Carnegie Hill
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Carnegie Hill is a neighborhood within the Upper East Side, in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Roughly speaking, it is bounded by 86th Street on the south, Third Avenue on the east, 96th Street (i.e., Spanish Harlem) on the north, and Fifth Avenue (i.e., Central Park) on the west. The neighborhood is part of Manhattan Community Board 8. It is widely considered the most prestigious residential area of the Upper East Side despite its location next to Harlem.
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[edit] History
The neighborhood is named for the mansion that Andrew Carnegie built at Fifth Avenue and 91st Street in 1901. The mansion is today the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution. A number of other mansions in the area have been converted to schools, including the recent purchase of the Smithers' Mansion, a former rehabilitation center for New York's elite by the Spence School. The Lycee Francais held a mansion space on 95th between Fifth and Madison Avenue until 2005, when the property was sold to a private owner.
The architecture of the neighborhood is an eclectic mix of taller residential buildings, lush mansions, townhouses, and even wood-built homes built over a nearly 200-year span. Many of the neighborhood's esteemed townhouses were actually built during the Reconstruction period, with four or five houses being cheaply laid down in row. While some of the facades of these older homes have been remodeled, there are still many identical houses running the length of the numbered streets in the area. A number of wooden houses still survive in the area.
[edit] Community
One of New York's most prestigious and expensive neighborhoods, most of the neighborhood's opulent townhouses are protected as part of the Carnegie Hill Historic District. Many of the townhouses are single family residences, although some have been converted to apartments.
Known for its "suburban" family-friendly atmosphere, Carnegie Hill boasts many fine restaurants, upscale boutiques, and gourmet food stores. Following New York City's tradition of similar stores residing next to one another, the stretch of Madison Avenue that runs through Carnegie Hill is known for its numerous children's clothing boutiques. The neighborhood includes several of the nation's most exclusive private prep schools, including Dalton, Nightingale-Bamford, Spence, and Convent of the Sacred Heart. The neighborhood also includes the public Hunter College High School, one of the US's top high schools.
