York Avenue
Seen from the top of the Queensboro Bridge | |
Interactive map of York Avenue | |
| Owner | City of New York |
|---|---|
| Maintained by | NYCDOT |
| Length | 2 mi (3.2 km)[1] |
| Location | Manhattan, New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°45′29″N 73°57′37″W / 40.758094°N 73.960180°W |
| South end | 53rd Street in Midtown East |
| Major junctions | FDR Drive in Lenox Hill |
| North end | FDR Drive / 92nd Street in Yorkville |
| East | FDR Drive (53rd–79th Streets) East End Avenue (79th–90th Streets) FDR Drive (90th–92nd Streets) |
| West | First Avenue |
| Construction | |
| Commissioned | March 1811 |
York Avenue is a north–south thoroughfare in the Yorkville and Lenox Hill neighborhoods of the East Side of Manhattan, in New York City. York Avenue runs from 59th to 92nd Streets through eastern Lenox Hill and Yorkville on the Upper East Side. South of 59th Street, the avenue turns into Sutton Place, which runs to 57th Street, and Sutton Place South, which runs from 57th to 53rd Street. Addresses on York Avenue are continuous with that of Avenue A in the Alphabet City neighborhood, starting in the 1100 series and rising to the 1700 series.
History
19th century
York Avenue and Sutton Place were both proposed as an addition to the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 for Manhattan, which designated 12 broad north–south avenues running the length of the island. The geography of Manhattan left a large area on the Upper East Side east of First Avenue without a major north–south thoroughfare, so Avenue A was added to compensate. Several disconnected stretches of Avenue A built where space allowed, east of First Avenue.
The section of Avenue A (now York Avenue) from 59th to 60th streets was named "Sutton Place" by 1883.[2][3] It was named for Effingham B. Sutton, who constructed a group of brownstones between 57th and 58th Streets.[4]
20th century
In 1906, The Rockefeller Institute (the predecessor to The Rockefeller University) moved its laboratories to the site of the former Schermerhorn farm at York Avenue (then called Avenue A) and 66th Street.[5] John D. Rockefeller purchased the land from the Schermerhorn estate between Avenue A and the East River extending from 64th Street to 67th Street in 1903.[6]
The Rockefeller Institute Hospital opened in 1910.[5] In 1912, New York Hospital became affiliated with the Cornell University Medical College and in 1932 moved to its current location, a joint facility, the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, on York Avenue between East 67th and 68th streets. In 1998, NY Hospital merged with Presbyterian Hospital to become NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) and the site functions as one of the main campuses of NYP.[7] On the west side of Avenue A, across the street from the Rockefeller Institute, in 1925, the Rockefeller Garden Apartments opened.[8] These were meant to be affordable housing, "good homes for low rents" for people with children.[8]
In 1928, a one-block section of Sutton Place north of 59th Street, and all of Avenue A north of that point, was renamed York Avenue to honor U.S. Army Sergeant Alvin York, who received the Medal of Honor during World War I's Meuse-Argonne Offensive.[9][10][11] York, commanding only a few men took over 125 German soldiers as prisoners. York's feat made him a national hero and international celebrity among allied nations.
In 1932, New York Hospital and Cornell University Medical College (which affiliated in 1913) moved to its current location, a joint facility, the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, on York Avenue at 68th Street. In 1998, NY Hospital merged with Presbyterian Hospital to become NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) and the site functions as one of the main campuses of NYP.[7]
In 1939, the Memorial Hospital opened on York Avenue, between 67th and 68th Streets, on land donated by John D. Rockefeller Jr.[12]
Points of interest
The auction house Sotheby's was headquartered on York Avenue[13] until it moved to the Whitney Museum's Breuer Building in 2025.[14] Founder's Hall of Rockefeller University, a National Historic Landmark, is located at York Avenue and 66th Street.[15]
See also
- 2006 New York City Cirrus SR20 crash, a plane crash just off of York Avenue on October 11, 2006
- Beekman Place
- Pleasant Avenue
References
- ^ "York Avenue" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
- ^ Senft, Bret (June 12, 1994). "If You're Thinking of Living In/Sutton Place; A Riverside Enclave for the Well-to-Do". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ Gray, Christopher (September 21, 2003). "Streetscapes/Sutton Place, Sutton Place South and One Sutton Place North; A Prestigious Enclave With a Name in Question". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
- ^ "Sutton Place Park Highlights : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "Our History". The Rockefeller University. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ "NAME ROCKEFELLER AS BUYER OF BLOCK; Reported Purchase Opposite Institute Is Believed to Forecast Expansion. NEGOTIATORS ARE SILENT Research Plant Controls Six Blocks Between 63d and 68th Street, Avenue A and East River". The New York Times. November 2, 1922. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ a b "History". Weill Cornell Medicine. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "ROCKEFELLER PLANS MORE APARTMENTS". The New York Times. October 2, 1925. p. 25. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Gray, Christopher (September 21, 2003). "Streetscapes/Sutton Place, Sutton Place South and One Sutton Place North; A Prestigious Enclave With a Name in Question". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
- ^ Pollak, Michael (August 7, 2005). "The Great Race". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ During his October 8, 1918, attack, York captured four German officers and 128 men and several guns. "Medal of Honor Recipients - World War I". United States Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on August 15, 2007.
- ^ "History & Milestones". Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ "Sothebys Contact Info". Business Insider. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- ^ Freeman, Nate (November 7, 2025). "Inside the Sotheby's Takeover of the Breuer Building". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ^ Poh, Carol Ann (December 11, 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Founder's Hall - The Rockefeller University" (pdf). National Park Service.