 Looking west along Central Park South | |
 Interactive map of 59th Street | |
| Coordinates | 40°45′51″N73°58′23″W / 40.7642908724°N 73.9730390°W /40.7642908724; -73.9730390 |
|---|---|
| West end |  NY 9A /West Side Highway |
| Major junctions | Grand Army Plaza,Columbus Circle |
| East end | Sutton Place |
59th Street is a crosstown street in theNew York Cityborough ofManhattan, running fromYork Avenue and Sutton Place on theEast Side of Manhattan to theWest Side Highway on theWest Side. The three-block portion betweenColumbus Circle andGrand Army Plaza is also known asCentral Park South, since it forms the southern border ofCentral Park. There is a gap in the street betweenNinth Avenue/Columbus Avenue and Columbus Circle, where theDeutsche Bank Center is located. While the Central Park South section is a bidirectional street, most of 59th Street carries one-way traffic.
59th Street forms the border betweenMidtown Manhattan andUpper Manhattan. North of 59th Street, the neighborhoods of theUpper West Side andUpper East Side continue on either side of Central Park. On theWest Side, Manhattan's numbered avenues are renamed north of 59th Street:Eighth Avenue (at Columbus Circle) becomes Central Park West;Ninth Avenue is renamed Columbus Avenue;Tenth Avenue is renamed Amsterdam Avenue; andEleventh Avenue becomes West End Avenue.
59th Street forms the border betweenMidtown Manhattan andUpper Manhattan.The New York Times stated in 2004 that "Fifty-ninth Street stretches across Manhattan like a belt, with Central Park South as its fancy buckle."[1] As withnumbered streets in Manhattan,Fifth Avenue separates 59th Street into "east" and "west" sections.[2]
59th Street is one-way westbound between theWest Side Highway (at theHudson River) andNinth/Columbus Avenues. There is a one-block gap between Ninth/Columbus Avenues andEighth Avenue/Central Park West atColumbus Circle. This section is occupied byTime Warner Center.[2]
The portion of the street forming the southern boundary ofCentral Park from Columbus Circle on the west toFifth Avenue on the east is also known asCentral Park South. This section of 59th Street is largely bidirectional,[2] except for the short block betweenGrand Army Plaza and Fifth Avenue, which is one-way eastbound. The block between Sixth Avenue and Grand Army Plaza contains a dedicated lane for westbound equestrian traffic.[3] Entry into Central Park can be made at the Scholars' Gate at Fifth Avenue, the Artists' Gate atSixth Avenue, the Artisans' Gate atSeventh Avenue, and the Merchants' Gate atColumbus Circle.[2]
The section betweenFifth Avenue andSecond Avenue is one-way eastbound. AtSecond Avenue, 59th Street branches off onto theEd Koch Queensboro Bridge, which is often referred to as the59th Street Bridge.[4] 59th Street continues east to York Avenue and Sutton Place, just short of theEast River. The remaining two and a half blocks are bidirectional traffic; the westbound lane of 59th Street is funneled onto the Queensboro Bridge just east of the intersection with Second Avenue.[2]
59th Street was created under theCommissioners' Plan of 1811 as one of the minor east-west streets across Manhattan.[5]
The construction of Central Park in the 1860s and 1870s led to the development of upscale hotels, apartments, and other institutions on this section of 59th Street in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[6][7]: 3 [8]: 12 The Spanish Flats, at Seventh Avenue, was the first such luxury apartment, having been built in 1883.[1] The originalPlaza Hotel, the Hawthorne, and the Navarro Flats were all developed in the 1880s and 1890s, though all were subsequently demolished. Even after a city zoning law was passed in 1885, banning residential structures over 80 feet (24 m) tall, residential hotels and standard hotels continued to be developed on this part of West 59th Street, as they were exempted from the zoning codes.[7]: 3 [8]: 12–13 The three blocks of 59th Street bordering Central Park were renamed after the park in 1896.[6]
During the first two decades of the 20th century, the new Plaza Hotel, the oldNew York Athletic Club building, andGainsborough Studios were built on Central Park South. This was followed by100 Central Park South, a new New York Athletic Club building,Barbizon Plaza,Hampshire House,Essex House,Hotel St. Moritz, and240 Central Park South between World Wars I and II.[7]: 4 [8]: 13 After World War II, an increasing number of stores opened on the south side of Central Park South, even though the corridor was restricted to residential usage. This prompted theNew York City Planning Commission to considerrezoning that part of the street in early 1950.[9] Following opposition from existing residents,[10] the commission rejected the rezoning.[11]
Historically, West 59th Street ran from Ninth/Columbus Avenues to Columbus Circle as well. In 1954, that city block of 59th Street was decommissioned to make way for theNew York Coliseum complex.[12] The Coliseum, in turn, was demolished and replaced with Time Warner Center in the early 2000s.[13]
59th Street is served by the followingNew York City Subway stations:
TheRoosevelt Island Tramway terminates at Second Avenue near 59th Street and extends eastward toRoosevelt Island.
TheNew York Central Railroad's59th Street station, a never-opened railroad station, exists onPark Avenue, which now carries thePark Avenue main line of theMetro-North Railroad.[15] Currently, the station is used as an emergency exit for the Metro-North Railroad in the Park Avenue Tunnel.[16]
Notes
