53rd Street (Manhattan)
Encyclopedia
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
cross street in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, that contains buildings such as the Citicorp Building
Citicorp Building
One Court Square, also known as the Citigroup Building, is a 50-story office tower in Long Island City, Queens just outside of Manhattan in New York City. It was completed in 1990 by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP for Citigroup. The tower is tallest in New York City outside Manhattan, and the...
. It is 1.83 miles (2.94 km) long. The street runs westbound from Sutton Place
Sutton Place, Manhattan
Sutton Place is the name given to one of the most affluent streets in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States, situated on the border between the Midtown and Upper East Side neighborhoods...
across most of the island's width, ending at DeWitt Clinton Park
DeWitt Clinton Park
DeWitt Clinton Park is a New York City public park in the Hell's Kitchen, New York neighborhood between West 52nd Street and 54th Street and Eleventh Avenue and the West Side Highway in Manhattan....
at Eleventh Avenue
Eleventh Avenue (Manhattan)
Eleventh Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the far West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, not far from the Hudson River. It carries downtown traffic only, south of West 44th Street, and two-way traffic north of it....
. The Lexington Avenue – 53rd Street IND and 51st Street IRT station, one of the busiest in the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
system, is accessible from this street, and is served by trains. The Seventh Avenue IND station
Seventh Avenue (IND Queens Boulevard Line)
Seventh Avenue is a station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line and the IND Sixth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and 53rd Street in Manhattan, it is served by the D and E trains at all times, and the B train weekdays...
( trains) is a similarly busy transfer station.
Notable locations
- The 53rd Street Tunnel53rd Street TunnelThe 53rd Street Tunnel carries the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway under the East River and Roosevelt Island between Manhattan and Queens, New York City....
carries the IND Queens Boulevard LineIND Queens Boulevard LineThe Queens Boulevard Line is a fully underground line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan and Queens, New York City, United States. The line provides crosstown service across Manhattan under 53rd Street and east through Queens to Jamaica...
( trains) of the New York City SubwayNew York City SubwayThe New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
under the East RiverEast RiverThe East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
between Manhattan and QueensQueensQueens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. - The Lipstick BuildingLipstick BuildingThe Lipstick Building is a 453 foot tall skyscraper located at 885 Third Avenue, between East 53rd Street and 54th Street, across from the Citigroup Center in Manhattan, New York City, United States. It was completed in 1986 and has 34 floors. The building was designed by John Burgee Architects...
stands at Third Avenue - The Seagram BuildingSeagram BuildingThe Seagram Building is a skyscraper, located at 375 Park Avenue, between 52nd Street and 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, in collaboration with Philip Johnson. Severud Associates were the structural engineering consultants. The building...
is a 38-story skyscraperSkyscraperA skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
located at 375 Park AvenuePark Avenue (Manhattan)Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
, between 52nd Street52nd Street (Manhattan)52nd Street is a long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan.-Jazz center:The blocks of 52nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue were renowned in the mid-20th century for the abundance of jazz clubs and lively street life...
and 53rd Street, designed by the GermanGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
architect Ludwig Mies van der RoheLudwig Mies van der RoheLudwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect. He is commonly referred to and addressed as Mies, his surname....
, in collaboration with the American Philip JohnsonPhilip JohnsonPhilip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
and completed in 1958. - Lever HouseLever HouseLever House, designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and located at 390 Park Avenue in New York City, is the quintessential and seminal glass-box skyscraper built in the International style according to the design principles of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Completed in 1952, it was...
is a 21-story skyscraperSkyscraperA skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
located at 390 Park AvenuePark Avenue (Manhattan)Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
, between 54th Street54th Street (Manhattan)54th Street is a two-mile-long, one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan.-West Side Highway:*The route begins at the West Side Highway . Opposite the intersection is the New York Passenger Ship Terminal and the Hudson River...
and 53rd Street, designed by Gordon BunshaftGordon BunshaftGordon Bunshaft was an architect educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1988, Gordon Bunshaft nominated himself for the Pritzker Prize and eventually won it.-Career:...
of Skidmore, Owings and MerrillSkidmore, Owings and MerrillSkidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP is an American architectural and engineering firm that was formed in Chicago in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings; in 1939 they were joined by John O. Merrill. They opened their first branch in New York City, New York in 1937. SOM is one of the largest...
, and completed in 1952. - The Stork ClubStork ClubThe Stork Club was a nightclub in New York City from 1929 to 1965. From 1934 onwards, it was located at 3 East 53rd Street, just east of Fifth Avenue...
was one of the famous nightclubNightclubA nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s in New York City during the 1930s–1950s. It was located at 3 East 53rd Street, just off Fifth Avenue. - Paley ParkPaley ParkPaley Park is a pocket park located at 3 East 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan on the former site of the Stork Club. Designed by the landscape architectural firm of Zion & Breen, it opened May 23, 1967 on the former site of the Stork Club...
, on the former site of the Stork Club, is a 4200 square feet (390.2 m²) pocket parkPocket parkA pocket park, parkette or mini-park is a small park accessible to the general public. In some areas they are called miniparks or vest-pocket parks....
that has been recognized as one of the finest urban spaces in the United States. - Saint Thomas Church is located at Fifth AvenueFifth Avenue (Manhattan)Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the center of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The section of Fifth Avenue that crosses Midtown Manhattan, especially that between 49th Street and 60th Street, is lined with prestigious shops and is consistently ranked among...
. - The block between Fifth and SixthSixth Avenue (Manhattan)Sixth Avenue – officially Avenue of the Americas, although this name is seldom used by New Yorkers – is a major thoroughfare in New York City's borough of Manhattan, on which traffic runs northbound, or "uptown"...
Avenues also contains the Donnell Library Center, the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, the American Folk Art MuseumAmerican Folk Art MuseumThe American Folk Art Museum is a museum devoted to American folk art, as well as the work of international self-taught artists. It has branches at 45 West 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, in Midtown Manhattan .In May 2011 the Museum of Modern Art bought its 53rd Street location...
, and the "Black RockCBS BuildingThe CBS Building in New York City, also known as Black Rock, is the headquarters of CBS Corporation. The building, opened in 1965, was designed by Eero Saarinen. It is located at 51 West 52nd Street, at the corner of Sixth Avenue . The 38 story building is tall and measures approximately 872,000...
" and "Brown Rock" buildings of CBS and (formerly) ABC, respectively. A skyscraper has been proposed at 53 West 53rd Street - The block between 6th and 7th Avenues has the Calyon Building and the hotels Hilton New YorkHilton New YorkThe Hilton New York is the largest hotel in New York City and world's 101st tallest hotel.The 44-story building located on the northwest edge of Rockefeller Center at Sixth Avenue and 53rd Street has hosted every President since John F. Kennedy as well as the Beatles during their 1964 visit to the...
and Sheraton New YorkSheraton New York Hotel and TowersSheraton New York Hotel and Towers is a hotel located in New York City near Times Square. Its addresses are on 7th Avenue, West 52nd Street, and West 53rd Street. At 501 feet , it is one of the world's top 100 tallest hotels, and one of the tallest hotels in New York City. It has 51 floors. It was...
, separated by a subway powerhouseTraction current converter plantA traction substation or traction current converter plant is an electrical substation that converts electric power from the form provided by the electrical power industry for public utility service to an appropriate voltage, current type and frequency to supply railways, trams and/or trolleybuses...
. - A section of 53rd at Eighth AvenueEighth Avenue (Manhattan)Eighth Avenue is a north-south avenue on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic. Eighth Avenue begins in the West Village neighborhood at Abingdon Square and runs north for 44 blocks through Chelsea, the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen's east end, Midtown and the...
was named Jerry OrbachJerry OrbachJerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach was an American actor and singer. He was well known for his starring role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As well, Orbach was a noted musical theatre star...
Way in 2007 in honor of the actor, who had lived there for 25 years. - The Ed Sullivan TheaterEd Sullivan TheaterThe Ed Sullivan Theater, located at 1697-1699 Broadway between West 53rd and West 54th, in Manhattan, is a venerable radio and television studio in New York City...
is at Broadway, across the street from the back door of the Roseland BallroomRoseland BallroomThe Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theatre district, on West 52nd Street....
and next to another subway powerhouse. - The Wendy Williams Show is made at 433 West 53d.
- A building at 811 10th Avenue, between 53rd & 54th Sts, houses the largest New York exchange of AT&T Long Lines. It extends about halfway to 11th ave and has NO windows; only two small rectangular openings located just above the two flagpoles on either side of the front door, giving access to the flags.
- The street ends at DeWitt Clinton ParkDeWitt Clinton ParkDeWitt Clinton Park is a New York City public park in the Hell's Kitchen, New York neighborhood between West 52nd Street and 54th Street and Eleventh Avenue and the West Side Highway in Manhattan....
on 11th Avenue.
External links
- 53rd Street: A New York Songline — virtual walking tour
- 53 Skiddoo — by Forgotten-NY