by Uppereast.com Staff
When steel magnate Andrew Carnegie built his mansion at 91st Street and 5th Avenue in 1901 on "Prospect Hill", a section already well-developed with row houses and a few modest apartment houses and tenements, he expanded the boundaries of respectability already defined by the Astors residing on Millionaire Mile to the south. The decision by someone as wealthy as Carnegie to build in that location had an effect on the neighborhood’s character and soon other luxury buildings followed. Today, Carnegie Hill is one of the Upper East Side’s and New York City’s most prestigious and finest residential neighborhoods.
The village-like enclave situated on top of a hill, stretching from 86th-96th St, 5th Avenue-Lexington, is filled with block after leafy block of architecturally-celebrated pre-war townhouses, brownstone rowhouses and mansions. Surrounding almost every building are beautiful lawns and gardens, which in combination with Central Park, make the entire area an oasis from the rest of the city. It incorporates Museum Mile, giving it the city's highest concentration of major museums, along with fine schools, numerous religious institutions, some of the exclusive East Side clubs, and the 92nd Street Y, one of NYC’s major cultural institutions. It’s close to the UES’s only subway line and Central Park. Andrew Carnegie’s mansion is now the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and another significant landmark is the façade of the former Squadron “A” Armory on Madison between 94th & 95th. Many UES charitable functions are held in “The Armory”.
The proximity of New York’s finest public and private schools (like Dalton, Spence, P.S. 6 and Eleanor Roosevelt High School), which now occupy some of the old mansions, make it a family-oriented, child-friendly neighborhood (even though, recently it’s seen an influx of empty-nesters). Neighbors know each other and merchants know residents by name, making it feel like a small village in the Middle of Manhattan. There is also a private security patrol, making the neighborhood so safe that parents let their children play outside without supervision! The nearby conglomeration of shops on Madison, 86th Street and Lexington provides a complete array of goods and services that, along with accessible parking along the sidestreets, gives the impression that residents never need to leave the neighborhood.
Carnegie Hill is New York City at its most historically charming, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t had its share of development battles over the years. Fortunately, until the late-1980s the area (except 5th Avenue) wasn’t considered as socially prestigious as south of 86th Street, so it was overlooked until the Landmark Laws were in full swing. With active neighborhood coalitions (Friends of Carnegie Hill, CitiNeighbors) sporting members like Woody Allen, Kevin Kline and Paul Newman, most of the battles have gone in favor of keeping the neighborhood historically accurate. Even so, the highly-publicized battle against a 10-story apartment tower to be built atop the Citibank at 91st Street and Madison was defeated in court in 2004. However, because of the area’s landmark status and the active, well-off community groups, significant development in Carnegie Hill will be unlikely keeping the area a 19th-century outpost in a thriving 21st century metropolis.