Kips Bay
Encyclopedia
Kips Bay is a neighborhood in the New York City
borough
of Manhattan
. Because there are no official boundaries for New York City neighborhoods, the limits of Kip's Bay are somewhat vague, but it is often considered to be the area between East 23rd Street
and East 34th Street
extending from Lexington Avenue
to the East River
. Some definitions put its western boundary significantly farther east, at Second Avenue
, and recently the northern boundary has been extended to 38th Street rather than 34th Street.
Kips Bay is neighbored on the north by Murray Hill
, on the west by Midtown East
or Rose Hill
, and on the south by the Gramercy Park
neighborhood and the Peter Cooper Village apartment complex. It is part of Manhattan Community Board 6
.
Dutch settler Jacobus Hendrickson Kip (1631-1690), whose farm ran north of present day 30th Street along the East River. The bay became reclaimed land
, yet "Kips Bay" remains the name of the area. Kip built a large brick and stone house, near the modern intersection of Second Avenue
and East 35th Street. The house stood from 1655 to 1851, expanded more than once, and when it was demolished was the last farmhouse from New Amsterdam
remaining in the city. Iron figures fixed into the gable-end brickwork commemorated the year of its first construction. Its orchard was famous, and, when George Washington was presented with a slip of its Rosa gallica
during his first administration, it was claimed to have been the first garden to have grown it in the colonies.
Kips Bay was the site of the Landing at Kip's Bay
(September 15, 1776), an episode of the American Revolutionary War
and part of the New York and New Jersey campaign
. About 4,000 British Army
troops under General
William Howe
landed at Kips Bay on September 15, 1776, near what is now the foot of East 33rd Street. Howe's forces defeated about 500 American militiamen commanded by Colonel William Douglas
. The American forces immediately retreated and the British occupied New York City soon afterward.
A single survivor of the late 18th or early 19th century in the neighborhood is the simple vernacular white clapboard house, much rebuilt, which has been variously dated from around 1790 to as late as 1870, standing gable-end to the street, at 203 East 29th Street (illustration, left); it is one of a mere handful of wooden houses that remain on Manhattan Island. The house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, is privately owned and not open to the public.
South of the Kips Bay Farm stood the substantial Federal-style villa erected facing the East River by Henry A. Coster, in the thirty-acre estate that was purchased in 1835 by Anson Greene Phelps
; towards the city, the Bull's Head cattle market fronting the Boston Post Road
extended southwards from 27th Street to 23rd Street, affording a distinctly less rural aspect; the villa was removed to make way for rowhouses in the 1860s and the cattle market was moved farther out of town, to 42nd Street.
A nearly forgotten feature is the private alley, Broadway Alley, between 26th and 27th Streets, halfway between Lexington and Third Avenues, reputedly the last unpaved street in Manhattan.
In the 1960s and later, four Henry Phipps
high-rise apartment complexes were constructed mainly on East 29th Street between First and Second Avenues, and south to East 27th Street. Historically, Phipps had been a partner of Andrew Carnegie
. Much earlier in time, by 1940, the Madison Square Boys (and later Girls) Club, which had been located on East 30th Street just east of Second Avenue, built its own facilities on East 29th Street (back-to-back with its older facility). In the 1990s, the Club sold its facility to The Churchill School and Center and has operated its office in the Empire State Building
.
There are two large apartment buildings in the neighborhood, named Kips Bay Towers
, a 1,112-unit complex completed in 1963 and designed by architect I.M. Pei. Many businesses in the neighborhood use the name (Kips Bay Cinemas, Kips Bay Cleaners, Kips Bay branch of the New York Public Library
).
Since the late 1990s, the area has had a commercial strip mall on Second Avenue between East 30th and East 33rd Streets, set back from the street by a driveway running parallel to Second Avenue. This group of stores is referred to as "Kips Bay Plaza" and consists of an AMC
/Loews
movie theater
, a now-defunct Borders
bookstore, a Crunch Fitness
center, and a 24-hour Rite Aid
pharmacy.
Built on a pier
above the East River between East 25th and East 28th Streets are Waterside Plaza
and the United Nations International School
. There were plans to build additional above-water apartments, offices, and a hotel in the 1980s but environmental concerns and community opposition doomed the project. Today, the waterfront south of Waterside Plaza is Stuyvesant Cove Park
. The park includes a small man-made land mass extending out into the East River, which was created from excess cement dumped into the river.
Within Kips Bay, the area along First Avenue
is dominated by the institutional buildings of New York University
, including Tisch Hospital, NYU College of Dentistry
, NYU School of Medicine
, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine
, Bellevue Hospital Center
teaching hospital
, and the Manhattan VA Hospital. Further north on First Avenue between East 37th and East 38th Streets is the former Kips Bay Brewing Company, originally constructed in 1895 and now occupied by offices.
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...
. Because there are no official boundaries for New York City neighborhoods, the limits of Kip's Bay are somewhat vague, but it is often considered to be the area between East 23rd Street
23rd Street (Manhattan)
23rd Street is a broad thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is one of few two-way streets in the gridiron of the borough. As with Manhattan's other "crosstown" streets, it is divided at Fifth Avenue, in this case at Madison Square Park, into its east and west sections. Since...
and East 34th Street
34th Street (Manhattan)
34th Street is a major cross-town street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, connecting the Lincoln Tunnel and Queens-Midtown Tunnel. Like many of New York City's major crosstown streets, it has its own bus routes and four subway stops serving the trains at Eighth Avenue, the trains at...
extending from Lexington Avenue
Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated by New Yorkers as "Lex," is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street...
to the East River
East River
The 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...
. Some definitions put its western boundary significantly farther east, at Second Avenue
Second Avenue (Manhattan)
Second Avenue is an avenue on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan extending from Houston Street at its south end to the Harlem River Drive at 128th Street at its north end. A one-way street, vehicular traffic runs only downtown. A bicycle lane in the left hand portion from 55th...
, and recently the northern boundary has been extended to 38th Street rather than 34th Street.
Kips Bay is neighbored on the north by Murray Hill
Murray Hill, Manhattan
Murray Hill is a Midtown Manhattan neighborhood in New York City, USA. Around 1987 many real estate promoters of the neighborhood and newer residents described the boundaries as within East 34th Street, East 42nd Street, Madison Avenue, and the East River; in 1999, Frank P...
, on the west by Midtown East
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...
or Rose Hill
Rose Hill, Manhattan
Rose Hill is a recently-revived name for a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is bounded by 25th Street and 30th Street on the south and north, and by Third Avenue and Madison or Fifth Avenue on the east and west...
, and on the south by the Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
neighborhood and the Peter Cooper Village apartment complex. It is part of Manhattan Community Board 6
Manhattan Community Board 6
Manhattan Community Board 6 is a local government unit of New York City, New York, United States. Its area of responsibility encompasses the East Side of Manhattan from 14th Street to 59th Street. This includes the neighborhoods of Gramercy Park, Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, Waterside...
.
History
Kips Bay was an inlet of the East River running from what is now 32nd Street to 37th Street. The bay extended into Manhattan island to just west of what is now First Avenue and had two streams that ran from it. The bay was named after New NetherlandNew Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
Dutch settler Jacobus Hendrickson Kip (1631-1690), whose farm ran north of present day 30th Street along the East River. The bay became reclaimed land
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
, yet "Kips Bay" remains the name of the area. Kip built a large brick and stone house, near the modern intersection of Second Avenue
Second Avenue (Manhattan)
Second Avenue is an avenue on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan extending from Houston Street at its south end to the Harlem River Drive at 128th Street at its north end. A one-way street, vehicular traffic runs only downtown. A bicycle lane in the left hand portion from 55th...
and East 35th Street. The house stood from 1655 to 1851, expanded more than once, and when it was demolished was the last farmhouse from New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
remaining in the city. Iron figures fixed into the gable-end brickwork commemorated the year of its first construction. Its orchard was famous, and, when George Washington was presented with a slip of its Rosa gallica
Rosa gallica
Rosa gallica is a species of rose native to southern and central Europe eastwards to Turkey and the Caucasus....
during his first administration, it was claimed to have been the first garden to have grown it in the colonies.
Kips Bay was the site of the Landing at Kip's Bay
Landing at Kip's Bay
The Landing at Kip's Bay was a British amphibious landing during the New York Campaign in the American Revolutionary War on September 15, 1776, occurring on the eastern shore of present-day Manhattan....
(September 15, 1776), an episode of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and part of the New York and New Jersey campaign
New York and New Jersey campaign
The New York and New Jersey campaign was a series of battles for control of New York City and the state of New Jersey in the American Revolutionary War between British forces under General Sir William Howe and the Continental Army under General George Washington in 1776 and the winter months of 1777...
. About 4,000 British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
troops under General
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
William Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence...
landed at Kips Bay on September 15, 1776, near what is now the foot of East 33rd Street. Howe's forces defeated about 500 American militiamen commanded by Colonel William Douglas
William Douglas (colonel)
William Douglas was an American military officer who led regiments from Connecticut during the American Revolutionary War....
. The American forces immediately retreated and the British occupied New York City soon afterward.
A single survivor of the late 18th or early 19th century in the neighborhood is the simple vernacular white clapboard house, much rebuilt, which has been variously dated from around 1790 to as late as 1870, standing gable-end to the street, at 203 East 29th Street (illustration, left); it is one of a mere handful of wooden houses that remain on Manhattan Island. The house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, is privately owned and not open to the public.
South of the Kips Bay Farm stood the substantial Federal-style villa erected facing the East River by Henry A. Coster, in the thirty-acre estate that was purchased in 1835 by Anson Greene Phelps
Anson Greene Phelps
Anson Greene Phelps was a co-founder of mining company Phelps Dodge, which he founded in 1833 along with his son-in-law William E. Dodge.-Early life:...
; towards the city, the Bull's Head cattle market fronting the Boston Post Road
Boston Post Road
The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts that evolved into the first major highways in the United States.The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York...
extended southwards from 27th Street to 23rd Street, affording a distinctly less rural aspect; the villa was removed to make way for rowhouses in the 1860s and the cattle market was moved farther out of town, to 42nd Street.
Recent development
The neighborhood has been rebuilt in patches, so one can see both new high-rise structures often set back from the street, and a multitude of exposed party walls that were never meant to be seen in public.A nearly forgotten feature is the private alley, Broadway Alley, between 26th and 27th Streets, halfway between Lexington and Third Avenues, reputedly the last unpaved street in Manhattan.
In the 1960s and later, four Henry Phipps
Henry Phipps
Henry Phipps, Jr. was an American entrepreneur and major philanthropist.-Biography:He was the son of an English shoemaker who emigrated in the early part of the 19th century to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before settling in Pittsburgh. When a child, he was a friend and neighbor to Andrew Carnegie...
high-rise apartment complexes were constructed mainly on East 29th Street between First and Second Avenues, and south to East 27th Street. Historically, Phipps had been a partner of Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. Much earlier in time, by 1940, the Madison Square Boys (and later Girls) Club, which had been located on East 30th Street just east of Second Avenue, built its own facilities on East 29th Street (back-to-back with its older facility). In the 1990s, the Club sold its facility to The Churchill School and Center and has operated its office in the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
.
There are two large apartment buildings in the neighborhood, named Kips Bay Towers
Kips Bay Towers
Kips Bay Towers is a large two-building condominium complex in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan with a total of 1,118 units. The complex was designed by architects I.M. Pei and S. J. Kessler, with the involvement of James Ingo Freed, in the brutalist style and completed in 1965...
, a 1,112-unit complex completed in 1963 and designed by architect I.M. Pei. Many businesses in the neighborhood use the name (Kips Bay Cinemas, Kips Bay Cleaners, Kips Bay branch of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
).
Since the late 1990s, the area has had a commercial strip mall on Second Avenue between East 30th and East 33rd Streets, set back from the street by a driveway running parallel to Second Avenue. This group of stores is referred to as "Kips Bay Plaza" and consists of an AMC
AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
/Loews
Loews
The name Loews can refer to several articles in the Wikipedia:* Loews Theatres - Cinema chain* Loews Corporation - Holding company* Loews Hotels - Luxury hotel and resort chain with destinations in the United States and in Canada...
movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, a now-defunct Borders
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
bookstore, a Crunch Fitness
Crunch Fitness
Crunch Fitness is a chain of approximately 20 American fitness clubs located in and near New York City, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Portland and Miami.-Locations:As of March 2011 the club had 30 locations.Los Angeles Area,Miami,...
center, and a 24-hour Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
pharmacy.
Built on a pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
above the East River between East 25th and East 28th Streets are Waterside Plaza
Waterside Plaza
Waterside Plaza, formerly a Mitchell-Lama Housing Program-funded rental apartment complex, is located on the East River in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan, New York City.- Overview :...
and the United Nations International School
United Nations International School
The United Nations International School is a private international school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 by families who worked for or were associated with the United Nations. The school was founded to provide an international education, while preserving its students' diverse cultural...
. There were plans to build additional above-water apartments, offices, and a hotel in the 1980s but environmental concerns and community opposition doomed the project. Today, the waterfront south of Waterside Plaza is Stuyvesant Cove Park
Stuyvesant Cove Park
Stuyvesant Cove Park is a public park on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan that runs from 18th Street to 23rd Street between the FDR Drive and the East River...
. The park includes a small man-made land mass extending out into the East River, which was created from excess cement dumped into the river.
Within Kips Bay, the area along First Avenue
First Avenue (Manhattan)
First Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from Houston Street northbound for over 125 blocks before terminating at the Willis Avenue Bridge into The Bronx at the Harlem River near East 127th Street. South of Houston Street, the...
is dominated by the institutional buildings of New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, including Tisch Hospital, NYU College of Dentistry
New York University College of Dentistry
The New York University College of Dentistry is one of 14 schools and divisions at New York University. It is located near Manhattan's Midtown area...
, NYU School of Medicine
New York University School of Medicine
The New York University School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of New York University. Founded in 1841 as the University Medical College, the NYU School of Medicine is one of the foremost medical schools in the United States....
, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine
Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine
The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine is the world's first and largest university-affiliated center devoted entirely to inpatient/outpatient care, research and training in rehabilitation medicine. It is part of the NYU Langone Medical Center and operated under the auspices of the...
, Bellevue Hospital Center
Bellevue Hospital Center
Bellevue Hospital Center, most often referred to as "Bellevue", was founded on March 31, 1736 and is the oldest public hospital in the United States. Located on First Avenue in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, Bellevue is famous from many literary, film and television...
teaching hospital
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
, and the Manhattan VA Hospital. Further north on First Avenue between East 37th and East 38th Streets is the former Kips Bay Brewing Company, originally constructed in 1895 and now occupied by offices.