 West 23rd Street from theHigh Line (2014) | |
 | |
| Maintained by | NYCDOT |
|---|---|
| Length | 1.9 mi (3.1 km)[1] |
| Location | Manhattan,New York City |
| Postal code | 10011, 10010 |
| Coordinates | 40°44′32″N73°59′28″W / 40.7421°N 73.9911°W /40.7421; -73.9911 |
| West end | Eleventh Avenue inChelsea |
| East end |  FDR Drive /Avenue C inKips Bay /Peter Cooper Village |
| North | 24th Street |
| South | 22nd Street |
| Construction | |
| Commissioned | March 1811 |
23rd Street is a broad thoroughfare in theNew York Cityborough ofManhattan, one of the major two-way, east-west streets in the borough'sgrid. As with Manhattan's other "crosstown" streets, it is divided into its east and west sections atFifth Avenue. The street runs fromAvenue C andFDR Drive in the east toEleventh Avenue in the west.
23rd Street was created under theCommissioners' Plan of 1811.[2] The street hosts several famous hotels, including theFifth Avenue Hotel andHotel Chelsea, as well as many theaters. Several skyscrapers are located on 23rd Street, including theFlatiron Building, theMetropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, andOne Madison.
As with othernumbered streets in Manhattan,Fifth Avenue separates West and East 23rd Street. This intersection occurs inMadison Square, near Madison Square Park, both of which are part of theFlatiron District. West of Sixth Avenue, West 23rd Street passes throughChelsea.[3] East ofLexington Avenue, East 23rd Street runs along the southern boundary ofKips Bay[4] and the northern boundaries ofGramercy[5] andPeter Cooper Village.[6]
Since 1999, an area north of 23rd Street around the park has been referred to asNoMad.[7][8][9]
West 23rd Street, which runs through the heart of Chelsea, contains many art galleries[10] and several theaters.[11] For much of the late 19th century and early 20th century its western end was the site of thePavonia Ferry at Pier 63, just north of the currentChelsea Piers.[12]
In 1907, a small lot of land on the north side of 23rd Street, betweenTwelfth andEleventh Avenues, was acquired by theCommissioner of Docks and Ferries. The land was transferred to theNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation in 1915, becoming apublic park called theThomas F. Smith Park, later theChelsea Waterside Park. In 2000, the westernmost block of 23rd Street was demolished as part of a reorganization of traffic patterns and an expansion of the park.[13] The expanded 2.5-acre (1.0 ha) park contains a dog run, children's playground, basketball court, and soccer green.[14]
Just west of Tenth Avenue, the street passes under theHigh Line, a 1.45-mile (2.33 km)elevatedlinear park built on the structure of the former West Side Line railroad.[15][16] The High Line contains both a staircase and an elevator entrance from 23rd Street.[15]
On the north side of 23rd Street, just west of the High Line, is "HL23", a residential building that hangs over the narrow linear park.[17][18]London Terrace is located across Tenth Avenue, occupying the full block to Ninth Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets.[19][20]
The Hotel Chelsea, New York City's firstco-opapartment complex, was built at 222 West 23rd Street in 1883.[21][22] TheEmunah Israel synagogue, built in the 1860s as aPresbyterian church, is located a few doors to the west at 236 West 23rd.[23]
The block of 23rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues is part of theLadies' Mile Historic District.[24] Designated aNew York City landmark in May 1989, it is an irregularly shaped district consisting of 440 buildings on 28 blocks and parts of blocks, from roughly 15th Street to 24th Street and from Park Avenue South to west of Sixth Avenue.[25]
East 23rd Street, which runs betweenFifth Avenue and theEast River (FDR Drive), is one of the main thoroughfares ofGramercy Park.[5]
The 22-storyFlatiron Building is located on the south side of East 23rd Street at the street's intersection with Fifth Avenue and Broadway, occupying the triangular parcel bounded by these two avenues and 22nd Street.[26] The origin of the term "23 skidoo" is said to be from wind gusts caused by the building's triangular shape or hot air from a shaft through which immense volumes of air escaped, producing gusts that supposedly lifted women's skirts.[a][27]
TheMetropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), headquartered at 1Madison Avenue at East 23rd Street, played a significant role in shaping the character of development along East 23rd Street in the early 20th century, constructing six buildings successively along the street and around the block to the corner of 24th. The tallest of these is the 700-foot (210 m)Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, built in 1909 at the intersection of 24th Street and Madison Avenue.[28] The tower, with its ornate clocktower faces, was one of Manhattan's first skyscrapers.[29] For four years, until the construction of theWoolworth Building in 1913, it was the tallest building in the world.[28] It also owned a building across the street, which was the location of the23rd Street Fire that killed 12 firemen. A new apartment building, the currentMadison Green, was announced for the site in the 1970s, but the building itself was not constructed until 1982.[30]
Another skyscraper on the street, the sixty-story, 618-foot-tall (188 m)One Madison, was built in 2013.[31] Media mogulRupert Murdoch bought One Madison's top four floors for $57 million.[32][33]
TheWoman's Press Club of New York City was located at 126 East 23rd Street.[34] It existed from 1889 to 1980 as an organization for female journalists and authors.[35]
A large hospital run by theVeterans Health Administration, the Manhattan Campus of the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, is located at 423 East 23rd Street, near the northeast corner of the intersection with First Avenue.[36]
Near 23rd Street's eastern end is theAsser Levy Public Baths.[37] Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the baths were named afterAsser Levy, one of the city's first Jewish settlers.[38][39] In 1980, the baths were added to the National Register of Historic Places.[40]Stuyvesant Cove Park is located across FDR Drive, along the East River coast. Stretching south to 18th Street, the 2-acre (0.81 ha) public space is built on the site of a concrete plant and parking lot.[41] The street ends at theNew York Skyports Seaplane Base, which opened in 1962.[42][43] Theseaplane base, which is part of amarina, also contains a parking lot whose entrance and exit is located at the eastern end of 23rd Street.[44]
On the south side of East 23rd between First Avenue and Avenue C,Peter Cooper Village was one of MetLife's experiments in middle-income community building until it was bought byTishman Speyer. Peter Cooper Village was a sister project to MetLife'sStuyvesant Town, which was built across20th Street to the south.[45][46]
23rd Street was designated in the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, which established the Manhattanstreet grid, as one of 15 east-west streets that would be 100 feet (30 m) in width, as opposed to minor side streets that were designated as 60 feet (18 m) in width.[2] The plan also reserved the 240 acres (97 ha) of land bounded by 23rd Street,Third Avenue,33rd Street andSeventh Avenue as the "Grand Parade", an area upon which development was prohibited. Instead, the area was to be used as an open space for military training,[47] as well as an assembly point in the event the city was invaded.[48] At the time, some thought that the Grand Parade might become a "central park" for the city, but the grounds were gradually reduced over the course of time.[49][50][51] By 1847, the open area was 7 acres (2.8 ha), comprising the land of the current Madison Square Park.[52]
By the middle of the 19th century, there was a railroad, theHudson (later West Side) Line, running from the currentHudson Yards area between 30th and 32nd Streets south toChambers Street. At the time, the city prohibited steam locomotives from operating below 30th Street because of the risk of the train's steam boiler exploding, so passengers from points north were forced to switch tohorse-drawn trains. The horse-drawn line's stops were located at 23rd,14th,Christopher and Chambers Streets.[53]
The West Side Line caused so many accidents between freight trains and other traffic that the nickname "Death Avenue" was given to Tenth[54][55] and Eleventh Avenues.[56] In 1929 the city, the state, and New York Central agreed on the West Side Improvement Project,[57] a 13-mile (21 km) project that eliminated 105 street-level railroad crossings and cost more than US$150 million (about US$2,746,802,000 today).[58][55] A viaduct, theHigh Line, replaced the street-level tracks and was dedicated on June 29, 1934.[59] The growth of interstate trucking during the 1950s led to a drop in rail traffic throughout the United States,[60] and the viaduct was effectively abandoned in 1980.[58][55][61][60]
TheTwenty-third Street Railway, astreet railway originally operated ashorse cars and laterelectric traction, was chartered on January 29, 1872.[62][63] In 1893, the Twenty-third Street Railway was leased to theHouston, West Street and Pavonia Ferry Railroad,[62] which in turn was consolidated into theMetropolitan Street Railway on December 12, 1893.[64] The Metropolitan Street Railway was leased by theInterurban Street Railway on April 1, 1902,[65] and the latter went bankrupt six years later.[66] The Metropolitan Street Railway separated on July 31, 1908,[67] becoming the 23rd Street crosstown bus route.[68] Originally called the M18-15[69] and then the M26,[70] the route was renamed the M23 in 1989.[71]
During the 1870s, theSixth Avenue Elevated was built,[72] significantly increasing the number of customers who shopped at stores along the route.[73] Elevated lines with stations on 23rd Street were also constructed alongNinth Avenue in 1867,[74][75]Third Avenue in 1878,[76] andSecond Avenue in 1880.[77] By the middle of the 20th century, they were all demolished.[78] SeveralNew York City Subway stations now serve 23rd Street (see§ Public transit).[79][80]
In 1869,Pavonia Ferry opened a terminal on the shore of theHudson River at Pier 63, which aligned with the western end of 23rd Street. The ferries traveled toJersey City, located opposite Manhattan.[12] By the beginning of the 20th century, ferries were already aging and deteriorating under heavy use,[81] and in 1942 the terminal itself was demolished.[82] In the late 1980s, boat enthusiast John Krevey converted an oldrailroad barge on the Hudson River to a floating jetty calledPier 63.[83] A restaurant was opened on the pier. The lightshipFrying Pan and the fire vesselJohn J. Harvey were also originally moored to Pier 63,[84] with both listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[85] In 2007, the barge was moved toPier 66 on 26th Street.[86]
On January 1, 1825, theNew York House of Refuge, a jail for juvenile delinquents, opened on Broadway between 22nd and 23rd Streets. The jail housed prisoners up to 16 years old who were serving long jail sentences, including boys who were being imprisoned until at least age 21 and girls until at least age 18. During the first 10 years, the jail held 1,120 prisoners.[87] In 1854, the prison moved toRandall's Island in theEast River.[88]
A collection of four-story houses calledLondon Terrace was built on the block bounded by 23rd Street, 24th Streets, Ninth Avenue, and Tenth Avenue in 1845.[89] London Terrace was rebuilt in 1930, with the houses being replaced with 14 apartment buildings that each had sixteen to eighteen floors. The new complex had a total of 1,670 apartments, housing 5,000 total residents.[90] At the time of construction it was the largest residential complex in the city.[91]
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In 1857, the merchantAmos Eno bought a land parcel at the intersection with Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street. He built the luxuryFifth Avenue Hotel on this site by 1859.[92][93] The six-story-high structure, which was designed to accommodate 800 guests, became the largest hotel in the world at that time.[94] The hotel served as the headquarters of theRepublican Party and was used by PresidentsUlysses S. Grant[95] andChester A. Arthur.[96] When thePrince of Wales,Edward VII, visited the hotel in 1860, the commercial appeal of the adjacent neighborhood was greatly increased. The area bounded by 14th and 23rd Streets between Sixth Avenue and Broadway was soon dubbedLadies' Mile.[24] In 1908, the hotel was demolished and replaced by theToy Center.[97]
By about 1860, Irish immigrants had displaced African-Americans living inFive Points, the latter of whom later resettled all over Manhattan. A thousand African-Americans eventually settled in an area bordered by 23rd Street on the south, 40th Street on the north, and Sixth Avenue on the east.[98]
TheNational Academy of Design building opened in 1863 at the intersection of 23rd Street andFourth (now Park) Avenue. The building was designed byPeter Bonnett Wight in a style evocative ofDoge's Palace inVenice.[99][100] However, by the beginning of the 20th century, it had been demolished and replaced with theMetropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower.[101]
In 1878, theStern Brothers department store opened between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.[102] The building, designed byHenry Fernbach, was massive by contemporary standards, standing seven stories high and measuring 200 feet (61 m) wide. It became one of the largestcast-iron structures in New York City.[103]
A second notable hotel on the street, theHotel Chelsea, was built between 1883 and 1885,[22] with the first portions opening in 1884.[21] It was New York's tallest building until 1902.[22]Sid Vicious andNancy Spungen lived in the Hotel Chelsea from August 1978.[104] The building has been a designatedNew York City landmark since 1966,[105] and on theNational Register of Historic Places since 1977.[106]
The emergence of many new hotels after theAmerican Civil War contributed to the increase ofprostitution in the area. By 1876, there were so many brothels in the area bounded by 23rd and57th Streets, between Fifth and Seventh Avenues, thatNew York City Police Department captainAlexander S. Williams nicknamed this strip of land "Tenderloin".[107] Referring to the increased number of bribes he would receive for police protection of both legitimate and illegitimate businesses there – especially the manybrothels – Williams said, "I've been havingchuck steak ever since I've been on the force, and now I'm going to have a bit oftenderloin."[107][108]
There were severalBroadway andOff-Broadway theaters being built along West 23rd Street beginning in the late 19th century. By the turn of the century, the street contained a "Theater Row", which was a prominent fixture inAmerican theater. 23rd Street remained New York's main theater strip until theEmpire Theatre opened onBroadway some twenty blocks uptown, ushering in a new era of theater.[109]
In 1868,Pike's Opera House (later the Grand Opera House) was built at Eighth Avenue and 23rd Street for several million dollars.[110] The film companyRKO Pictures converted the building into amovie theater in 1938.[111][112] By 1960, it was demolished to make room for thePenn South residential complex.[113]
Booth's Theatre was opened in 1869 at the intersection with Sixth Avenue. It was sold in 1881 for half the cost of its construction,[114] becoming a dry-goods store.[113]
In 1889, the entrepreneurFrederick Freeman Proctor openedProctor's Theatre, a theater between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.[115] Proctor used innovations such as electric lighting and phonographs in his "continuous daily vaudeville" theater. In 1907, the theater was converted to an RKO cinema, and 30 years later, it was destroyed in a fire.[109][116] During the late 19th century,Bryant's Minstrels also performed aminstrel show in Proctor's Theatre.[117]
Modern theaters include the Chelsea Bow Tie Cinemas, on the south side of West 23rd between Seventh and Eighth Avenues; the SVA Theatre, operated by theSchool of Visual Arts on the north side of West 23rd one block west; and the Cell Theatre, across the street from the SVA Theatre.[113]
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In 1849,James Renwick Jr. constructed the Free Academy Building for theCity College of New York, following a statewide referendum two years prior that had allowed the construction of the school. TheGothic Revival building was located at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street.[118] The building was demolished in 1928.[119]
Baruch College, an institution within theCity University of New York system, was a successor to the Free Academy.[120] Founded by businessman and City College alumnusBernard Baruch,[121] the campus includes the Lawrence and Eris Field Building at the southeast corner of Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street in Gramercy.[122] The 16-story building, opened in 1929, is the oldest structure that is part of Baruch College.[123]
TheNew York Public Library contains twobranches on the different portions of 23rd Street: the Muhlenberg branch on West 23rd Street and Seventh Avenue, and the Epiphany branch on East 23rd Street west of Second Avenue.[124] The Epiphany branch, which is located in Gramercy/Kips Bay, opened in 1887 and moved to its current location, aCarnegie library on 23rd Street, in 1907. It was renovated from 1982 to 1984.[125] The Muhlenberg branch, also a Carnegie library, opened in Chelsea in 1906 and was renovated in 2000.[126]
On October 17, 1966, the street was the location of New York's deadliest fire until theSeptember 11 attacks, in terms of firefighters killed. The "23rd Street Fire", as it came to be called, began in a cellar at 7 East 22nd Street and soon spread to the basement of 6 East 23rd Street, a five-story commercial building that housed a drugstore at street level. Twelvefirefighters were killed; two chiefs, two lieutenants, and six firefighters plunged into the flaming cellar, while two more firefighters were killed by the blast of flame and heat on the first floor.[127] The site is now the location ofMadison Green, a 31-story apartment building.[30]
On September 17, 2016,several bombs detonated in New York and New Jersey. One of these was apressure cooker bomb that exploded on West 23rd Street betweenSixth Avenue andSeventh Avenue,[128][129][130] injuring 31 people.[131] A New Jersey resident, Ahmed Khan Rahimi, was later detained in connection with the bombings.[132][133]
23rd Street was historically one of the city's fashion hubs,[134] and the street still contains many clothing stores.[135][136] There are also several major retailers with stores located on the street, such asBest Buy andThe Home Depot.[137]
Restaurants, cafes, fast-food outlets and other eating establishments on 23rd Street are mostly oriented toward office workers, and many of these establishments provide catering services. These restaurants offer cuisine from a variety of cultures, includingThai,Italian,Spanish andFrench cuisine.[138]
23rd Street contains some upper-class areas with expensive real estate. One 2,500-square-foot (230 m2) office space between Park and Lexington Avenues was leased for $240,000 per year in March 2017,[139] while a 1,000-square-foot (93 m2) apartment three blocks east was being sold for $1 million.[140] In July 2015, a four-bedroom penthouse apartment sold for $6.44 million.[141]
EveryNew York City Subway line that crosses 23rd Street has a local station there:[79]
There is also aPATH station at23rd Street and Sixth Avenue.[80]
In the past, every former IRT elevated line had a station at 23rd Street, most of which were local stations:
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MTA New York City Transit'sM23 route runs the length of 23rd Street.[142][143] In 2003, theStraphangers Campaign listed the M23 as one of the slowest in the city, winning its "Pokey Award" for going at an average speed of 3.7 miles per hour (6.0 km/h).[144][145] In 2016 it was converted to aSelect Bus Service route, withbus rapid transit components such as exclusivebus lanes and all-door bus boarding, to speed up service.[146] Additional service is provided by theM9 andM34A SBS east of Second Avenue, both in the eastbound direction.[142]
23rd Street at Madison Avenue is a large hub for express buses. TheBxM3,BxM4,BxM6,BxM7,BxM8,BxM9,BxM10 andBxM11 and someX27 andX28 buses terminate here.[147][148] In addition, theBM1,BM2,BM3,BM4,X27,X37,X28,X38,BxM18,SIM1C,SIM3C,SIM4C,SIM33C,SIM10,SIM3,SIM31,QM21,QM63,QM64 andQM68 buses run through here.[147][148][149][150]
In the early twentieth century, men would hang out on the corner here on Twenty-third Street and watch the wind blowing women's dresses up so that they could catch a little bit of ankle. This entered into popular culture and there are hundreds of postcards and illustrations of women with their dresses blowing up in front of the Flatiron Building. And it supposedly is where the slang expression "23 skidoo" comes from because the police would come and give the voyeurs the 23 skidoo to tell them to get out of the area.
The New York World referred to the West Side route as Death Avenue in 1892, long after the Park Avenue problem had been solved, saying 'many had been sacrificed' to 'a monster which has menaced them night and day.'
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| Preceding station | Erie Railroad | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey City Terminus | Pavonia Ferry | Terminus | ||
