Upper West Side

The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West Side is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Hell's Kitchen to the south, Columbus Circle to the southeast, and Morningside Heights to the north.

Like the Upper East Side on the opposite side of Central Park, the Upper West Side is an affluent, primarily residential area with many of its residents working in commercial areas of Midtown and Lower Manhattan. Like the Museum Mile district on the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side is considered one of Manhattan's cultural and intellectual hubs, with Columbia University and Barnard College located just to the north of the neighborhood, the American Museum of Natural History located near its center, the New York Institute of Technology in the Columbus Circle proximity and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School located at the south end.

The Upper West Side is part of Manhattan Community District 7, and its primary ZIP Codes are 10023, 10024, 10025, and 10069. It is patrolled by the 20th and 24th Precincts of the New York City Police Department.

Geography

The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. It is bordered on the south by 59th Street, on the east by Central Park, on the west by the Hudson River, and on the north by 110th Street. The area north of West 96th Street and east of Broadway is also known as Manhattan Valley.

The main streets from west to east are Riverside Drive, West End Avenue (11th Avenue), Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue (10th Avenue), Columbus Avenue (9th Avenue), and Central Park West (8th Avenue). Broadway runs diagonally through the neighborhood and connects to several important places such as Columbus Circle, Lincoln Square, Verdi Square, and Straus Park.

History

Native American and colonial use

The Upper West Side was not often used by the Lenape people due to its high bluffs and sandy coves along the Hudson River. The area had stream valleys and wetlands that may have protected it from regular forest fires, allowing denser forests to grow.

In the 1700s and early 1800s, this area had some of New York's grandest homes along Bloomingdale Road. Over time, it filled with smaller homes, becoming more like a suburb.

Bloomingdale District

The part of the Upper West Side between 96th and 110th Streets was called the Bloomingdale District. Its name came from Dutch settlers who called the area "Bloemendaal," meaning "valley of flowers." This area had farms and villages along Bloomingdale Road, which later became The Boulevard.

Late 19th-century development

The riverfront was busy with shipping and manufacturing. The Hudson River Railroad ran along the river. Central Park's creation in the 1850s and 1860s caused many people to move into the Upper West Side. The area grew with the Ninth Avenue elevated train and Columbia University's move to Morningside Heights.

Riverside Park was planned in 1866 and built with help from designer Frederick Law Olmsted. It grew over time, including playgrounds and the 79th Street Boat Basin.

Early 20th century

Subway expansion

The first subway line opened in 1904, leading to many new apartment buildings. Tall apartments on West End Avenue and townhouses between Amsterdam Avenue and Riverside Drive were built before the Great Depression.

Enclaves

In the early 1900s, the area south of 67th Street had many African Americans and was called San Juan Hill. Urban renewal in the 1960s brought new buildings like Lincoln Center.

The Upper West Side became a home to many Jewish families, including those who came from Germany and those escaping Europe in the 1930s. Today, it still has many Jewish communities and synagogues.

Late 20th-century urban renewal

From after World War II until the 1980s, the neighborhood had many gay residents. Their presence helped improve the area.

In the 1990s, old railroad yards were turned into the Riverside South residential area, extending Riverside Park southward. This development took many years and had many disagreements.

Demographics

For the census, the New York City government groups the Upper West Side into two areas: Upper West Side (up to 105th Street) and Lincoln Square (down to 58th Street), separated by 74th Street. In 2010, the combined population was 193,867, a small increase from 2000. The area covers 1,162.29 acres and has about 166.8 people per acre.

Most people in the Upper West Side are White, making up about 69.5% of the population. Other groups include about 7.1% African American, 7.6% Asian, and 13.3% Hispanic or Latino. From 2000 to 2010, the Asian population grew a lot, while the African American population decreased a bit.

The Upper West Side, from 59th Street to 110th Street, had 214,744 people in 2018. Most residents are adults, with about a third between ages 25 and 44. The area has a higher life expectancy than the rest of New York City. In 2017, the median household income was $123,894, and only 9% of people lived in poverty.

Political representation

The Upper West Side is part of Manhattan Community District 7. It belongs to New York's 12th congressional district. The neighborhood is also in the New York State Senate's 30th and 47th districts, the New York State Assembly's 67th, 69th, and 75th districts, and the New York City Council's 6th and 7th districts.

Notable structures

Organization headquarters

• American Broadcasting Company – KPF-designed headquarters located at 77 West 66th Street at Columbus Avenue.
• Time Warner – Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed headquarters located on Columbus Circle, at the site of the old New York Coliseum.
• Two primary music licensing organizations are located in the neighborhood, ASCAP and BMI.
• Lighthouse Guild – This non-sectarian, non-profit organization serving the visually impaired, blind, and those with multiple disabilities, has its national headquarters on West 64th Street between Amsterdam and West End Avenues.

Cultural institutions

• American Folk Art Museum
  • Eva and Morris Feld Gallery
• American Museum of Natural History
  • Hayden Planetarium
  • Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation
• Ballet Hispanico Tina Ramirez
• Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity
• Bard Graduate Center Gallery
• Beacon Theatre
• Children's Museum of Manhattan
• Lincoln Center – A total of 12 performing arts companies hosted in a variety of theater and recital spaces
  • Metropolitan Opera
  • David Geffen Hall (formerly Avery Fisher Hall), home of the New York Philharmonic
  • David H. Koch Theater (formerly New York State Theater), home of the New York City Ballet
  • Juilliard School of Music
  • Jazz at Lincoln Center
  • Alice Tully Hall
  • Film Society of Lincoln Center
  • School of American Ballet
  • Vivian Beaumont Theater
    • Claire Tow Theater
    • Mitzi Newhouse Theater
  • Damrosch Park
  • New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
    • Bruno Walter Auditorium
• Merkin Concert Hall
• New-York Historical Society
• Nicholas Roerich Museum
• Symphony Space
  • Thalia Theater
• El Taller Latinoamericano

Other sites

• 27 West 67th Street - Artists' studio cooperative built in 1901, anchor for the West 67th Street Artists' Colony Historic District.
• American Youth Hostel – the transformation of this abandoned Richard Morris Hunt landmark into the flagship of Hostelling International USA was propelled forward by the federal Community Development Block Grant funded, Manhattan Valley Neighborhood Strategy Area designation.
• Apple Bank Building – formerly Central Savings Bank, a Florentine palazzo at Broadway and 73rd, with a Roman banking hall, one of New York's classic interior spaces, York & Sawyer, architects, ironwork by Samuel Yellin, 1928. The upper floors have been converted to luxury condominium apartments.
• Claremont Riding Academy – In 2007, after 115 years of use, the last public stables in Manhattan, this National Register building on 89th Street, just east of Amsterdam, closed its doors for good. The subsequent interior gutting for conversion to residential use has halted.
• Columbus Circle – Traffic circle at the intersection of Broadway, Central Park West and Eighth Avenue, and Central Park South. Its centerpiece is a statue of the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus erected in 1906. Two other similarly financed monuments on Broadway include those to Italian writer Dante Aligheri in Dante Park between 63rd and 64th Streets at Columbus Avenue (which now heralds Lincoln Center); and to Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi which anchors Verdi Square, girded by 72nd and 73rd Streets at Amsterdam Avenue. The square, which actually was a triangle, was expanded to allow for a new subway head house and a plaza which became the setting for summer concerts. The aforementioned Apple Bank is across from the statue, and the Ansonia Hotel lies diagonally across the northwest intersection.
• The Dakota is a co-op apartment building on 72nd Street and Central Park West, which is New York City's oldest surviving luxury apartment building.
• Strawberry Fields is a landscaped section of Central Park opposite the Dakota. It is dedicated to the memory of John Lennon, with an inlaid mosaic of "Imagine", surrounded by benches where people gather to remember Lennon.
• The former East River Savings Bank at Amsterdam Avenue and 96th Street (Walker & Gillette, 1927) is a classical temple now housing a drugstore, locally termed "The Aspirineum" and "The First National Bank of CVS"
• Firemen's Memorial – this 1913 monument on Riverside Drive at 100th Street has been the scene of somber gatherings and spontaneous gestures, such as a display of flowers and children's teddy bears on 9/11. The Piccirilli Brothers' female model for this work, Audrey Munson, sat for the nearby Straus Memorial and for their Maine Monument, as well.
• Grant's Tomb – in Morningside Heights
• Joan of Arc Monument – a monument to the 15th-century French heroine bestrides a horse on a crest of Riverside Drive at 93rd Street.
• Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument – this Civil War memorial dominating Riverside Drive at 89th Street, is the setting for annual Memorial Day commemorations.
• Isidor and Ida Straus Memorial – honors Isidor Straus, co-owner of Macy's, and his wife, who lived in a mansion on West End Avenue and 105th Street, and died on the RMS Titanic, in triangular Straus Park at Broadway, West End Avenue and West 106th Street. The model for the sculpture was also the muse for the Maine Monument, 57 blocks south on Broadway, at the Columbus Circle entrance to Central Park.
• Riverside Drive–West 80th–81st Streets Historic District – a small historic district near Riverside Drive
• Riverside–West 105th Street Historic District – a small historic district near Riverside Drive

Residences

The apartment buildings along Central Park West, facing the park, are some of the city's most opulent. The Dakota at 72nd Street has been home to numerous celebrities including John Lennon, Leonard Bernstein, and Lauren Bacall. Other buildings on CPW include four twin-towered structures: the Century and Majestic by Irwin Chanin, the Orwell House by the firm of Mulliken and Moeller, and the San Remo and El Dorado by Emery Roth. Roth also designed the Beresford, the Alden, and the Ardsley on Central Park West. His first major commission, the Belle Époque-style Belleclaire Hotel, is on Broadway, while the moderne-style Normandy stands on Riverside at 86th Street. Along Broadway are several large apartment houses, including the Belnord (1908), the Apthorp (1908), the Ansonia (1902), the Dorilton (1902), and the Manhasset. All are individually designated New York City landmarks.

The serpentine Riverside Drive also has many pre-war houses and larger buildings, while West End Avenue is lined with pre-war Beaux-Arts apartment buildings and townhouses dating from the late-19th and early 20th centuries. Columbus Avenue north of 87th Street was the spine for major post-World War II urban renewal. Broadway is lined with such architecturally notable apartment buildings as The Ansonia, The Apthorp, The Belnord, the Astor Court Building, and The Cornwall, which features an Art Nouveau cornice. Newly constructed 15 Central Park West and 535 West End Avenue are among some of the prestigious residential addresses in Manhattan.

Restaurants and gourmet groceries

Both Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue from 67th Street up to 110th Street are lined with restaurants and bars, as is Columbus Avenue to a slightly lesser extent. The following lists a few prominent ones:

• Barney Greengrass, specializing in fish at Amsterdam Avenue and 86th Street; featured in the 2011 film Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. It marked its centenary in June 2008.
• Citarella Gourmet Market (flagship store), specializing in seafood, meats and gourmet packaged foods located at 75th Street
• The Howard Chandler Christie murals of Café des Artistes, a now-closed French restaurant on West 67th Street off Central Park West, are being incorporated into a new restaurant on the site.
• Cafe Lalo, dessert and coffee venue at 83rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue, opened in 1988 and featured in the 1998 movie You've Got Mail.
• Community Food and Juice, an eco-conscious restaurant at 2893 Broadway between 112th and 113th Streets.
• A branch of Gray's Papaya, which specializes in hot dogs, is located at Broadway and 72nd Street.
• The original Zabar's is a specialty food and housewares store at Broadway and 80th Street, that opened in 1941.
• Levana's, a kosher, fine dining restaurant was part of the neighborhood for three decades, but closed in the 2000s.
• Tom's Restaurant located on the ground floor of the Columbia University's Armstrong Hall at 2880 Broadway on the northeast corner of 112th Street, was used as the outside location for the fictional Monk's Cafe in the NBC show Seinfeld.

Police and crime

The Upper West Side is watched over by two police areas. The 20th Precinct, located at 120 West 82nd Street, looks after the southern part of the neighborhood below 86th Street. The 24th Precinct, at 151 West 100th Street, takes care of the northern part above 86th Street.

Both areas have seen much less crime since the 1990s. In recent years, there have been very few serious crimes, and the number of robberies and other incidents has dropped a lot. Some busy streets, like Columbus Avenue between 100th Street and 104th Street, still see a few incidents, but overall the neighborhood is quite safe.

Fire safety

The Upper West Side has several fire stations to keep people safe. These stations are part of the New York City Fire Department and include:

• Engine Company 40/Ladder Company 35 – 131 Amsterdam Avenue
• Ladder Company 25/Division 3/Collapse Rescue 1 – 205 West 77th Street
• Engine Company 74 – 120 West 83rd Street
• Engine Company 76/Ladder Company 22/Battalion 11 – 145 West 100th Street

Health

As of 2018, the Upper West Side had fewer preterm births and births to teenage mothers compared to the city average. The area also had a smaller percentage of uninsured residents.

The Upper West Side had more residents who ate fruits and vegetables daily and reported good health compared to the city average. There were also fewer smokers, obese residents, and people with high blood pressure in the area than in the city overall.

Post offices and ZIP Codes

The Upper West Side uses three main ZIP Codes. The code 10023 covers the area south of 76th Street, 10024 is for the area between 76th and 91st Streets, and 10025 is used north of 91st Street. The area known as Riverside South uses the code 10069.

The United States Postal Service has five post offices in the Upper West Side:

• Ansonia Station – 178 Columbus Avenue
• Cathedral Station – 215 West 104th Street
• Columbus Circle Station – 27 West 60th Street
• Park West Station – 700 Columbus Avenue
• Planetarium Station – 127 West 83rd Street

Education

The Upper West Side has many people who have gone to college. Most residents older than 25 have finished college, which is more than in other parts of New York City. Students in the area also do well in school. More students succeed in math and reading than before, and many finish high school on time.

The neighborhood has many schools for children of different ages. There are public schools, like PS 9 Sarah Anderson and PS 166 The Richard Rogers School of the Arts and Technology, as well as middle and high schools such as Edward A. Reynolds West Side High School and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. There are also charter and private schools, like The Calhoun School and The Collegiate School. For older students, there are colleges and universities nearby, including Columbia University and Barnard College.

The New York Public Library has several branches in the area. These include the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Bloomingdale branch, the Riverside branch, and the St Agnes branch, all offering books and resources for readers of all ages.

Houses of worship

The Upper West Side is home to many places of worship, including churches, synagogues, and temples.

Some notable houses of worship include the Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York, known as the "Cathedral of Universalism," and The Church of St. Paul the Apostle, which has a large organ with thousands of pipes. The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and is located in nearby Morningside Heights.

Other places of worship include the Redeemer Presbyterian Church, First Baptist Church in the City of New York, West-Park Presbyterian Church, United Methodist Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew, The Jewish Center, B'nai Jeshurun, Congregation Habonim, Congregation Shaare Zedek (New York City), Congregation Shearith Israel, Congregation Rodeph Sholom, Holy Name of Jesus R.C. Church, Congregation Ohab Zedek, Manhattan New York Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, National Council of Churches, Riverside Church, Rutgers Presbyterian Church, St. Michael's, St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, Society for Ethical Culture, Society for the Advancement of Judaism, and Stephen Wise Free Synagogue.

Transportation

The Upper West Side has many ways to get around using public transport. Two main subway lines serve the area. The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line runs below Broadway, and the IND Eighth Avenue Line runs below Central Park West.

There are also several bus routes that travel along the Upper West Side. Some buses go up and down the neighborhood, while others cross it from side to side, making it easy to visit different places.

Cultural references

The Upper West Side has been featured in many films and television shows. Some well-known movies set in the neighborhood include The Apartment, Ghostbusters, Enchanted, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Popular TV shows such as Seinfeld and Gossip Girl also have characters living or spending time in the Upper West Side.

The area has inspired music too, with bands like the Beastie Boys starting their career there, and songs mentioning local spots like Tom’s Restaurant. Books set in the Upper West Side include When You Reach Me and Rosemary’s Baby.