Upper West Side Falls and Ups

Photo: depositphotos.com

Upper West Side - a place known to many thanks to the cult film West Side Story. This area stretches along the Hudson River along the west side of Manhattan Island from 59 to 110 Street.

The sad love-criminal story told in the film has firmly consolidated the dysfunctional status of the area in our minds. Yes, the Upper West Side in the past was not as clearly respectable and aristocratic as its nearest neighbor, the Upper East Side. And, although both districts, which were located along the Central Park parallel to each other, and developed at approximately the same time, their fates took shape quite differently.

As you know, New York is divided into the western and eastern sides by Fifth Avenue and, to be objective, the pearl of the city - Central Park - belongs rather to the western side, like Broadway, which runs sharply to the west, at the level of 59-1 Street. But this was not enough for the Upper West Side to rank highly in the New York real estate rankings of past centuries. The proximity of the port, railway and industrial districts for many years prevented it from becoming as uniformly prosperous and elegant as its eastern neighbor. Although... this statement, like everything in New York, is not so clear. But more on that later.

In the meantime, some historical facts

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Delaware Indians lived in the territory where the Upper West Side is now located.

And the first European inhabitants of this region were immigrants from Holland, who set about mastering this part of the island in the beginning of the 17th century, slowly displacing the local population to the north. Later, at the end of the XVIII century, numerous peasant farms and country residences of wealthy citizens were located on this territory. In the first half of the 19th century, lower-class representatives began to settle in the area, since a branch of the New York Central Railway line was laid along the Hudson coastline, connecting New York with the state capital of Albany. And in the 1850-ies, with the creation of Central Park, residents of low income, whose houses were located on its territory, were forced to move to the West Side, which influenced the further formation of a poor area of ​​the city. Here began to appear dormitories for low-paid workers, taverns and shelters for the poor.

Photo: Tatiana Borodina

The turning point in the history of Upper West Side was the laying of an elevated railway along the 1870 avenue in the 9s and the transfer of Columbia University to the Morningside Heights area in the 1890s. Then, in 1904, the first metro line in the city was laid along Broadway in this district, with exits to 59, 66, 72, 7, 9, 86, 91, 96 , 103, 110, 116, and Manhattan Street (now 125 Street), which caused a construction boom in the area.

Despite the fact that the upper city was built up with large and good profitable houses, the heyday of the district did not last long, in the first half of the 20 of the 20th century African Americans began to settle in many quarters of the Upper West Side, and by the end of the 50 of many areas of the district turned into slums where the cult film West Side Story was shot.

In the 1950-60-ies in the Upper West Side rushed a stream of immigrants from Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. Also, between post-war years and the global AIDS epidemic south of 86, there were a significant number of gays. But also in 1970 — 1980's, college graduates massively settled in the relatively cheap houses of the Upper West Side.

Park along the river

In 1962 — 1968, as part of a large-scale restructuring program for the city, this part of the West Side was erected Lincoln Center and residential complex Lincoln towers.

In addition, in 1962, in the area between 59 and 72, the construction of a large residential complex Riverside-South, which lasted 40 years, was laid.

But the true decoration of the Upper West Side, of course, was Riverside park (Riverside Park), - which is picturesquely stretched along the Hudson River for about 6.5 km between 72 and 125 Street, and has a continuation between 135 and 158 Street. The park area is about 131 hectares, and it is the third largest in Manhattan.

When the railway was laid along the coast of the Hudson River, one of the members of the Central Park Arrangement Commission, William Martin, proposed to break up a park on the Upper West Side.
The municipality bought the land, and in the year 1873, work began on the design of the park. The section of Riverside Park between 72 and 125 Street was built from 1875 to 1900 year. The park is designed in the English style: with free planting of trees, shrubs, natural fences and winding alleys. Riverside Park has a positive impact on the attractiveness of the area. Residential mansions began to revive around it, and various monuments and memorials were placed on the territory of the park.

Having walked through the park, do not miss the opportunity to wander through the nearby streets, where it is easy to find the elegant and elegant 19-2 storey mansions, preserved from the second half of the century, reminiscent of how New York was built up more than 3 years ago.

Nowadays, the Upper West Side is considered one of the most attractive places to live in New York. Predominantly residential area, now traditionally considered to be home to people of culture and art. Partly because it is located on the Upper West Side of the Lincoln Center, the complex of which includes the famous Metropolitan Opera, several concert halls and theaters, a cinema center, dance and music schools.

By the way, in the quarters of the Upper West Side and in Riverside Park were shot a lot of great New York movies. Here loves to shoot Woody Allen. Yes, and many scenes of my favorite movie you've Got Emailwere shot exactly here.

Architecture along the park

Photo: Tatiana Borodina

The Upper West Side is very interesting from an architectural point of view, because it is not for nothing that the appearance of the Upper West Side is listed in the register of monuments of New York’s historical heritage. Acquaintance with the architecture of the Upper West Side will begin with the street Central Park West, which stretches along the entire Central Park along its western side.

“This house is as far from everywhere in the city as the state of Dakota from New York,” the residents of New York joked in 1884, when this luxurious mansion appeared in a remote suburb of the city. According to one of the versions, the owner of the house liked the joke about Dakota so much that he ordered to carve a bas-relief in the shape of an Indian head above the entrance.

Photo: Tatiana Borodina

One of the first famous tenants of "Dakota" (except for Clark himself) was the manufacturer of musical instruments Theodore Steinway. His friend, the publisher Postav Shirmer, who was hosting such guests as Mark Twain, Herbert Melville and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who came to New York for the opening of Carnegie Hall, settled next door to him.

The Dakota building was declared a US National Historic Site in 1976, but it gained its greatest fame later when December 8, 1980, in the arch of this house, fan Mark Chapman shot John Lennon.

In addition to Lenon, among the famous residents of "Dakota" were:
Leonard Bernstein (1918 — 1990) is an American pianist, composer, and conductor;
Boris Karloff (1887-1969) - film actor;
Lauren Bacall (1924-2014) - film actress;
Rudolf Nuriev (1938 — 1993) is an outstanding ballet dancer;
Judy Garland (1922 — 1969) is an American actress and singer.
Board member of the house "Dakota" was Bill Clinton.

We began our story about the houses of the Upper West Side with "Dakota", as the most famous house in this area. But, geographically, the right place to start a walk through Central Park West is at Columbus Circle. Today we draw your attention to the huge black tower - the Trump Tower Hotel, from which, in fact, Central Park West begins.

From this house we will go north along Central Park. We recommend walking along the side of the park to make it easier to view the houses on the opposite side of the street.

The Art Deco Ball reigns at Central Park West: The San Remo, The Eldorado, The Beresford.

Photo: Tatiana Borodina

Five monuments of architecture in several small blocks - a walk through Central Park West probably will be a good illustration of the theme "Architecture of New York."

Beresford is one of the most desirable addresses in Manhattan and one of the most elite cooperatives in the city. In recent years, apartments in it have been sold at prices ranging from $ 3 to $ 22 million. One of the apartments is currently listed in $ 62 million.

Beresfort. Photo: Tatiana Borodina

Just as in the Riverside Park area, movies are often made here. Here is a small list of famous films featuring the Upper West Side:

"Eyes Wide Shut" (Eyes Wide Shut. 1999);
"Fatal Attraction" (Fatal Attraction. 1987);
“Night at the Museum” (Night at the Museum. 2006);

from the series:
Sex and the City - Charlotte lived at (275 Central Park West), Miranda (250 West 85th Street);
Gossip Girl - The Chuck Bass Hotel is located at: West 64th Street / Broadway;

In addition to all of the above, we advise you to pay attention to the cathedrals located along Central Park West, they can not boast of special antiquity, but each of them is interesting in its own features.

I can only say that 78-i Street can become a link between this two parts of the district. Amazing street that struck me especially in the block between Amsterdam Avenue and Columbus Avenue.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Walking Around New York: Upper West Side

Walk Around New York: West Village

Walk into the future of New York

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