Lenox Hill Backgrounder

Often grouped or confused with Carnegie Hill and Yorkville or just simply lost in the vast expanse that is the Upper East Side, Lenox Hill is a small but historical part of Manhattan, with roots dating back to some of the earliest inhabitants of the city.

Named for Robert Lenox, an immigrant Scottish merchant who purchased the land in 1818 from Archibald Gracie, of Gracie Mansion fame. Lenox used this expansive piece of land, ranging from East 60th Street to East 77th Street, all the way east to the East River and reaching as far west as Park Avenue, as a farm. A steep slope on what is now East 70th and Park Avenue lends itself to the “Hill” portion of the neighborhood’s name.

After Robert’s death in 1839, his son James Lenox took over the farm, but ended up selling most of the land by the 1870s. James kept and built on some of the land, most notably building the Lenox Library on East 70th and 5th Avenue, now known as the Frick Collection, an art museum holding works from all over the world. Today, the vast majority of the population of Lenox Hill lives extremely comfortably, with an average household income of $106,772, according to the US Census, more than double the national average of $51,939. However, it doesn’t go very far, as residents must contend with ever rising rents, a 600 square foot one bedroom on 63rd Street and 3rd Avenue rents for $2,600 a month, according to PropertyShark.

With rent prices at at all time high, people can simply not afford a space big enough to hold a family in Lenox Hill. According to the city’s data, out of 59,689 total households in Lenox Hill, only 7,681 have children. This may be due to the fact that over 50% of the population is over the age of 45, an age group unlikely to have school-aged children.

Despite what seems to be a lack of families with children, Lenox Hill has many features one might desire for raising a family. It holds some of the city’s top ranked public schools, like PS 35, and private schools, like the Allen-Stevenson School, The Buckley School, Birch-Wathen Lenox, and the Ramaz School. It’s close proximity to Central Park gives a place for kids to play, and the availabilty of the 6 train at 68th Street and 77th Street allow for easy transportation. Residents working in Lenox Hill utilize this transportation heavily, with an average commute time of 26.7 minutes, according to PropertyShark. Residents also can call Lenox Hill Hospital, one of New York City’s top ranked hospitals, a neighbor.

To fulfill one’s cultural needs, Lenox Hill is within walking distance of a plethora of museums, including the MoMa, the Met, the Guggenheim, and many art galleries. Movie theaters are in abundance, and Lincoln Center is just a short hop across town.

Historically, Lenox Hill has been a predominantly white neighborhood. According to city data, 92% of the population is white, 4% is Asian, and only 1% is African-American. Efforts to diversify the neighborhood have been ongoing since 1894, with the founding of the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. Originally founded as a kindergarten for children of the many immigrants flooding into Ellis Island, the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House now helps relocate people of all races to live and work on Manhattan’s entire East Side, focusing primarily on Lenox Hill.

Lenox Hill is just a tiny sliver of the expansive Upper East Side, but the neighborhood has carved out a name for itself in its history, infrastructure, culture, and being an overall very pleasant place to live.

250 Words on Washington Heights

The area of New York City that I’ve chosen to investigate is Washington Heights. All my life, I either grew up in upper Manhattan or found myself visiting friends and family in the area. Currently, my mom owns her own insurance company in Washington Heights, and the neighborhood is quickly changing. Last month, an entire section of local businesses were shut down within a span of two weeks and signs with new business ideas and the phrase “gentrification in process” were left where the old businesses once stood. I would like to investigate why exactly this is happening, and further understand why Washington Heights is the next target area to undergo gentrification.

Back when I was younger, Washington Heights was full of bodegas, small restaurants, and playgrounds. Now, there are a slew of new cafes, organic juice bars and even barbershops that are extremely different from the Domincan-owned salons I would frequent with my dad when I was younger.

I want to start by interviewing the owner of a local business- Sweet Life Pastry. This bakery just opened up and is not only a cafe, but also a Mexican lunch restaurant. I would like to interview the owner and see how her new business is doing now that more and more local businesses are being shut down in the area.

I would like to also highlight another kind of business that has been in business for over 20 years- Valdez Enterprises. This is a multiservice business agency, and I believe I can get great insight on what Washington Heights used to be from the owner, Mr. Jose Valdez.

I would like to get in touch with one of the local community representatives to see what they foresee for Washington Heights in the future, due to the fact that it has already changed so much in the last couple of years. This project will allow me to further investigate Washington Heights and learn many new things about it.

250 Words on Lenox Hill- Revised

Often grouped with Carnegie Hill and Yorkville or just simply referred to as the Upper East Side, Lenox Hill is a historical part of Manhattan, with roots dating back to some of the earliest inhabitants of the city.

Named for Robert Lenox, an immigrant Scottish merchant who purchased the land in 1818 from Archibald Gracie (of Gracie Mansion fame). Lenox used this expansive piece of land, ranging from East 60th Street to East 77th Street, all the way east to the East River and reaching as far west as Park Avenue, as a farm. A steep slope on what is now East 70th and Park Avenue lends itself to the “Hill” portion of the neighborhood’s name.

After Robert’s death in 1839, his son James Lenox took over the farm, but ended up selling most of the land by the 1870s. James kept and built on some of the land, most notably building the Lenox Library on East 70th and 5th Avenue, now known as the Frick Collection.

 

After having attended High School in Lenox Hill for four years and after living there for two, I feel very strongly that Lenox Hill has become my “home” in Manhattan. My familiarity with the neighborhood will hopefully enable me to talk to the right people, obtain the best information, and uncover the deepest secrets in order to write about a neighborhood conflict that no one has written about before.