New York, NY - Urban Archive

South of Union Square

Story

Essential New York: Midtown East

The Chrysler Building, the Empire State, 30 Rock, and other skyscrapers adorn the skyline. At street level the solitude of the Public Library, and the glitz of Fifth Avenue. And underground, Grand Central Terminal ushers commuters in and out of the city.

Take a walk amongst the sights of Midtown East.

By

Urban Archive

19 stops•2.7km•33 min

1

Bryant Park

Bryant Park

Bryant Park was laid out as a potter's field in 1823. The area became a public park called Reservoir Square in 1847. It was renamed Bryant Park in 1884.

2

New York Public Library, Main Branch

New York Public Library, Main Branch

The Main Branch of the New York Public Library was built on land formerly occupied by the Croton Reservoir. After two years of dismantling the 1830s reservoir, the cornerstone for the new structure was laid on November 10, 1902.

3

Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal opened in 1913, replacing the earlier Grand Central Station (which replaced the earlier Grand Central Depot). In 2013, the terminal had 21.9 million visitors, not including train and subway passengers.

4

Chrysler Building

Chrysler Building

A New York City icon, the Art Deco Chrysler Building was designed by William Van Alen and constructed between 1928 and 1930.

5

New York Central Building

New York Central Building

The New York Central Building (now the Helmsley Building) is a physical and visual termination point of Park Avenue. In 1931, Bugsy Siegel and three other gangsters murdered "capo di tutti capi," (boss of all bosses) Salvatore Maranzano in his ninth-floor office here.

6

Waldorf Astoria Hotel (1931)

Waldorf Astoria Hotel (1931)

Originally two neighboring 19th-century hotels, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel opened its doors at 50th Street and Park Avenue in 1931. At the time it was the tallest and largest hotel in the world.

7

Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue

The Saks Fifth Avenue building was the first major department store in NYC to be designated a landmark. It was also one of the first flagship stores to conduct unveiling events for window displays.

8

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center is complex of 19 buildings between 48th and 51st street. It includes 30 Rock, Radio City Music Hall, and the famed skating rink.

9

30 Rock

30 Rock

30 Rockefeller Plaza was built between 1931 and 1933. Presently NBC is headquartered here. The "Rainbow Room" is on the 65th floor and the "Top of the Rock" allows for panoramic city views.

10

Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center

Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center

The popular skating rink was created to replace an "unprofitable retail space" originally at the center of the complex. Today, it is perhaps the most famous skating rink in the world.

11

St. Patrick's Cathedral

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Dedicated on May 25, 1879, St. Patrick's Cathedral towered over nearly all of the built environment of the then sparsely developed neighborhood.

12

Seagram Building

Seagram Building

German-born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe deigned this Building which is considered an icon of modernism. Hang out by the fountain and celebrate Mies' "urban plaza."

13

Lever House

Lever House

Across the street, the Lever House pays homage to the design principles of Mies van der Rohe. It is credited as a pivot point for Park Avenue, when the boulevard's masonry apartment buildings were replaced by glass towers. Look up and down 5th Avenue to admire this phenomenon.

14

St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church

St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church

This 1914 church is a beautiful example of French Gothic architecture. Uncommonly this design for the church is asymmetrical and only included one tower.

15

Museum of Modern Art

Museum of Modern Art

MoMA is that you?!? Opened in 1929, various expansion projects (including one in 2006 which nearly doubled the exhibition space) led to the museum you see today. MoMA is regarded as one of the most influential modern art museums in the world.

16

Tiffany and Company Building (1940)

Tiffany and Company Building (1940)

This ten-story building was completed in 1940, replacing the jewelry brand's previous flagship at Fifth Avenue and 37th Street. Little known fact: abstract expressionists Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns designed window displays for Tiffany and Co. in the 1950s.

17

Bergdorf Goodman

Bergdorf Goodman

Bergdorf Goodman has created glamorous, fashion-inspired installations known to impress for decades. In 2017, the store brought a philanthropic twist to its spectacular displays and partnered with seven New York City charities.

18

Pulitzer Fountain

Pulitzer Fountain

Named for newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, this fountain was dedicated in 1916.

19

William Tecumseh Sherman Monument

William Tecumseh Sherman Monument

Completed in 1903, the William Tecumseh Sherman Monument was placed at the main entrance of Central Park and then moved upon the construction of the Pulitzer Fountain. From here, you can enjoy Central Park - an urban oasis amongst skyscrapers.

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