Carnegie Hill

Carnegie Hill is a neighborhood within the Upper East Side, in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Its boundaries, which form an irregularly shaped rectangle, are were traditionally: 86th Street on the south, Third Avenue on the east, 96th Street (Spanish Harlem) on the north, and Fifth Avenue (Central Park) on the west. The northern boundary has edged north in recent years. The neighborhood is part of Manhattan Community Board 8. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious residential area of the Upper East Side despite its location next to Harlem.

History

The neighborhood is named for the mansion that Andrew Carnegie built at Fifth Avenue and 91st Street in 1901.Cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60876134.html|title=The Battle of Carnegie Hill|accessdate=2008-07-14|year=2000-02-12|author=Maria Croce|work=Daily Record] The mansion is today the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution. A number of other mansions in the area have been converted to schools, including the recent purchase of the Smithers' Mansion, a former rehabilitation center for New York's elite by the Spence School. The Lycee Francais held a mansion space on 95th between Fifth and Madison Avenue until 2005, when the property was sold to a private owner.

The architecture of the neighborhood includes apartment buildings along Park Avenue and Fifth Avenue, brownstones on the side streets, condos and mansions, some of which are now used by organizations including the Cooper-Hewitt Museum or the Dalton School.Similar to the lines of the historic district, the borders of the neighborhood form an irregular rectangleCite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/realestate/08livi.html?pagewanted=all|title=Full-Nest Zone, Empty-Nester Magnet|accessdate=2008-07-14|year=2006-10-08|author=Claire Wilson|work=The New York Times] and the northern boundary, which traditionally was 96th Street, has edged into what was traditionally Spanish Harlem.Cite web|url=http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/carnegie-hill-spills-over-its-east-96th-street/6415/|title=Carnegie Hill Spills Over its East 96th Street Border|accessdate=2008-07-14|year=2004-12-16|author=Julie Satow|work=The New York Sun] Unlike other parts of the borough, the neighborhood is known for its quiet tree-lined streets, as well as for its restored 19th Century townhouses and high quality private schools.Cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E3D91E3BF93AA25750C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1|title=If You're Thinking of Living In/Carnegie Hill; Small-Town Feeling, Big-City Prices|accessdate=2008-07-14|year=2000-03-19|author=Maggie Garb|work=The New York Times] Cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/services/realestate/2007/09/20/2007-09-20_mad_about_the_90s.html|title=Mad About the 90s|accessdate=2008-07-14|year=2007-09-20|author=Jason Sheftell|work=Daily News] Cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/20/nyregion/thecity/20wood.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all|title=New Luster for Old Wood|accessdate=2008-07-14|year=2005-11-20|author=John Freeman Gill|work=The New York Times]

The southern part of Carnegie Hill is seen as a high-end area for expensive buildings while the more northern section neighborhood was not always considered to be prestigious but rather seen as a less fashionable end of the East Side, but is now viewed as a look back to what Manhattan used to be and highly regarded for its museums and restaurants.Cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EC968D601927EDC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Carnegie Hill: A Paean to the Past |accessdate=2008-07-14|year=2001-06-10|author=Christina Tree|work=The Boston Globe]

Preservation

The Carnegie Hill Historic District, designated as such by the Landmarks Preservation Commission on July 23, 1974 and then expanded on December 21, 1993, runs from 86th Street in the South to just north of 98th Street in the north. Its western boundary is Central Park, and while its eastern boundary varies from Madison Avenue in some parts further east to Lexington Avenue in others.Cite web|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/maps/carnegie_hill.pdf|title=Carnegie Hill Historic District|accessdate=2008-07-14|publisher=Landmarks Preservation Commission] There are efforts to expand this district in order to protect other landmarks that currently fall just outside the district's boundaries, including 179 East 93rd Street, where the Marx Brothers were raised.Cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/nyregion/thecity/22marx.html?_r=1&ref=thecity&oref=slogin|title=Trying to Save a Link to a Legend and an Era|accessdate=2008-07-14|year=2008-06-22|author=Jake Mooney|work=The New York Times] Parties involved in preservation include the 93rd Street Beautification Association and Carnegie Hill Neighbors. It was the latter that spurred the creation of the historic district and that is considered one of New York's most active community groups, seeking to preserve a village-like environment. In its more than thirty years of operation, its well-publicized battles have included: advocating against an adult education center near the 92nd Street Y, plans for more high rise apartments and expansion of existing brownstones.Cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/nyregion/thecity/31roof.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss|title=Will a Rooftop Sunroom Spoil a Scenic View?|accessdate=2008-07-14|year=2005-07-31|author=Jennifer Bleyer|work=The New York Times]

ee also

* Museum Mile
* Yorkville

References