For years, a Carnegie Hill apartment was thought to be the pinnacle of prestigious addresses, and while it still ranks very high, other areas of Manhattan like SoHo, Chelsea and others downtown have made it more attainable for the average apartment hunter.
It is a neighborhood with history, with tree lined streets, with brownstones and high rises and is always considered one of the safest areas of the city.
About Carnegie Hill
This neighborhood runs from Fifth Avenue to Third Avenue and from 86th Street up to 96th. Because the Lexington Avenue subway line sits square in the middle, one is never too far from mass transit, and there are buses on the avenues. The area is named afer Andrew Carnegie, who once built a huge mansion at 91st and Fifth. Today, it is the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and it is just one of the famous cultural institutions that reside within Carnegie Hill.
Along the side streets, one finds mostly brownstones and townhouses, some of which have been sectioned into apartments and can be rented. The avenues are chock a block full of bigger Carnegie Hill apartment buildings, and range from very posh on Fifth to affordable on Third. The northern most section of he neighborhood was considered less fashionable for years, but is now esteemed for its range of restaurants and diversity.
The area does include a hill. A rather large one at that. When one walks uptown and through Carnegie Hill, it is very apparent that it has some elevation to it. Prior to the time ( early 1830s) that Andrew Carnegie built his mansion, the area had been first an Indian village and then farms. It wasn’t until after World War I that the numerous luxury apartment buildings began to sprout from the hill. And even with its growth, history has been protected and that is precisely why the area remains so lovely today.
The Convenience Of Carnegie Hill
You’ll hear a few people moan about the lack of some services and shops in Carnegie Hill, but generally that means they are lazy. There are fantastic grocers and other stores for necessities just outside boundaries of the neighborhood, and once settled into a Carnegie Hill rental, it just takes a little effort to find The Gourmet Garage and other high end shops.
What Carnegie Hill offers are good, small stores and because there are few huge chain stores, the area is overall much quieter and more residential. Most feel that the trade off is a good one too. You can bike or jog to Central Park on safe streets, or go over to the East River for dog runs and the walkway along the river. You’ve got easy access to museums and to movie theaters, and within walking distance is some of the best shopping in the world on Madison Avenue.
Carnegie Hill is worth calling home if you’ve had it with noisier, busier sections of Manhattan, and are ready to move on up to the East Side!
