Neighborhood Choice: Hell’s Kitchen

Hell's Kitchen from northeast rooftop.

While a small riot was in progress on 39th Street and 10th Avenue in the early 1880s, a police officer referred to the area as “Hell’s Kitchen,” and the name stuck. Also known as Clinton or Midtown West, Hell’s Kitchen spans from 34th Street to 57th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River. The neighborhood includes many famous and important buildings, including the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, The Hearst Building, and World Wide Plaza. The area gained its name by being one of the dirtiest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Manhattan many years ago, and although it has been extremely gentrified, it still retains its gritty charm.

Hell’s Kitchen was a haven for Irish Immigrants, with a large Irish Mafia influence over jobs and housing. Over the past four decades, the area became a sanctuary for actors and artists alike. The low rents, the proximity to Times Square and Broadway, and the community support were some of the many reasons for actors and artists to reside in the neighborhood.

Two large apartment buildings on one block between 42nd and 43rd streets and ninth and tenth avenues, called Manhattan Plaza, was constructed in the 1970’s and offered 70% of it’s apartments to occupants who work in the performing arts. There are also many performance venues in the area, including The 45th Street Theater, The Actors’ Temple, and the more recently opened Terminal 5.

Hell’s Kitchen is a thriving, nitty-gritty, recently gentrified neighborhood, with deep community roots, and I look forward to getting to know my stomping grounds more intimately and sharing my discoveries with my classmates, the community, and the world.