hand- riots when the
some mosaic floor. police tried to evict
The church’s homeless people
peace and serenity who had taken
were briefly over the grounds.
shattered in 1863, The square
when Phineas T. also contains
Barnum staged a poignant
the wedding of monument to
dwarf General Temperance Fountain at the neighborhood’s
Tom Thumb here; Tompkins Square greatest tragedy. The Bayard-Condict Building




116-117_EW_New_York_City.indd 117 4/3/17 11:11 AM

118-119_EW_New_York_City.indd 118 4/3/17 11:11 AM

NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA  119

GRAMERCY AND THE
FLATIRON DISTRICT


Four squares were laid out in this area by real- clubs and posh town houses, designed by
estate developers in the 1830s and 1840s to Calvert Vaux and Stanford White. Gertrude
emulate the quiet, private residential areas in Vanderbilt Whitney’s bronze statue of
many European cities. Chief among them is Peter Stuyvesant, overlooked by the stately
Union Square, a bustling space that hosts St. George Episcopal Church, stands in tranquil
New York’s best farmers’ market. To the Stuyvesant Square. Finally, at the north end of
northeast lies Gramercy, with its private the Flatiron District is Madison Square Park.
Sights at a Glance
Historic Streets and Buildings Restaurants see pp294–9
2 New York Life Insurance Company 1 Aldea 10 Tocqueville
3 Appellate Division of the 2 Artisanal 11 I Trulli
Supreme Court of the State 3 Blue Smoke
of New York 4 Brother Jimmy’s BBQ
4 Metropolitan Life 5 Craft
Insurance Company 6 Eleven Madison Park
5 Flatiron Building 7 Gramercy Tavern
6 Ladies’ Mile 8 Saravanaa Bhavan
8 National Arts Club 9 Shake Shack
9 The Players
q Block Beautiful
r Con Edison Building
Museums and Galleries E A ST 3 4 T H
7 Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace E A S T 3 3 R D
Churches 6 33rd St ST RE E T
y The Little Church Around F I F T H A V E N U E S T
the Corner E A S T 3 2 N D S T R E E T
Parks and Squares M A D I S O N A V E N U E E A S T 3 1 S T S T R E E T U E
1 Madison Square 6 S O U T H E N
0 Gramercy Park E A S T L E X I N G T O N A V E N U E A V
e Stuyvesant Square 23rd St SQUARE
E A S T 3 O T H S T R E E T
F.M
MADISON
t Union Square PLAZA 28th St 2 8 T H S T R E E T
E A S T 2 9 T H S T R E E T
AVE OF THE AMERICAS (SIXTH AVE) N.R 23rd St 24TH STREET
E A S T 2 7 T H S T
Markets WEST 23RD STREET P A R K A V E D
w Eataly WEST 21ST STREET 23rd St E A S T 2 5 T H S T R E E T T H I R
WEST 22ND STREET
EAST 26TH STREET
EAST
6
WEST 20TH STREET
WEST 19TH STREET
WEST 18TH STREET
WEST 17TH STREET
EAST
14th St F I F T H A V E N U E B R O A D W A Y PARK AVE SOUTH GRAMERCY PARK
WEST 16TH STREET
F.M EAST 21ST V E N U E STREET
22ND
E A S T 2 3 R D S T R E E T
SQUARE WEST UNION SQUARE EAST IRVING PLACE T H I R D A V E N U E EAST 19TH N D A STREET
WEST 15TH STREET
UNION
20TH
EAST
W E ST 14 T H STREE T
STREET
14th St- EAST 18TH E C O STREET
Union Sq EAST S
14th St- 4.5.6 17TH STREET F I R S T A V E N U E
Union Sq
L.N.Q.R E A S T EAST STREET
L 15TH STREET E 16TH ST
Third Ave 1 4 T H S T R E E T
0 meters 500 First Ave
L
0 yards 500
See also Street Finder maps 8, 9
Pete’s Tavern, a popular neighborhood bar in Gramercy Park District For keys to symbols see back flap
118-119_EW_New_York_City.indd 119 4/3/17 11:11 AM

120  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

Street by Street: 1. Madison Square
Gramercy Park The Knickerbocker Club played
baseball here in the 1840s and
was the first to codify the
Gramercy Park and nearby Madison Square tell game’s rules. Today, office
a tale of two cities. Madison Square is ringed by workers enjoy the park’s
offices and traffic and is used mainly by those many statues of
19th-century figures,
who work nearby, but the fine surrounding among them Civil
commercial architecture and statues make it War hero Admiral
well worth visiting. It was once the home of David Farragut.
Stanford White’s famous pleasure palace, the
old Madison Square Garden, a place where E
revelers always thronged. Gramercy Park, N U
meanwhile, retains the air of dignified tranquility Statue of William H Seward E
it has long been known for. Here, the residences in Madison Square Garden N A V
and clubs remain, set around New York’s last 23rd Street subway S O
private park, for which only those (lines N, R) D I
who live on the square have keys. M A


A sidewalk clock found in
front of 200 Fifth Avenue M A D I S O N
marks the very end of the S Q U A R E
once-fashionable shopping
area, known as Ladies’ Mile.
)
E 2 3 R D
L S T R E E T
I
M

S
5. Flatiron Building E
The triangle made by Fifth D I
Avenue, Broadway, and 22nd A E
Street is the site of one of ( L N U
New York’s most famous early A Y E
skyscrapers. When it was built K A V
in 1903, the flatiron was the D W
world’s tallest building. A R
O P A
R
B E 2 1 S T S T R E E T

6 Ladies’ Mile
Broadway from
Union Square
to Madison Square
was once New York’s E 1 9 T H S T R E E T
finest shopping area.
7 Theodore
Roosevelt Birthplace
The house is a replica
of the one in which E
the 26th American L A C
president was born. E 1 7 T H S T R E E T G P
N
8 National Arts Club V I
This is a private club for R
0 meters 100 I
the arts, on the south
0 yards 100 side of the park.



120-121_EW_New_York_City.indd 120 4/3/17 11:11 AM

GR A MERCY AND THE FLA TIRON DISTRIC T  121


LOWER
MIDTOWN
CHELSEA &
THE GARMENT
DISTRICT
East Side
GRAMERCY &
THE FLATIRON
GREENWICH DISTRICT
VILLAGE
3 Appellate Court EAST VILLAGE
This small marble Locator Map
palace is said to See map pp16–17
be the world’s
busiest court­ E
house. U Key
N
E Suggested route
N A V
O
S
I
D
M A 2 New York Life
Insurance Company
This spectacular building by
Cass Gilbert bears his trade­
mark pyramid­shaped top.
4 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Vast vaulted entrances mark each corner.
2 3 R D

S T R E E T
0 Gramercy Park
Only residents can use
the park itself, but
23rd Street everyone can enjoy the
E peace and charm of the
U subway (line 6)
N area around it.
E
K A V
R
P A 9 The Players
Actor Edwin Booth founded
this club in 1888.
The Brotherhood Synagogue was a
Friends’ Meeting House from 1859 to
1975, when it became a synagogue.
q The Block
Beautiful
This is a tree­lined
stretch of East 19th
Street. No particular
house is outstanding,
but the street as a
whole is lovely.
Pete’s Tavern
E has been here
E U
A C N since 1864.
L E Short­story writer
G P D A V O. Henry, a well­
N I known chronicler
I R of the city, wrote
V H
R T “The Gift of the
I
Magi” in the
second booth.

120-121_EW_New_York_City.indd 121 4/3/17 11:11 AM

122  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


leading, of all places, to
the subway station.
Other famous buildings
have stood on this site.
Barnum’s Hippodrome was here
in 1874, then the first Madison
Square Garden opened
in 1879. A wide range of
entertain ments were put
on, including the prizefights
of heavyweight boxing
Farragut statue, Madison Square hero John L. Sullivan in
the 1880s. The next
1 Madison Square Madison Square Garden
– Stanford White’s
Map 8 F4. q 23rd St.
legendary pleasure
Planned as the center of a palace – opened on the
fashionable residential district, same site in 1890. Lavish Statues of Justice and Study above the Appellate Court
this square became a popular musical shows and social
entertainment center after events were attended by 3 Appellate
the Civil War. It was bordered New York’s elite, who paid over
by the elegant Fifth Avenue $500 for a box at the prestigious Division of the
Hotel, the Madison Square Theater, annual horse show. Supreme Court
and Stanford White’s Madison The building had street-level of the State of
Square Garden. The torch-bearing arcades and a tower modeled New York
arm of the Statue of Liberty on the Giralda in Seville. A gold
was exhibited here in 1884. statue of the goddess Diana E. 25th St at Madison Ave. Map 9 A4
The Shake Shack is a top stood atop the tower. Her nudity q 23rd St. Open 9am–5pm Mon–Fri
lunchtime spot for neighbor- was shocking, but far more (court in session from 2pm Tue–Thu,
hood office workers, while scandalous was the decadent from 10am Fri). Closed public hols. ^
the surrounding park makes life and death of White himself.
for a leisurely stroll to admire In 1906, while watch ing a revue Appeals relating to civil and
the sculptures. The 1880 statue in the roof garden, he was shot criminal cases for New York and
of Admiral David Farragut is by dead by millionaire Harry K. the Bronx are heard here, in
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, with Thaw, the husband of White’s what is widely considered
a pedestal by Stanford White. former mistress, showgirl Evelyn to be the busiest court of its
Farragut was the hero of a Nesbit. The headline in the kind in the world. James Brown
Civil War sea battle; figures journal Vanity Fair summed up Lord designed the small yet
representing Courage and popular feeling: “Stanford White, noble Palladian Revival building
Loyalty are carved on the Voluptuary and Pervert, Dies the in 1900. It is decorated with
base. The statue of Roscoe Death of a Dog.” The ensuing more than a dozen handsome
Conkling commemorates a trial’s revelations about decadent sculptures, including Daniel
US senator who died during Broadway high society leave Chester French’s Justice flanked
the great blizzard of 1888. The modern soap operas far behind. by Power and Study. During
Eternal Light flagpole, by the week, the public is invited
Carrère and Hastings, honors to step inside to admire the
the soldiers who fell during fine interior, designed by
World War I. the Herter brothers, including
the courtroom, when the court
is not in session. Among the
2 New York elegant details worth looking
Life Insurance for are the fine stained-glass
Company windows and dome, the murals,
and the striking cabinetwork.
51 Madison Ave. Map 9 A3. Displays in the lobby
q 28th St. Open office hours. often feature some of the
more famous – and infamous –
This imposing building was cases that have been heard in
designed in 1928 by Cass Gilbert this court. Among the celebrity
of Woolworth Building fame. names that have been involved
The interior is a master-piece, in appeals settled here are
adorned with enormous hanging Babe Ruth, Charlie Chaplin, Fred
lamps, bronze doors and New York Life Insurance Company’s Astaire, Harry Houdini, Theodore
paneling, and a grand staircase golden pyramid roof Dreiser, and Edgar Allan Poe.




122-123_EW_New_York_City.indd 122 4/3/17 11:11 AM

GR A MERCY AND THE FLA TIRON DISTRIC T  123

5 Flatiron Building
175 5th Ave. Map 8 F4. q 23rd St.
Open office hours.
Originally named the Fuller
Building after the construc tion
company that owned it, this
building by Chicago architect
Daniel Burnham was the tallest in
the world when it was completed
in 1902. One of the first buildings
to use a steel frame, it heralded
the era of the skyscrapers. Arnold Constable store
It soon became known as the
Flatiron for its unusual triangular 6 Ladies’ Mile
shape, but some called it Broadway (Union Sq to Madison Sq).
“Burnham’s folly,” predicting that Map 8 F4–5, 9 A5. q 14th St, 23rd St.
Clock tower of the Metropolitan Life the winds created by the
Insurance Company building building’s shape would knock it In the 19th century, the “carriage
down. It has withstood the test trade” came here in shiny traps
4 Metropolitan of time, but the winds along from their town houses nearby
Life Insurance 23rd Street did have one to shop at stores such as Arnold
Company notable effect: in the building’s Constable (Nos. 881–887) and
early days, they drew crowds of
Lord & Taylor (No. 901). The
1 Madison Ave. Map 9 A4. q 23rd St. males hoping to get a peek at ground-floor exteriors have
Open office hours. ^ women’s ankles as changed beyond recognition;
their long skirts look up to see the remains of
In 1909, the addition of a 700-ft got blown about. once-grand facades.
(213-m) tower to the “MetLife” Police officers
Building ousted the Flatiron as had to keep
the tallest in the world. The huge people moving
four-sided clock has minute along, and their
hands said to weigh 1000 lb call, “23-skidoo,”
(454 kg) each. The tower is lit became slang
up at night and is a familiar for “scram.”
part of the evening The stretch of
skyline. It served as the Fifth Avenue
company symbol “the to the south
light that never fails.” A of the building,
series of historical murals formerly rather
by N. C. Wyeth, the famed run-down, has
illustrator of such classics come to life President Teddy Roosevelt
as Robin Hood, Treasure with chic shops
Island, and Robinson such as 7 Theodore
Crusoe (and the father of Michael Kors Roosevelt Birthplace
painter Andrew Wyeth), and Paul Smith,
once graced the walls of giving the area 28 E. 20th St. Map 9 A5. Tel (212) 260-
the cafeteria. new cachet 1616. q 14th St-Union Sq-23rd St.
The North and a new Open 9am–5pm Tue–Sat (last adm:
building, name, “the 4pm). Closed pub hols. & 8 hourly.
Lectures, concerts, films, videos. =
built in Flatiron ∑ nps.gov/thrb
1933, District.”
houses The reconstructed boyhood
Credit home of the colorful 26th
Suisse. president displays everything
from the toys with which the
young Teddy played to cam-
paign buttons and emblems
of the trademark “Rough Rider”
hat that Roosevelt wore in the
Spanish-American War. One
exhibit features his explor ations
and interests; the other covers
The towering Flatiron Building his political career.




122-123_EW_New_York_City.indd 123 4/3/17 11:11 AM

124  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


members have included White Gramercy Park Hotel. Particularly
himself, author Mark Twain, fine are Nos. 3 and 4, with
publisher Thomas Nast, and graceful cast-iron gates and
Winston Churchill, whose porches. The lanterns in front
mother, Jennie Jerome, was of No. 4 serve as symbols
born nearby. A statue of Booth marking the house of a former
playing Hamlet is across the mayor of the city, James Harper.
street in Gramercy Park. No. 34 (1883) has been the
home of the sculptor Daniel
Chester French, the actor James
0 Gramercy Park Cagney, and circus impresario
John Ringling (who had a
Map 9 A4. q 23rd St, 14th St- massive pipe organ installed
Union Sq.
in his apartment).
Gramercy Park is one of four
Bas-relief faces of great writers at the squares (with Union, Stuyvesant,
National Arts Club and Madison) laid out in the
1830s and 1840s to attract
8 National society residences. It is the city’s
Arts Club only private park, and residents
in the surroun ding buildings
15 Gramercy Pk S. Map 9 A5. Tel (212) have keys to the park gate, as
475-3424. q 23rd St. Open 10am– the original owners once did.
5pm Mon–Fri during exhibitions. Look through the railings at the
∑ nationalartsclub.org
southeast corner to see Greg
This brownstone was the Wyatt’s fountain, with giraffes
residence of New York governor leaping around a smiling sun.
Samuel Tilden, who established The buildings around the
a free public library. He had the square were designed by
facade redesigned by Calvert some of the city’s most famous
Vaux in 1881–4. In 1906 the architects, including Stanford
National Arts Club bought White, whose house was House facade on the Block Beautiful
the home and kept the original located on the site of today’s on East 19th Street
high ceilings and stained glass
by John La Farge. Members q Block Beautiful
have included most leading
American artists of the late E 19th St. Map 9 A5. q 14th St-
19th and early 20th century, Union Sq, 23rd St.
who were asked to donate
a painting or sculp ture in This is a serene, tree-
return for life mem bership; lined block of
these gifts form the 1920s residences,
permanent collec tion. beautifully restored.
The club is open None of them is
to the public for exceptional on its own,
exhibitions only. but together they
create a wonderfully
9 The Players harmonious whole. No.
132 had two famous
18 Gramercy Pk S. theatrical tenants: Theda
Map 9 A5. Tel (212) 228-7610. Bara, silent movie star
q 23rd St. Closed except and Hollywood’s first
for prebooked group tours. sex symbol, and the fine
∑ theplayersnyc.org Shakespearean actress
This two-story brownstone Mrs. Patrick Campbell, who
was the home of actor originated the role of Eliza
Edwin Booth, brother of Doolittle in George Bernard
John Wilkes Booth, Shaw’s Pygmalion in 1914.
President Lincoln’s The hitching posts outside
assassin. Architect No. 141 and the ceramic
Stanford White relief of giraffes outside 147–
remodeled the building 149 are two of the many details
as a club in 1888. Although Fountain with sun and giraffes by Greg Wyatt in to look for as you walk along
intended primarily for actors, Gramercy Park the block.




124-125_EW_New_York_City.indd 124 4/3/17 11:11 AM

GR A MERCY AND THE FLA TIRON DISTRIC T  125

w Eataly
200 Fifth Ave. Map 8 F4. Tel (212)
229-2560. q Astor Place, 8th St.
Open 9am–11pm daily.
∑ eataly.com
Celebrity chef Mario Batali
began this Italian restaurant and
food market in 2010, and it has
remained an incredibly popular
venture. The market offers a great
range of wine, cheese, bread,
seafood, and meat, sourced
locally or flown in from Italy.
Highlights include a fresh gelato
counter, a Nutella Bar, and the
Caffè Vergnano espresso bar.
La Piazza is an enoteca (wine The towers of the Empire State, Metropolitan Life and Con Edison
shop) that serves wine and
antipasti (standing only). conceived by Henry Hardenbergh enormous green market, which
The rooftop has a lovely beer in 1910, the architect best known sells all sorts of seasonal produce.
garden, La Birreria, that offers for such buildings as the Dakota Statues in the square include
home-made sausages and hand- (see p212) and the Plaza (see p177). that of George Washington and a
crafted ales from Bologna under The 26-story tower was built by Lafayette by Bartholdi. The square
a retractable roof, which opens Warren & Wetmore, the same firm is flanked by restaurants, gourmet
on sunny days. Batali now oper- that designed Grand Central supermarkets, and depart ment
ates restaurants and food markets Terminal. Near the top of the stores. Nearby stands the Decker
all over the world, although he tower, a 38-ft (11.6-m) bronze Building, where Andy Warhol
still lives in Greenwich Village. lantern was built as a memorial to moved his studio in 1968. The
Con Ed’s employees who died in Union Square Theatre, once the
World War I. The tower itself is not headquarters of the Demo cratic
e Stuyvesant as tall as the nearby Empire State Party, is another landmark.
Square Building, but when it is lit up at
night, it makes an attractive
Map 9 B5. q 3rd Ave, 1st Ave. showpiece, in addition to a potent y The Little Church
symbol of the company that Around the Corner
This oasis, in the form of a pair of keeps Manhattan and the other
parks divided by Second Avenue, four boroughs shining. 1 E 29th St. Map 8 F3. Tel (212) 684-
was part of Peter Stuyvesant’s 6770. q 28th St. Open 8:30am–6pm
original farm in the 1600s. It was daily. 5 12:10pm Mon–Fri; 8:30am &
still in the Stuyvesant family 11am Sun. For lectures & concerts,
when the park was designed see website. 7 8 Sun, after 11am
service. ∑ littlechurch.org
in 1836; Peter G. Stuyvesant
sold the land to the city for the Built from 1849 to 1856, the
nominal sum of $5 (much to Episcopal Church of the
the delight of those living nearby, Transfiguration is a tranquil retreat.
who saw real estate values It has been known by its nick-
jump). A statue of Stuyvesant name since 1870, when Joseph
by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Jefferson tried to arrange the
stands in the park, along with a funeral of fellow actor George
sculpture of Czech composer Holland. The pastor at a nearby
Antonín Dvořák, who lived Greenmarket day at Union Square church refused to bury a person
nearby in the 1890s. of so lowly a profession. Instead,
t Union Square he suggested “the little church
around the corner.” The name
r Con Edison Map 9 A5. q 14th St-Union Sq. stuck and the church has had
Farmers’ Market. Open 8am–6pm
Building Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat. special ties with the theater
ever since.
145 E 14th St. Map 9 A5. Created in the 1830s, this park The south transept window, by
q 3rd Ave, 14th St-Union Sq. joined Bloomingdale Road (now John La Farge, shows Edwin Booth
Closed to the public. Broadway) with the Bowery Road playing Hamlet. Jefferson’s cry of
The clock tower of this building, (Fourth Avenue or Park), hence its “God bless the little church around
which dates from 1929, is a local name. Today, it is an inviting the corner” is commemorated
landmark. The building was public space, best known for its in a window in the south aisle.




124-125_EW_New_York_City.indd 125 4/3/17 11:11 AM

T W E L F T H A V E N U E W E S T 3 9 T H S T R E E T
PIER 76 Lincoln Tunnel

T E N T H A V E N U E
WEST 38TH ST
PIER 72 E L E V E N T H AV E N U E WEST 37TH ST
WEST 36TH ST
WEST 35TH ST
34th St- WEST 34TH ST DYER AVENUE
Hudson Yards WEST 38TH STREET
WEST 33RD STREET
(7) N I N T H A V E N U E E I G H T H A V E N U E (FASHION AVENUE) 6 1.5km
BROADWAY
WEST 30TH STREET
34th St-
WEST 37TH STREET
Penn Station
W E S T 3 9 T H S T R E E T
A.C.E
WEST 36TH STREET
WEST 35TH STREET
34th St-
F I F T H A V E N U E
B.D.F.M.N.Q.R
Pennsylvania
WEST 34TH
WEST 28TH ST
Station
1.2.3
PARK
Penn Station STREET
SQUARE
(SIXTH AVENUE)
WEST 31ST STREET
WEST 29TH STREET
B R O A D WAY
23rd St A V E N U E
TH E H IG H L IN E T E N T H A V E N U E 1•7 CHELSEA E N U ST E WEST 25TH STREET 28th St 34th St- GREELEY Herald Sq
WEST 30TH STREET
W 32ND ST
1
WEST 24TH V
23rd St AV E N U E
A



C.E

WEST 28TH ST

WEST 26TH STRE ET
W E S T 2 3 R D S T R E E T 28th St
H
WEST 22ND STREET
WEST 27TH STREET
T N.R
N WEST 24TH STREET
I E I G H T H 1
N WES T 1 9 TH STR E ET 23rd St WORTH
S E V E N T H
SQUARE
F.M
WEST 21ST STREET
N.R
WE S T 2 0 T H S TR EET
18th St 1 STREET AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS 23rd St
WEST 17 TH
W E ST 18TH STREET
W EST 1 6 T H S TREE T
W E S T 15T H STR E E T
126-127_EW_New_York_City.indd 126 4/3/17 11:11 AM

NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA  127

CHELSEA AND
THE GARMENT DISTRICT

Developed on former farmland, this area Square, garment and retail districts
really began to take shape in 1830. This was sprouted around it. Some of New
largely thanks to Clement Clarke Moore, who York’s best art galleries flourished in
wrote ’Twas the Night Before Christmas – his the early 1990s, and the transformation
estate comprised most of what is now Chelsea. of the High Line has triggered the
After a long period as a rather gritty development of major condo conversions,
area, a new and fashionable Chelsea affluent town houses, and shops of every
emerged. When Macy’s arrived at Herald variety here.

Sights at a Glance
Historic Streets and Buildings Museums and Galleries Parks and Squares
2 Empire State Building pp132–3 8 Rubin Museum of Art 3 Herald Square
7 James A. Farley Post Churches 9 High Line
Office Building Markets
q Chelsea Art Galleries 1 Marble Collegiate
Reformed Church
w General Theological Seminary r Chelsea Market
e Chelsea Historic District 5 St. John the Baptist Church Landmark Stores
t Hugh O’Neill Dry Goods Store Modern Architecture 4 Macy’s
6 Madison Square Garden
0 Chelsea Piers Complex
Restaurants see pp299–302
1 Bottino
Lincoln Tunnel
2 Buddakan
T W E L F T H A V E N U E W E S T 3 9 T H S T R E E T 5 The Red Cat
PIER 76 3 Hill Country
4 Morimoto
6 Tia Pol
T E N T H A V E N U E
WEST 38TH ST
PIER 72 E L E V E N T H AV E N U E WEST 37TH ST 7 Trestle on Tenth
WEST 36TH ST
WEST 35TH ST
34th St- WEST 34TH ST DYER AVENUE
Hudson Yards WEST 38TH STREET
WEST 33RD STREET
(7) N I N T H A V E N U E E I G H T H A V E N U E (FASHION AVENUE) 6 1.5km 34th St-
BROADWAY
WEST 30TH STREET
34th St-
WEST 37TH STREET
Penn Station
W E S T 3 9 T H S T R E E T
WEST 36TH STREET
A.C.E
WEST 35TH STREET
F I F T H A V E N U E
B.D.F.M.N.Q.R
Pennsylvania
WEST 34TH
WEST 28TH ST
Station
1.2.3
PARK
Penn Station STREET
SQUARE
E
(SIXTH AVENUE)
WEST 31ST STREET
23rd St A V E N U E
B R O A D WAY
T H E H IG H L INE T E N T H A V E N U E 1•7 CHELSEA E N U WEST 29TH STREET 28th St 34th St- GREELEY Herald Sq
WEST 30TH STREET
W 32ND ST
WEST 24TH V
1
23rd St AV E N U E
A

ST


C.E

WEST 28TH ST

W E S T 2 6TH STREET
W E S T 2 3 R D S T R E E T 28th St
H
WEST 22ND STREET
WEST 27TH STREET
WE S T 2 5TH STREET
T N.R
N WEST 24TH STREET
I E I G H T H 1
N W ES T 1 9T H S T R E E T 23rd St WORTH
S E V E N T H
SQUARE
F.M
WEST 21ST STREET
N.R
WE S T 2 0 T H S TR E ET
18th St 1 STRE ET AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS 23rd St
WE ST 1 7T H
W ES T 1 8 TH ST R E ET
WEST 16T H STREE T
0 meters 500
W E S T 1 5 T H S T R E E T
0 yards 500 See also Street Finder maps 7, 8
The Empire State Building, an enduring symbol of New York For keys to symbols see back flap
126-127_EW_New_York_City.indd 127 4/3/17 11:11 AM

128  NE W Y ORK AREA CIT Y B Y AREA

Street by Street: Herald Square

Herald Square is named for the New York Herald, which had
its office here from 1894 to 1921. Today full of shoppers, the
area was once one of the raunchiest parts of New York. During
the late 19th century, it was known as the Tenderloin District
and was filled with dance halls and bordellos. When Macy’s
opened in 1902, the focus moved from flesh to fashion.
New York’s Garment District now fills the streets near Macy’s
around Seventh Avenue, also known as Fashion Avenue.
To the east on Fifth Avenue is the Empire State Building,
with some of the city’s best views.
Manhattan Mall is on
the former site of Gimbel’s,
Fashion Avenue is another name for the once Macy’s arch-rival.
stretch of Seventh Avenue around 34th It holds dozens of
Street. This area is the heart of New York’s stores, including a W 3 6 T H S T R E E T
garment industry. The streets are still full of massive J. C. Penney.
men pushing racks of clothes.
34th Street subway
The Hotel Pennsylvania (1, 2, 3)
was a center for the 1930s
big bands – Glenn Miller’s
song “Pennsylvania 6-5000”
made its telephone
number famous.




5 St. John the U E W 3 4 T H S T R E E T
Baptist Church N
A beautiful set of carved E
Stations of the Cross is H A V
hung on the walls of T
the white marble N
interior of this church. V E
E A Y
S W
D
A
O
W 3 1 S T S T R E E T
The SJM Building is at 130 West R
30th Street. Mesopotamian-style B
friezes adorn the outside of
the building.
The Fur District is at the southern end of E
the Garment District. Furriers ply their trade U
between West 27th and 30th streets. E N
H A V
T
W 2 9 T H S T R E E T
X
I
S
The Flower District,
around Sixth Avenue and
West 28th Street, hums
with activity in the early
part of the day, as florists
pack their vans with their
highly scented, brightly 28th Street subway
colored wares. (lines N, R)



128-129_EW_New_York_City.indd 128 4/3/17 11:11 AM

CHELSEA AND THE GARMENT DISTRIC T  129

4. Macy’s MIDTOWN WEST
One of the & THE THEATER
biggest depart­ DISTRICT
ment stores in the
world, Macy’s has
something for
CHELSEA & THE
everyone. GARMENT DISTRICT
The Greenwich Savings Bank GRAMERCY &
34th Street (now the Haier Building) is a GREENWICH THE FLATIRON
DISTRICT
VILLAGE
subway (lines B, Greek temple to banking with Locator Map
D, F, M, N, Q, R) huge columns on three sides. See map pp16–17
Key
3 Herald Square
The New York Herald Suggested route
Building’s clock is now
situated where Broad way 0 meters 100
meets Sixth Avenue.
0 yards 100
W 3 6 T H S T R E E T
2. Empire Greeley Square
State Building is more of a traffic
The observation island than a
deck of this square, but it
quintessential does have a
skyscraper is a fine statue
great place to of Horace
view the city. Greeley,
founder of
the New
York Tribune.
Little Korea is
an area of Korean
W 3 4 T H S T R E E T
businesses. In
addition to
shops, there are
restaurants nearby
on West 31st and
A Y 32nd streets.
W
D W 3 3 R D S T R E E T
A
O
R
B


E
U
N
E 1 Marble Collegiate
H A V Reformed Church
T This 1854 church was
X built in the Gothic Revival
I
S style. It became famous
when Norman Vincent
Peale was pastor here.
The Life Building,
designed by Carrère &
Hastings in 1894, at
19 West 31st Street housed
Life magazine when it
was a satirical weekly.
It is now a hotel.


128-129_EW_New_York_City.indd 129 4/3/17 11:11 AM

130  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


Positive Thinking. Another positive White building here from 1893
thinker, future US president to 1921, the square was the hub
Richard M. Nixon, attended of the rowdy Tender loin district
services here when he was a law- in the 1870s and 1880s. Theaters
yer in his pre-White House days. such as the Manhattan Opera
The church was built in 1854 House, dance halls, hotels, and
using the marble blocks that give restaurants kept the area hum-
it its name. Fifth Avenue was then ming with life until reformers
no more than a dusty country clamped down on sleaze in the
road, and the cast-iron fence was 1890s. The ornamental Bennett
there to keep livestock out. clock, named for James Gordon
The original white and gold Bennett Jr., publisher of the
interior walls were replaced Herald, is now all that is left of
with a stenciled gold fleur- the Herald Building.
de-lis design on a soft rust The Opera House was razed in
back ground. Two stained-glass 1901 to make way for Macy’s
Marble Collegiate’s Tiffany stained- Tiffany windows, depicting and, soon after, other depart-
glass windows Old Testament scenes, were ment stores followed, making
placed in the south wall in Herald Square a mecca for
1 Marble Collegiate 1900 and 1901. shoppers. One such store was
Reformed Church the now-defunct Gimbel
Brothers Department Store,
1 W 29th St. Map 8 F3. Tel (212) 686- 2 Empire State once arch-rival to Macy’s. (The
2770. q 28th St. Open 8:30am– Building rivalry was affectionately
8:30pm Mon–Fri, 9am–4pm Sat, See pp132–3. portrayed in the New York
8am–3pm Sun. Closed public Christmas movie A Miracle on
hols. 5 11:15am Sun. ^ during 34th Street.) In 1988, the store
services. 7 Sanctuary 3 W 29th St. 3 Herald Square was converted into a vertical
Open 10am–noon & 2–4pm Mon–Fri. mall with a glittery neon front.
∑ marblechurch.org 6th Ave. Map 8 E2. q 34th St-Penn Most of the old names have
Station. See Shopping p314.
gone, but Herald Square is still a
This church is best known for its Named after the New York key shopping district packed
former pastor Norman Vincent Herald, which occupied a fine with chain stores. It also features
Peale, who wrote The Power of arcaded, Italianate Stanford a pedestrian plaza.

4 Macy’s
151 W. 34th St. Map 8 E2. Tel (212)
695-4400. q 34th St- Penn Station.
Open 10am–10pm Mon–Sat, 11am–
9pm Sun. See Shopping p313.
∑ macys.com
The “world’s largest store”
covers a square block, and the
merchandise inside includes
any item you could imagine
in every price range.
Macy’s was founded by a
former whaler named Rowland
Hussey Macy, who opened a
small store on West 14th Street
in 1858. The store’s red star logo
came from Macy’s tattoo, a
souvenir of his sailing days.
By the time Macy died in
1877, his little store had grown
to a row of 11 buildings, and
at the turn of the century it
had outgrown its 14th Street
pre mises. In 1902 it moved to
its present site, which covers a
staggering 2 million sq ft
Macy’s 34th Street facade (186,000 sq m).




130-131_EW_New_York_City.indd 130 4/3/17 11:40 AM

CHELSEA AND THE GARMENT DISTRIC T  131


has a single spire. Knicks (basketball), Liberty
Although the brown- (women’s basketball), and New
stone facade on York Rangers (hockey) teams.
30th Street is dark It offers a packed calendar of
with city soot, many other events: rock concerts,
treasures lie within championship tennis and
this dull exterior. The boxing, outrageously staged
entrance is through wrestling, the Westminster
the modern Friary Kennel Club Dog Show, and
on 31st Street. more. There is also a 5,600-seat
The sanctuary by theater. Tours are available daily.
Napoleon Le Brun Despite extensive renovations,
is a marvel of Gothic Madison Square Garden lacks
arches in glowing the panache of its earlier
white marble sur- location, which combined
mounted by gilded a stunning Stanford White
capitals. Painted reliefs building with extravagant
of religious scenes line entertainment (see p122).
The nave of St. John the Baptist Church the walls; sunlight
streams through the
The eastern facade has a modern stained-glass windows. Also off
entrance but still bears the bay the Friary is the Prayer Garden,
windows and Corinthian pillars a small, green, and peaceful
of the 1902 design. The 34th oasis with religious statuary, a
Street facade even has its fountain, and stone benches.
original caryatids guarding the
entrance, along with the clock, 6 Madison Square
canopy, and lettering. Inside,
many of the early wooden Garden
escalators are still in good 4 Pennsylvania Plaza. Map 8 D2.
working order. Unsurprisingly, Tel (212) 465-6741. q 34th St-Penn
Macy’s is a designated National Station. Open Mon–Sun, times
Historic Landmark. vary according to shows. & See The massive interior of Madison
Macy’s sponsors New York’s Entertainment p346. 8 daily except Square Garden
renowned Thanksgiving Day during shows. ∑ thegarden.com
parade (see p54) and the Fourth 7 James A. Farley
of July fireworks (see p53). The There’s only one good thing
store’s popular Spring Flower to be said for the razing of the Post Office Building
Show draws thousands of visitors. extraordinarily lovely McKim, 421 8th Ave. Map 8 D2. Tel (800) ASK-
Mead & White Pennsylvania USPS. q 34th St-Penn Station.
5 St. John the Station building in favor of this Open 7am–10pm Mon–Fri, 9am–9pm
Baptist Church undistinguished 1968 complex: Sat, 11am–7pm Sun. See Practical
Information p371.
it so enraged city preserva-
210 W 31st St. Map 8 E3. Tel (212) tionists that they formed an
564-9070. q 34th St-Penn Station. alliance to ensure that such a Designed by McKim, Mead &
Open 6:15am–6pm daily. 5 8:45am, thing would never be allowed White in 1913, in a style to com-
10:30am & 5:15pm daily. 7 = to happen again. plement their 1910 Pennsylvania
Madison Square Garden itself, Station across the street, the
Founded in 1840 to serve a which sits atop under ground James A. Farley Post Office
congregation of newly arrived Pennsylvania Station, is a Building is a perfect example of
immigrants, today this small cylinder of precast concrete, a public building of the Beaux
Roman Catholic church is functional enough as a 20,000- Arts period. The imposing, two-
almost lost in the heart of seat, centrally located home for block-long structure has a broad
the Fur District. The exterior the NBA’s famous New York staircase leading to a facade
with 20 Corinthian columns
and a pavilion at each end. The
280-ft (85-m) inscription across
it is based on a description of
the Persian Empire’s postal
service, from around 520 BC:
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat
nor gloom of night stays these
couriers from the swift completion
The Corinthian colonnade of the James A. Farley Post Office Building of their appointed rounds.”




130-131_EW_New_York_City.indd 131 4/3/17 11:40 AM

132  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

2 Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is one of the tallest skyscrapers
in the United States. Named after the state’s nickname, it
has become an enduring symbol of the city. Construction
began in March 1930, not long after the Wall Street Crash,
and by the time the skyscraper opened in 1931 space Symbols of the
modern age are
was so difficult to rent that it was nicknamed “the Empty depicted on these
State Building.” Only the immediate popularity of the bronze Art Deco
observatories saved the building from bankruptcy – they medallions placed
still attract more than 3.5 million visitors a year. throughout the lobby.
Construction
The building was
designed for ease and
speed of construction.
Everything possible was
prefabricated and
slotted into place at
a rate of about four
stories per week.



Empire State Building

KEY
1 Over 200 steel and concrete
piles support the 365,000-ton
building.
2 Nine minutes 33 seconds is the
record, set in 2003, for racing up the
1,576 steps from the lobby to the
86th-floor observatory, in the annual
Empire State Run-Up.
3 Sandwich space between
the floors houses the wiring, pipes,
and cables.
4 Ten million bricks were used Big Ben 315 ft
to line the whole building. (96 m)
5 Aluminum panels were used
instead of stone around the 6,514
windows. The steel trim masks rough
edges on the facing.
6 The framework is made from
60,000 tons of steel and was built in
23 weeks.
7 High-speed elevators travel at
up to 1,000 ft (305 m) a minute.
8 Colored floodlighting of the top
30 floors marks special events.
9 The Empire State was planned
to be just 86 stories high, but a then
150-ft (46-m) mooring mast for
zeppelins was added. The mast, now
204 ft (62 m), transmits TV and radio
to the city and four states.
0 102nd-floor observatory





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CHELSEA AND THE GARMENT DISTRIC T  133


VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
350 5th Ave.
Map 8 F2.
Tel (212) 736-3100. Observatories:
Open 8am–2am (last adm:
1:15am); open ing hours may be
shorter on Jan 1 & Dec 24 and 31.
& 9 7 0 ∑ esbnyc.com
. Views from the Observatories Transport
q A, B, C, D, E, F, N, Q, R, 1, 2, 3 to
The 86th-floor observatory offers superb views, both from its
indoor galleries and its 360-degree outdoor deck. The 102nd- 34th St. @ M1–5, M16, M34, Q32.
floor observatory, 1,250 ft (381 m) high, requires an extra fee,
payable at the second-floor Visitors’ Center or online.
A Head for Heights
As the building took shape,
construction workers often
showed great bravery. Here,
a worker clings to a crane
hook. The Chrysler Building
and other skyscrapers in
the background appear
surprisingly small.
Lightning Strikes
The Empire State
Building is a natural
lightning conductor,
struck up to 100 times
a year. The observation
deck is open even during
unfavorable weather.
Pecking Order Empire State
New Yorkers are justly proud of their 1,454 ft (443 m)
with mast
city’s symbol, which towers above
the icons of other countries. Eiffel Tower
1,063 ft
(324 m)
Great Pyramid
449 ft (137 m)
Big Ben 315 ft
(96 m)






Encounters in the Sky
The Empire State Building has been seen in
many films and the finale from the 1933 classic
King Kong is easily its most famous guest
appearance, as the giant ape straddles the spire
to do battle with army aircraft. In 1945 a B-25
. Fifth Avenue bomber flew too low over Manhattan in fog
Entrance Lobby and struck the building just above the 78th
A relief image of the skyscraper floor. The luckiest escape was that of a young
is superimposed on a map of elevator operator whose cabin plunged 79
New York State in the marble- floors. The emergency brakes saved her life.
lined lobby.




132-133_EW_New_York_City.indd 133 4/3/17 11:11 AM

134  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

8 Rubin Museum
of Art
150 W. 17th St. Map 8 E5. Tel (212) 620-
5000. q 14th St, 18th St. Open 11am–
5pm Mon & Thu, 11am–9pm Wed,
11am–10pm Fri, 11am–6pm Sat &
Sun. ∑ rubinmuseum.org
This museum is a lesser-known
treasure, with a collection of 2,000
paintings, sculptures, and textiles
from the Himalayas, Tibet, India,
and the neighboring regions. The
Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room
recreates an authentic shrine
with flickering lamps, and an The High Line links Chelsea, Midtown, and the Meatpacking District
exhibit that rotates every two
years to display the four Tibetan the organization Friends of the into a center with a vast range
religious traditions. High Line to save the structure of sports and leisure activities.
The museum also hosts from demolition. The facilities include skating
captivating travel exhibitions Extending from Gansevoort rinks, running tracks, a rock-
and programs, with concerts, Street to 34th Street, the park has climbing wall, a golf driving
debates, and films. Café Serai, played an important role in the range, a marina, and TV and film
on the ground floor, serves gentri fication of the neighbor- production sound stages.
Himalayan food. hood. The sensational elevated
promenade-cum-public-park
stands 30-ft (9-m) high, with views q Chelsea Art
9 High Line and gardens en route. At intervals, Galleries
there are art installations and food
Access at Gansevoort St, 14th St, Between W 19th St and W 27th St,
16th St, 18th St, and every two or vendors. Highlights include a around 10th and 11th Aves. Map 7 C4.
three blocks to 34th St. Map 3 B1. Tel subtle water feature between q 23rd St. Open usually 10am–6pm
(212) 500-6035. q 23rd St; 14th St (on 14th and 15th streets, and an Tue–Sat. ∑ nygallerytours.com
lines A, C, E); 8th Ave L; Christopher St/ amphitheater that offers an
Sheridan Sq. Open 7am–11pm daily incredible view of 10th Avenue. Attracted by cheap rents,
(to 7pm in winter). ∑ thehighline.org the many galleries that set up
shop in Chelsea during the 1990s
An ambitious urban renewal 0 Chelsea Piers were a driving force in this
project that links Midtown, Complex area’s resurgence. Between
Chelsea, and the Meatpacking 150 and 200 venues are here,
District, the High Line is a 11th Ave (17th to 23rd Sts) Map 7 B5. exhibiting work from up-and-
fantastic transformation of a Tel (212) 336-6666. q14th St, 18th St, coming artists in all manner of
disused, elevated railway. While 23rd St. @ M14, M23. Open daily. & media. Check out P.P.O.W. or
the line was originally built ∑ chelseapiers.com David Zwirner, which have a
between 1929 and 1934, it lay reputation for intriguing or
abandoned for years. In 1999, For this mammoth complex, four provocative work. Try to avoid
two local residents created neglected piers were converted Saturdays, when art-crawler
traffic is at its heaviest.

w General
Theological
Seminary
440 W 21st St. Map 7 C4. Tel (212)
243-5150. q 23rd St. Open 10am–
3pm Mon–Fri. 5 11:45am Mon &
Wed–Fri, 6pm Tue & Sun. ^ 7
∑ gts.edu
Founded in 1817, this block-
square campus accepts 150
students at a time to train for the
Episcopal priesthood. Clement
Aerial view of the Chelsea Piers Complex Clarke Moore, a professor of




134-135_EW_New_York_City.indd 134 4/3/17 11:40 AM

CHELSEA AND THE GARMENT DISTRIC T  135


Row, running from 406–418
West 20th Street, and built from
1839–40 for Don Alonzo
Cushman, a merchant who
also founded the Greenwich
Savings Bank. Cushman joined
Moore and James N. Wells in
the development of Chelsea.
A 15th-century music manuscript in the Rich in detail and intricate
General Theological Seminary ironwork, Cushman Row is
ranked with Washington Square
Oriental Languages at what North as a supreme example of Enjoying a snack in the inviting
is today Columbia University Greek Revival architecture. Chelsea Market
(see p218), donated the site, Look for cast-iron wreaths
officially known as Chelsea around attic windows and the freshest, highest-quality
Square. The earliest remaining pineapples on the newel posts snacks and meals. Chelsea
building dates from 1836; the of two of the houses – old Market also houses the TV
most modern, St. Mark’s Library, symbols of hospitality. production facilities for the
was built in 1960 and holds the Farther along West 20th Food Network.
largest collection of Latin Bibles Street, from 446–450, there
in the world. are fine examples of the t Hugh O’Neill
Inside, the garden is laid Italianate style for which
out in two quadrangles, like Chelsea is also renowned. The Dry Goods Store
an English cathedral close; it is detailed brickwork arches of 655–671 6th Ave. Map 8 E4.
especially lovely in the spring. windows and fanlights subtly q 23rd St.
implied the wealth of the
owner, being able to afford this Though the store is long gone,
expensive effect. the 1890 cast-iron columned
and pilastered facade clearly
shows the scale and grandeur
r Chelsea Market of the emporiums that once
lined Sixth Avenue from 18th
75 9th Ave (between 15th and 16th
sts). Map 7 C5. q 14th St. to 23rd streets – the area
Open 7am–9pm Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm known as Fashion Row. O’Neill,
Sun. ∑ chelseamarket.com whose sign can still be seen on
the facade, was a showman
This enclosed food court and and super-salesman whose
shopping mall is one of New trade mark was a fleet of shiny
York’s unmissable destinations delivery wagons. His customers
for foodies. Visitors can pick up came in droves via the
a range of gourmet ingredients, conveniently close Sixth
exotic foodstuffs, and charming Avenue Elevated Railway. They
gifts here. The retail options were not the “carriage trade”
Exterior of a red-brick house on include Lucy’s Whey, for enjoyed by Ladies’ Mile (see
Cushman Row artisanal US cheeses; Chelsea p123), but their numbers
Wine Vault, for a global allowed the Row to flourish
e Chelsea Historic selection of wines; and Bowery until around 1915, when the
District Kitchen Supply, for professional- retailing district continued its
quality equipment. Several move uptown. Now mostly
W 20th St from 9th to 10th Aves. high-end purveyors restored, the buildings have
Map 8 D5. q 18th St. @ M11. maintain bakeries and turned into stores and high-
kitchens, ensuring end condos.
Although he is better known as only the
the author of the poem “A Visit
from St. Nicholas” than as an
urban planner, Clement Clarke
Moore owned an estate here
and divided it into lots in the
1830s, creating handsome rows
of town houses. Restoration has
since rescued many of the
original buildings here.
Of these, the finest are seven
houses known as Cushman Hugh O’Neill Dry Goods Store




134-135_EW_New_York_City.indd 135 4/3/17 11:40 AM

River PIER 92 W ES T 58 TH S TRE ET

DE WITT 59th St-
Columbus Circle
CLINTON PARK WEST 56TH STREET 1.A.B.C.D
W E S T 5 7 T H S T R E E T
PIER 90
Hudson PIER 88 WEST 51ST STREET B R O A D W AY 57th St
WEST 55TH STREET
E L E V E N T H A V E N U E
N.Q.R
WEST 54TH STREET
T E N T H A V E N U E
CENTRAL PARK SOUTH
WEST 53RD STREET
T W E L F T H A V E N U E W E S T 5 3 R D S T R E E T F
WEST 52ND STREET
SEVENTH AVENUE
PIER 84 PIER 86 WEST 48TH STREET W E S T 5 4 T H S T R E E T 4 •13 57th St
W E S T 5 5 T H S T
WEST 50TH STREET
WEST 49TH STREET
PIER 83 N I N T H A V E N U E 50th St Seventh Ave (SIXTH AVENUE)
B.D.E
C.E
PIER 81 WEST 44TH STREET E I G H T H A V E N U E
WEST 47TH STREET
50th St
1
W E S T 5 1 S T S T R E E T
WEST 45TH STREET
49th St
West Midtown WEST 43RD STREET W E S T 4 9 T H S T R E E T
Ferry Terminal WEST 42ND STREET (THEATER ROW) WEST 46TH ST N.Q.R
47th-50th St-
Rockefeller Center ROCKEFELLER
42nd St- DUFFY B.D.F.M PLAZA
Port Auth. SQUARE
WEST 41ST STREET
Bus Terminal AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
WEST 40TH ST
WEST 39TH STREET
A.C.E WEST 45TH STREET A V E N U E
WEST 48TH ST
Times Sq- 14 •19
WEST 47TH ST
42nd St TIMES
1.2.3 SQUARE
Times Sq- 42nd St F I F T H
42nd St B.D.F.M
W E S T 4 0 T H S T R E E T
7.N.Q.R.S
Fifth Ave
7
W E S T 3 9 T H S T R E E T
136-137_EW_New_York_City.indd 136 4/3/17 11:11 AM

NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA  137

MIDTOWN WEST AND
THE THEATER DISTRICT

At the heart of Midtown lies Times Square, glamour of neon to Broadway, the signs
where huge neon displays flash and crowds getting bigger and brighter, until eventually
bustle. The Theater District lies north of 42nd the street came to be known as the “Great
Street, and offers a fabulous concen tration of White Way.” After World War II, the draw of
live theater. It was the move of the Metropolitan the films waned, and the glitter was replaced
Opera House to Broadway at 40th Street in by grime. Fortunately, since the 1990s,
1883 that first drew theaters and restaurants redevelopment has brought the public
here. In the 1920s, movie palaces added the and bright lights of Broadway back.

Sights at a Glance
Historic Streets and Buildings Modern Architecture Landmark Hotels
5 Discovery Times Square 1 Rockefeller Center and Restaurants
8 New York Public Library r 1740 Broadway 4 Algonquin Hotel
q McGraw Hill Building Parks and Squares 7 Bryant Park Hotel
w Paramount Building Landmark Stores
e Shubert Alley 6 Bryant Park 2 Diamond District
u Alwyn Court Apartments 9 Times Square
p Hell’s Kitchen Famous Theaters
Museums and Galleries 3 Lyceum Theatre
i Intrepid Sea, Air 0 New Amsterdam Theatre
& Space Museum t New York City Center
o Museum of Arts y Carnegie Hall
and Design

River PIER 92 W E S T 5 8 T H S TR E E T See also Street Finder maps 7, 8, 11, 12

DE WITT 59th St-
Columbus Circle
CLINTON PARK WEST 56TH STREET 1.A.B.C.D
W E S T 5 7 T H S T R E E T
PIER 90
Hudson PIER 88 WEST 51ST STREET B R O A D W AY 57th St
WEST 55TH STREET
E L E V E N T H A V E N U E
N.Q.R
WEST 54TH STREET
CENTRAL PARK SOUTH
WEST 53RD STREET
T E N T H A V E N U E
T W E L F T H A V E N U E WEST 47TH STREET W E S T 5 3 R D S T R E E T F
WEST 52ND STREET
SEVENTH AVENUE
PIER 84 PIER 86 WEST 48TH STREET W E S T 5 4 T H S T R E E T 4 •13 57th St
W E S T 5 5 T H S T
WEST 50TH STREET
WEST 49TH STREET
PIER 83 N I N T H A V E N U E 50th St Seventh Ave (SIXTH AVENUE)
B.D.E
C.E
PIER 81 WEST 44TH STREET E I G H T H A V E N U E
50th St
1
AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
W E S T 5 1 S T S T R E E T
WEST 45TH STREET
West Midtown WEST 43RD STREET W E S T 4 9 T H S T R E E T
49th St
Ferry Terminal WEST 42ND STREET (THEATER ROW) WEST 46TH ST N.Q.R
47th-50th St-
Rockefeller Center ROCKEFELLER
42nd St- DUFFY B.D.F.M PLAZA
Port Auth. SQUARE
WEST 41ST STREET
WEST 39TH STREET
WEST 40TH ST
Restaurants see Bus Terminal WEST 45TH STREET A V E N U E
A.C.E
WEST 48TH ST
pp299–302 Times Sq- 14 •19
WEST 47TH ST
TIMES
1 Aureole 42nd St SQUARE
1.2.3
2 Becco 12 Molyvos
3 Le Bernardin 13 Norma’s W E S T 4 0 T H S T R E E T
4 Burger Joint at 14 Osteria al Doge Times Sq- 42nd St F I F T H
42nd St
B.D.F.M
Le Parker Meridien 15 Quality Meats 7.N.Q.R.S Fifth Ave
5 Carnegie Deli 16 Russian Tea W E S T 3 9 T H S T R E E T 7
6 DB Bistro Moderne Room
7 Esca 17 The Sea Grill
8 Estiatorio Milos 18 Taboon
9 Joe Allen 19 Virgil’s Real 0 meters 500
10 Marea Barbecue
11 Marseille 0 yards 500
Grand chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the New York Public Library For keys to symbols see back flap
136-137_EW_New_York_City.indd 137 4/3/17 11:11 AM

138  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

Street by Street: Times Square

Named for the 25-story New York Times Tower, which opened
in 1906, Times Square has been at the heart of the city’s
theater district since 1899, when Oscar Hammerstein built the
Victoria and Republic theaters. Since the 1920s, the glowing
neon of theater billboards has combined with the Times’
illuminated newswire and other advertising to create a
spectacular lightshow. After a period of decline starting in
the 1930s, which saw sex shows taking over many of the
grand theaters, rejuvenation of the district began during Paramount Hotel
the 1990s. Old-style Broadway glamor again rubs shoulders Designed by Philippe Starck,
with modern entertainment in this part of the city. this hotel is the hip haunt of
the theater crowd who drink
in the late-night Paramount
Bar (see p310).
Sardi’s restaurant was W 4 8 T H S T
established in Times Square in
1921, and has walls lined with
caricatures of Broadway stars
of yesterday and today.



Westin Hotel is a striking 45-story W 47TH ST
building that consists of a prism
split by a curving beam of light.
Stunning views over the city.

E-Walk entertainment
and retail complex W 4 5 T H S T
has a multiplex
cinema, restaurants, a
hotel, and the B. B. King
Blues Club.









42nd St-Port Auth W 4 3 R D S T
Bus Terminal subway
(Lines A, C & E)



W 4 1 S T S T
H A V Times Sq-42nd St W 4 3 R D S T
T subway (lines N, Q,
N
E R, S, 1, 2, 3, 7)
9. One Times Square V
Every New Year’s Eve at midnight, S E
the famed crystal ball drops from
the top of One Times Square. There . New Victory Theater
are great views from the front of This classic Broadway theater is used as a
this New York landmark. performance space for children and families.



138-139_EW_New_York_City.indd 138 4/3/17 12:08 PM

MID T OWN WEST AND THE THEA TER DISTRIC T  139


Electronic Ticker Tape The Morgan Stanley digital UPPER
tickertape comprises seven giant LED screens. It is one Hudson River WEST SIDE CENTRAL
of the many eye-catching lighting displays that PARK
illuminate Times Square day and night. City ordinances THE THEATER DISTRICT
MIDTOWN WEST &
required office buildings to carry neon advertising.

0 meters 100 Key CHELSEA & THE LOWER
GARMENT DISTRICT MIDTOWN
0 yards 100 Suggested route
Locator Map
See map pp16–17
1221 Avenue of
the Americas
J. P. Stevens 1211 Avenue of
Company Tower the Americas

W 4 8 T H S T




W 47TH ST
W A Y E
D N U
A E
H A V Duffy Square is home to
O
R
B
a statue of actor, composer,
T and writer George M. Cohan,
N who was responsible for
E
V many of Broadway’s hits.
E The square is named for
S W 4 7 T H S T
World War I hero, “Fighting”
Father Duffy, immortalized
in a statue. It is also home
to the TKTS (see p334)
W 4 6 T H S T
booth, where cut-price
theater tickets are sold daily.
3 Lyceum Theatre
The oldest Broadway theater,
the Lyceum has a beautifully
ornate Baroque facade.




W 4 3 R D S T
Belasco Theatre was built in 1907
by producer David Belasco and
was the most technically advanced
theater of its time. Original Tiffany
glass and Everett Shinn murals
decorate the interior. It is rumored
that Belasco’s ghost still treads
the boards some nights.




138-139_EW_New_York_City.indd 139 4/3/17 12:08 PM

140  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


hosts its famous Christmas and
Easter shows, and Rockefeller
Plaza features a winter ice-
skating rink and world-
renowned Christmas tree.
The Top of the Rock, an
observatory on the 67th, 69th
and 70th floors of the center,
offers a dizzying 360-degree
panoramic view of the city. On
the 67th and 69th floors, the
outdoor terraces feature
transparent safety glass for
stunning views downwards.
2 Diamond District
47th St, between 5th and 6th Aves.
Map 12 F5. q 47th-50th Sts. See
Shopping p322. ∑ nycdiamond
district.com
Most shop windows on 47th
Street glitter with gold and
diamonds. The buildings are
filled with booths and work-
A Christmas tree stands above the Rockefeller Plaza skating rink for the holiday season shops where jewelers vie for
customers, while, upstairs, vast
1 Rockefeller John D. Rockefeller, Jr., as sums of money change hands.
Center an ideal central home for an The Diamond District was born
opera house. When the 1929 in the 1930s, when the Jewish
Map 12 F5. q 47th-50th Sts. Depression scuttled these plans, dia mond cutters of Antwerp
Tel (212) 332-6868 (information). Rockefeller, stuck with a long and Ams terdam fled to the US
7 0 - 8 NBC, Rockefeller lease, went ahead with his own to escape Nazism. Today, Jewish
Center, daily. Tel (212) 664-7174 development. The 14 buildings dealers still pre domi nate.
(reservations advised). Radio City erected between 1931 and Although mainly a wholesale
Music Hall, daily. Tel (212) 247-4777. 1940 provided jobs for up to district, individual customers
Top of the Rock, daily. Tel (212) 698-
2000. ∑ rockefellercenter.com 225,000 people during the are wel come. Bring cash,
∑ nbc.com ∑ radiocity.com Depression; by 1973, there compare prices, haggle, and
∑ topoftherocknyc.com were 19 buildings. stay away if you know nothing
The center is a go-to about the value of diamonds.
When the New York City destination for the holiday
Landmarks Preservation seasons. Radio City Music Hall,
Commission unanimously voted which moved here in 1932, 3 Lyceum Theatre
to declare Rockefeller 149 W 45th St. Map 12 E5. Tel Tele-
Center a landmark in charge (212) 239-6200. q 42nd St,
1985, they rightly called it 47th St, 49th St. See Entertainment
“the heart of New York . . . p339. ∑ lyceum-theatre.com
a great unifying presence
in the chaotic core of The oldest active New York
midtown Manhattan.” theater is a frilly, Baroque-style
It is the largest bandbox. This 1903 triumph
privately owned complex was the first theater by Herts
of its kind. The Art Deco and Tallant, later renowned for
design was by a team their extravagant style. The
of top architects headed Lyceum made history
by Raymond Hood. with a record run of 1,600
Works by 30 artists performances of the comedy
can be found in foyers, Born Yesterday. It was the first
on facades, and in the theater to be designated a
gardens. The site, once historic landmark, and, though
a botanic garden owned the Theater District has shifted
by Columbia University, westward, there are still
was leased in 1928 by Wisdom by Lee Lawrie, Rockefeller Center many shows here.




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4 Algonquin Hotel 7 Bryant Park Hotel
59 W 44th St. Map 12 F5. Tel (212) 40 W 40th St. Map 8 F1.
840-6800. q 42nd St. See Where to Tel (212) 869-0100. q 42nd St.
Stay p289. ∑ algonquinhotel.com ∑ bryantparkhotel.com
No other hotel captures the city’s The American Radiator building
formidable literary history quite (now the Bryant Park Hotel) was
like the Algon quin Hotel. For the first major New York work
more than a century it has played by Raymond Hood and John
host to home-grown talent and Howells, who went on to
international luminaries. In the design the Daily News Building
1920s, the Rose Room was (see p151), the McGraw-Hill
home to America’s best-known building, and Rockefeller
luncheon club, the Round Table, Center. The 1924 structure is
with literary lights such as reminiscent of one of Hood’s
Alexander Woollcott, Franklin Entrance to the popular Discovery best-known Gothic buildings,
P. Adams, Dorothy Parker, Robert Times Square Chicago’s Tribune Tower. Here,
Benchley, and Harold Ross. All the design is sleeker, giving the
were associated with The New sponsored by the US Discovery building the illusion of being
Yorker (Ross was the founding Channel, the shows here are taller than its actual 23 stories.
editor), whose 25 West 43rd informative, interactive, and The black brick facade is set
Street headquarters had a back educational. A range of off by gold terracotta trim,
door opening into the hotel. subjects are showcased – evoking images of flaming
Renovations have preserved from ancient history, coals – a comparison
the old-fashioned, civilized feel with major install- that would have suited
of the cozy, paneled lobby, where ations on King Tut, its original owners
pub lishing types and theater- the Dead Sea Scrolls, well, since they
goers still like to gather for and Pompeii, to made heating
drinks, settling into comfortable Hollywood block- equipment. The
armchairs and ring ing a brass busters, such as building is now a
bell to summon the waiters. The Hunger Games luxury hotel (see
and The Avengers. p285) across the
The ongoing street from Bryant
permanent exhibi- Park and boasts
tion “Body Worlds” Statue of poet William Cullen the New York
comprises a series Bryant in Bryant Park outpost of trendy
of real cadavers, LA eatery Koi.
preserved by plastination,
and displayed to reveal various
body parts.

6 Bryant Park
Map 8 F1. q 42nd St.
∑ bryantpark.org
In 1853, with the New York
Public Library site still occupied
by Croton Reservoir, Bryant Park
Elegant interior of the lobby in the (then Reservoir Park) housed
Algonquin Hotel a dazzling Crystal Palace, built
for the World’s Fair of that
5 Discovery Times year (see p27).
In the 1960s the park was
Square a hangout for drug dealers and
other undesirables. In 1989 the
224 W 44th St. Map 12 E5. city renovated the park,
Tel (646) 368-6759. q Times Sq-42nd
St. Open 10am–8pm Mon–Thu & Sun, reclaiming it for workers and
10am–9pm Fri & Sat. ∑ discovery visitors to relax in. In winter
tsx.com there is a free ice- skating rink
here; in the summer, classic
Explore a host of specialized, movies are screened.
large-scale exhibitions at this Over seven million books lie in The Bryant Park Hotel, formerly the
exposition space. Partially storage stacks beneath the park. American Radiator Building



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142  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA



















Doorway leading to New York Public
Library’s Main Reading Room
8 New York
Public Library
5th Ave & 42nd St. Map 8 F1. Tel (212)
930-0830. q 42nd St-Grand Central,
42nd St-5th Ave. Open 10am–6pm
Mon & Thu–Sat (till 8pm Tue & Wed),
1–5pm Sun. Closed Jul & Aug: Sun,
public hols. 7 8 11am & 2pm Tue–
Thu. Lectures. = ∑ nypl.org
Barrel vaults of carved white marble over the stairs in the Astor Hall
In 1897 the coveted job of
designing New York’s main considered the epitome of New Thomas Jefferson’s hand written
public library was awarded to York’s Beaux Arts period. copy of the Declaration of
architects Carrère & Hastings. The Built on the site of the former Independence to T. S. Eliot’s
library’s first director envisaged a Croton Reservoir (see p26), it typed copy of “The Waste Land.”
light, quiet, airy place for study, opened in 1911 to immediate More than 1,000 queries are
where millions of books could be acclaim, despite having cost the answered daily, using the vast
stored and yet be available to city $9 million. The vast, paneled database of the CATNYP and LEO
readers as promptly as possible. Main Reading Room stretches computer catalogs.
In the hands of Carrère & Hastings, two full blocks and is suffused This library is the hub of a
his vision came true, in what is with daylight from the two network of 82 branches, with
interior court yards. nearly seven million users. Some
Below it are 88 miles branches are very well-known,
(142 km) of shelves, such as the New York Public
holding over seven Library for the Perform ing Arts at
million volumes. A the Lincoln Center (see p206) and
staff of over 100 and the Schomburg Center in
a computerized Harlem (see p223).
dumb-waiter can
supply any book
within 10 minutes. 9 Times Square
The Periodicals Room Map 8 E1. q 42nd St-Times Sq.
holds 10,000 current n NYC Information Center, Broadway
periodicals from 128 Plaza, between 43rd and 44th sts,
countries. On its walls 9am–6pm daily. 8 (212) 484-1222.
are murals by Richard ∑ timessquarenyc.org
Haas, honoring New
York’s great publishing The 1990s saw a transformation
houses. The original in Times Square, reversing a
library combined the decline that began during the
collections of John Depression. The Square is now
Jacob Astor and James a safe and vibrant place where
The Main Reading Room, with its original Lenox. Its collections Broadway traditions comfortably
bronze reading lamps today range from coexist with modern innovations.




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MID T OWN WEST AND THE THEA TER DISTRIC T  143


Ziegfeld, who still a theatrical feel to the massive
produced his building designed by Rapp &
famous Follies Rapp in 1927. On each side, 14
revue here symmetrical setbacks rise to an
between 1914 Art Deco crown – a tower, clock,
and 1918 – with and globe. In the heyday of the
Broadway’s first “Great White Way,” the tower was
$5 ticket price. lit, with an observation deck at
He remodeled the top. The Hard Rock Cafe is
the roof garden now here, along with a retail store
into another and a concert area.
The iconic neon signs at the ever busy Times Square theater, the
Aerial Gardens.
Although The New York Times This is one of the fine early e Shubert Alley
has moved on from its original theaters on 42nd Street that Between W 44th and W 45th St.
headquarters at the south end fell on hard times. With the Map 12 E5. q 42nd St-Times Sq.
of the Square, the glistening rehabi litation of Times Square, See Entertainment p336.
ball (now of Waterford crystal) and it being owned by Disney
still drops at midnight on New Productions, its fortunes rose The playhouses on the streets
Year’s Eve, as it has since the again and it is once more in west of Broadway are rich in
building opened with fanfare showbusiness. theater lore – and in notable
and fireworks in 1906. New architecture. Two classic theaters
buildings, such as the Bertels- built in 1913 are the Booth (222
mann and the fashionably q McGraw-Hill West 45th Street), named after
minimalist Condé Nast offices, Building actor Edwin Booth, and the
sit comfortably alongside the Shubert (225 West 44th), after
classic Broadway theaters. 330 W 42nd St. Map 8 D1. q 42nd theater baron Sam S. Shubert.
Broadway’s fortunes have also St-8th Ave. Open office hours. They form the west wall of
revived. Many theaters have Shubert Alley, where aspiring
been renovated and are again This 1931 design by Raymond actors once lined up, hoping
housing contemporary Hood was the only New York for a casting in a Shubert play.
productions; theater-goers building selected for the influential A Chorus Line ran at the
throng the area’s bars and International Style architectural Shubert until 1990, for a record
restaurants each evening. survey of 1932 (see p45). Its unusual 6,137 performances; Katharine
One of the area’s landmarks is design gives it a stepped profile Hepburn starred earlier in The
the 57-story skyscraper, designed seen from east and west, but a slab Philadelphia Story. Across from
by Miami architects Arquitec- effect viewed from the north or the 44th Street end of the alley
tonica, that tops the E-Walk south. The exterior’s hori zontal is the St. James, where Rodgers
entertainment and retail complex bands of bluish green terracotta and Hammerstein made their
at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue have earned it the nickname “jolly debut with Oklahoma! in 1941,
(see p138). Other attractions green giant.” Step inside to see followed by The King and I.
include an outpost of Madame the classic Art Deco lobby of Nearby is Sardi’s, the restaurant
Tussauds wax museum at 42nd opaque glass and stainless steel. where actors waited for
Street, between Seventh and One block west is Theater opening-night reviews. Irving
Eighth Avenues; a massive Disney Row, a pleasant group of Off- Berlin staged The Music
Store; Bowlmor Lanes bowling Broadway theaters and cafés. Box Revue opposite
alley; a pedestrian plaza; and the other end
M&M’s World at 1600 Broadway. of the alley in
w Paramount 1921. His
Building Music Box
0 New Amsterdam Theatre has
Theatre 1501 Broadway. Map 8 E1. since housed
q 34th St.
many famous
214 W 42nd St. Map 8 E1. Tel (212) productions.
282-2900. q 42nd St-Times Sq. The fabulous ground-
Open 9am–8pm Mon–Fri, 10am– floor movie theater,
8pm Sat, 10am–6:30pm Sun. 8 call where bobby-soxers
for details (212) 282-2907.
stood in line in the
1940s to hear Frank
This was the most opulent theater Sinatra perform, is
in the United States when it gone, but there’s
opened in 1903, and the first to
have an Art Nouveau interior. It Art Deco top of the
was owned for a time by Florenz Paramount Building



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144  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


r 1740 Broadway
1740 Broadway. Map 12 E4. q 57th
St-Seventh Ave. Closed to the public.
Built in 1950, the former head
office of the Mutual of New York
insurance company (acquired
by AXA in 2004) has a weather
vane that once told you
everything except the wind
direction. The mast turned green
for fair, orange for cloudy,
flashing orange for rain, and
white for snow. Lights moving
up the mast meant warmer
weather; lights going down
meant get out your overcoat!
The lights remain, but are now
for display only. The temper- The tiled Moorish facade of the New York City Center for music and dance
ature and time are still shown.
a key venue for dance. Today and brick Renaissance-style
the Alvin Ailey American Dance building has among the best
t New York Theater, and the Manhattan acoustics in the world. On
City Center Theatre Club are based here. opening night, Tchaikovsky was
a guest conductor, and New
131 W 55th St. Map 12 E4. Tel (212) York’s finest families attended.
581-1212. q 57th St-Seventh Ave. y Carnegie Hall For many years it was home to
^ 7 See Entertainment p340. the New York Phil harmonic,
∑ nycitycenter.org 154 W 57th Street. Map 12 E3. under conductors such as Arturo
Tel (212) 247-7800. q 57th St-Seventh
Ave. Museum: Open 11am–4:30pm Toscanini, Bruno Walter, and
This highly ornate Moorish daily & during concert intermissions. Leonard Bernstein. Playing
struc ture with its dome of Closed Wed. ^ 7 8 Oct–Jun: Carnegie Hall quickly became
Spanish tiles was designed in 11:30am, 12:30pm, 2pm & 3pm Mon– an international symbol of
1924 as a Masonic Shriners’ Fri; 11:30am & 12:30pm Sat; 12:30pm success for musicians.
Temple. It was saved from the Sun. = See Entertainment p344. In the 1950s, a campaign by
developers by Mayor LaGuardia, ∑ carnegiehall.org violinist Isaac Stern saved the
becoming home to the New site from redevelop ment, and
York City Opera (1944–1964) Financed by millionaire philan- in 1964 it was made a national
and Ballet (1948–1966). When thropist Andrew Carnegie, New landmark. Reno vation in 1986
the troupes moved to Lincoln York’s first great concert hall brought the bronze balconies
Center, City Center lived on as opened in 1891. The terracotta and the ornamental plaster
back to their original splendor.
In 1991, the Rose Museum
opened next to the first-tier
level, telling the story of the first
100 years of “The House that
Music Built.” In 2003, the Judy
and Arthur Zankel Hall re-
established the lower level
as a performance venue.
Top orchestras and perfor mers
from around the world still fill
Carnegie Hall, and the corridors
are lined with memorabilia of
artists who have performed here.

u Alwyn Court
Apartments
180 W 58th St. Map 12 E3. q 57th
St-Seventh Ave. Closed to the public.
You can’t miss it – not with the
Carnegie Hall, offering some of the best acoustics in the world fanciful crowns, dragons, and




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MID T OWN WEST AND THE THEA TER DISTRIC T  145


other French Renaissance- and eye-catching building,
style terracotta carvings is dedicated to contemporary
covering the exterior of this objects, from clay and wood
1909 Harde and Short apartment to metal and fiber, in an array
building. The ground floor has of media. The permanent
lost its cornice, but the rest of collection has over 2,000
the building remains intact, artifacts by inter national
and it’s one of a kind in New crafts men and designers.
York City. Its four exhibition floors host
The intricate facade follows special exhibitions and include
the style of French King the Tiffany & Co. Foundation
Francis I, whose symbol, a Jewelry Gallery, which focuses
crowned salaman der, can be on studio jewelry. Items by top-
seen above the entrance to class American crafts men are on
the building. The interior sale in The Store at MAD.
courtyard features a dazzling
display of the illusionistic
skills of artist Richard Haas, p Hell’s Kitchen
in which plain walls are Map 11 B5–C5. q 50th St.
transformed into “carved” The flight deck of the Intrepid, with fighter
stonework. jets and spy planes on display West of Times Square, roughly
between 30th and 59th streets,
The Intrepid itself was built in lies Clinton, more commonly
1943, and survived both World known as Hell’s Kitchen. Known
War II and the Vietnam War. An for its culinary reputation, in the
exhibit chronicles the history of late 1800s the area was a poor
the aircraft carrier. Irish enclave, reputed to be one
of New York’s most violent
neighbor hoods, as Greeks, Puerto
o Museum of Ricans, and African-Americans
Arts and Design moved in and tensions rapidly
developed. Such rivalries were
2 Columbus Circle. Map 12 D3. Tel (212) popularized in the musical West
299-7777. q 59th St- Columbus Side Story (1957). The area has
The crowned salamander, symbol of Circle. Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun been cleaned up, with rents sky-
Francis I, on Alwyn Court (to 9pm Thu & Fri). Closed public hols. rocketing and Ninth Avenue
& ^ 7 8 Lectures, films. = especially crammed with rest-
∑ madmuseum.org
aurants, bars, and delis. There’s
i Intrepid Sea, Air & The leading American cultural also a strong gay community,
Space Museum institution of its kind, this with as many gay bars as in
museum, housed in a modern, Chelsea or the East Village.
Pier 86, W 46th St. Map 11 A5.
Tel (877) 957-SHIP. @ M42, M50.
Open Apr–Oct: 10am–5pm Mon–Fri;
10am–6pm Sat, Sun and hols; Nov–
Mar: 10am–5pm daily. & =
∑ intrepidmuseum.org
Exhibits on board this World
War II aircraft carrier include
fighter planes from the 1940s,
the A-12 Blackbird, the world’s
fastest spy plane, and the USS
Growler, a guided-missile sub-
marine launched in 1958 at the
height of the Cold War.
The museum’s family-friendly
Exploreum Hall contains two
G-Force flight simulators, a 4D
motion ride theater, a Bell 47
helicopter, and an interactive
submarine. In 2012, the museum
introduced the Space Shuttle
Pavilion, which houses the
historic space shuttle Enterprise. Restaurants and bars in Hell’s Kitchen




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Fifth Ave VANDERBILT AVENUE E A S T 4 7 T H A V E N U E 4 8 T H
7 L E X I N G T O N A V E N U E 4 5 T H S T R E E T V E N U E HAMMARSKJOLD



E A S T
S T R E E T
4 6 T H

T H I R D
A
EAST 41ST ST
D
Grand Central-
PLAZA
F I F T H A V E N U E M A D I S O N A V E N U E P A R K A V E N U E L E X I N G T O N A V E N U E T H I R D A V E N U E E A S T
UNI T E D N AT IO NS PL A Z A

42nd St

S T R E E T
S.4.5.6.7
S E C O N
PERSHING
SQUARE
S T R E E T
E A S T 4 4 T H S T R E E T
S
EAST 40TH TREET
E A S T 4 3 R D S T R E E T
E A S T 3 9 T H S T R E E T
S E C O N D A V E N U E
E A S T 3 8 T H S T R E E T
R i v e r
E A S T 4 0 T H S T R E E T A V E N U E
E A S T 3 7 T H S T R E E T
TUNNEL EXIT STREET E A S T 4 1 S T S T R E E T

E A S T 3 6 T H S T R E E T
E A S T
F I R S T

E A S T 3 5 T H S T R E E T
Tunnel 495
E A S T 3 9 T H S T R E E T
3 8 T H
S T R E E T
E A S T 3 4 T H S T R E E T
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NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA  147

LOWER MIDTOWN

From Beaux Arts to Art Deco, this section of financier J. P. Morgan, whose library, now a
Midtown boasts some fine architecture, chic museum, reveals the grandeur of the age. The
boutiques, and towering skyscrapers, primarily commercial pace quickens at 42nd Street, near
scattered along Fifth, Madison, and Park Grand Central Terminal, where tall office
avenues. Quiet, res idential Murray Hill, between buildings line the streets. However, few of the
East 34th and East 40th streets, was named for newer buildings have equaled the Beaux Arts
a country estate that once occupied the site. By Terminal itself or such Art Deco beauties as the
the turn of the 20th century, it was home to Chrysler Building, while the Modernist United
many of New York’s first families, including the Nations complex overlooks the East River.
Sights at a Glance
Historic Streets and Buildings Museums and Galleries
2 Grand Central Terminal pp152–3 q Japan Society
3 Bowery Savings Bank Building r The Morgan Library & Museum
4 Chanin Building pp160–61
5 Chrysler Building Modern Architecture
6 Daily News Building 1 MetLife Building
7 Ford Foundation Building 9 1 and 2 United Nations Plaza
8 Helmsley Building 0 United Nations pp156–9 See also Street Finder
w Fred F. French Building maps 8, 9, 12, 13
t Sniffen Court Churches
e Church of the Incarnation

F I F T H A V E N U E M A D I S O N A V E N U E PARK AVE E A S T E A S T





Fifth Ave VANDERBILT AVENUE E A S T 4 7 T H A V E N U E 4 8 T H

7 L E X I N G T O N A V E N U E 4 5 T H S T R E E T A HAMMARSKJOLD

V E N U E

E A S T
S T R E E T
4 6 T H

T H I R D
EAST 41ST ST
Grand Central-
D
PLAZA
F I F T H A V E N U E M A D I S O N A V E N U E P A R K A V E N U E L E X I N G T O N A V E N U E T H I R D A V E N U E E A S T 4 2 N D S T R E E T S T

42nd St

S.4.5.6.7
S T R E E T
S E C O N
PERSHING
SQUARE
E A S T 4 4 T H S T R E E T
S
EAST 40TH TREET
E A S T 4 3 R D S T R E E T
E A S T 3 9 T H S T R E E T
S E C O N D A V E N U E
E A S T 3 8 T H S T R E E T
E A S T 4 0 T H S T R E E T A V E N U E
E A S T 3 7 T H S T R E E T
TUNNEL EXIT STREET E A S T 4 1 S T S T R E E T

E A S T 3 6 T H S T R E E T
E A S T
E A S T 3 5 T H S T R E E T
Tunnel 495
E A S T 3 9 T H S T R E E T
E A S T 3 4 T H S T R E E T
Restaurants see pp299–302 0 meters 3 8 T H S T R E E T F I R S T FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT DRIVE E a s t Queens - Midtown
400
1 Ali Baba 0 yards 400
2 Grand Central Oyster Bar
3 Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse N.Y.C
Terraced arches with triangular windows on the spire of the Chrysler Building For keys to symbols see back flap
146-147_EW_New_York_City.indd 147 4/3/17 11:11 AM

148  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

Street by Street: Lower Midtown

A walk in the neighborhood allows you to see
1 MetLife Building
the eclectic mix of New York’s architectural This skyscraper, built by
styles. Step back to appreciate the contours Pan Am in 1963, towers
of the tallest skyscrapers, and step inside to above Park Avenue.
experience the many fine interiors, from modern
atriums such as those in the Philip Morris and
Ford Foundation buildings, to the ornate details
of the Bowery Savings Bank Building and the
soaring spaces of Grand Central Terminal.











2. Grand Central Terminal
The vast, vaulted interior is a
splendid reminder of the heyday
of train travel. This historic building E
also features specialty shops and N U
gourmet restaurants. E
A V

K
Grand Central-42nd St R
subway (lines S, 4, 5, 6, 7) P A E
N U
E
A V
E 4 1 S T S T

N
4 Chanin Building T O
Built for self-made G
real estate mogul I N
Irwin S. Chanin in E X
the 1920s, this L
building has a fine
Art Deco lobby.








3. Bowery Savings
Bank Building
Formerly the headquarters
of the Bowery Savings The Mobil Building has
Bank, this is one of the a self-cleaning stainless
finest bank buildings in steel facade that is
New York. Architects embossed in geometric
York & Sawyer designed patterns to prevent it
it to resemble a from warping. It was
Romanesque palace. built in 1955.




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