59th Street in Manhattan

 

The 59th Street crosses Manhattan Island, from the Hudson River side to the East River side. It is divided by Fifth Avenue, into West 59th Street and East 59th Street. It was created under the Commissioners' Plan of 1811. The East 59th Street leads to Queensboro Bridge, opened in 1909, providing access to the borough of Queens.

The three-block section, between Columbus Circle and Grand Army Plaza, bordering Central Park, is also known as Central Park South. This name for this section of the West 59th Street was adopted on March 3, 1896, when the Committee on Streets reported favorably the resolution changing the name, during a meeting of the Board of Aldermen. Until about the 1870s, this section was mostly residential. Large hotels and apartment houses were built in the following decades, like the old Plaza Hotel, constructed from 1883 to 1890, and the Navarro Flats, constructed from 1883 to 1888. The New York Athletic Club moved to corner of Sixth Avenue in 1898.

The old Hotel Savoy opened in 1892 on Fifth Avenue, on the southeast corner of East 59th Street, and the Hotel Netherland opened in 1893, across on the northeast corner.

 

Central Park South

 

 

Old City of New York

 

Copyright © Geographic Guide - Historic places in NYC.

 

 

 

Central Park images

 

Grand Army Plaza Manhattan

 

59th Street

 

 

Buildings along Central Park South, part of the 59th Street, seen from Central Park. Vintage postcard, postmark 1953, showing some apartments hotels overlooking Central Park (Acacia Card Company, photo by Ewing Galloway).

 

New York Athletic Club

 

Plaza Hotel

 

Hotel Netherland
Central Park 1859

 

 

Buildings in Central Park South, in the background, seen from Columbus Circle (entrance to Subway station), about the 1990s. The Merchant’s Gate in Central Park is on the left.

 

NY 1990

 

Central Park Apartments

 

Merchant’s Gate NY

 

Central Park South

 

Central Park

 

Parade 59th Street

 

The Plaza Hotel NY

 

Plaza Hotel

 

Essex House

 

Map Grand Circle

 

Central Park South

 

Fifth Avenue NY

 

Barbizon Plaza

 

Central Park South Manhattan

 

Hampshire House

 

Roosevelt Island

 

St. Moritz Hotel

 

Navarro Flats

 

Hotels NY

 

East 59th Street

 

Columbus Circle

 

21st century

 

West 59th Street

 

NYAC

 

Sixth Avenue

 

Midtown skyscrapers of Manhattan, looking south from Central Park. Photograph taken in January 1931, Hampshire House was under construction (vintage postcard, W.M. Frange / Manhattan Post Card Publishing Co.).

 

Streetcars

 

Fifth Avenue New York

 

Buildings at 59th Street, looking east in 2016. The Sherry-Netherland is on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue (credit: J. Schaer / NYC & Company).

 

NY Hotels

 

Hotels NYC

 

59th Street in Manhattan

 

Vintage Images

 

Old City New York