Murray Hill

By Patrick Verel | Special to amNewYork

May 17, 2007

In many ways, Murray Hill is like anywhere in Manhattan. Townhouses, tenements and brownstones compete for space along streets by turns both busy, pocket parks such as St. Vartan's provide a small respite from the hub bub, and dry cleaners, delis, markets and salons fill in the cogs of commerce of a thriving neighborhood.

Then there are the consulates from countries as far away as Fiji and as close as Mexico, all within walking distance of the United Nations Secretariat Building. And there's the high-end shops on Madison Avenue, and. a few blocks easy, the rowdy bar scene on Third. And of course, the mother of all buildings, the Empire State, looms over head like an attentive mother watching her flock. Murray Hill, which takes its name after Robert Murray, a Quaker merchant whose 29 acre farm overlooked Kips Bay from what is now Park Ave and East 36th Street, is definitely unique.

A fair description of the terrain, which stretches from East 42nd Street to either East 34th Street or East 28th Street, is chockablock. Massive, modern condo towers mingle with stately 19th century residences, and young families and recent college grads mix it up with old timers.

Robin Fifield, an associate broker at Prudential Douglas Elliman, said anyone who walks the side streets of Murray Hill will be pleasantly surprised by all the little nooks and crannies of activity.

"It's a lot more than the proximity to Midtown; you can walk down ten blocks and be at all the restaurants on Park Ave South without having to pay all the prices for Flatiron and Unions Square," she said. "It's off the beaten path for a lot of people, but there's a lot going on here. It is much more a neighborhood than people realize until you get there and become a part of it."

"I think a lot of young professionals know the neighborhood because they frequent the bars and all the ethnic restaurants," said Ivana Tagliamonte, vice president and associate broker at Halstead Property. "There's a huge market for people who want to be close to Grand Central Terminal, they have that beach house in Connecticut that they want to head off to every weekend."

Murray Hill has fairly rigid borders on three sides, but you'll get a range of answers from businesses and residents south of 30th Street, where terms like "Gray Area," "Rose Hill," "Curry Hill," and Gramercy are tossed around in conversation. Tagliamonte said the prevailing thought is that Murray Hill has enough cache to claim those blocks as its own. "There was a push to call it Gramercy Hill as a compromise, but that never really caught on," she said with a laugh.

Find it
42nd Street to the north, Second Avenue to the east, East 28th Street to the south and Fifth Ave to the west

The Basics
Transportation
Subway: 6" 28th Street, 33rd St; 4, 5, 6, 7, S: 42nd Street
Bus: M1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 15, 16, 21, 27, 42, 50, 98, 102, 103, 104
Train: Metro-North at Grand Central Terminal

Crime: The 17th Precinct, which includes much of Murray Hill, has had no murders, three rapes and 28 robberies this year, compared to two murders, five rapes and 25 robberies at this time last year. There were a total of two murders, 11 rapes and 99 robberies last year.

Schools: P.S. 116, 210 E. 33rd St.; H.S. 620, 111 E. 33rd St.

Post Offices: 205 E. 36th St.

Banks
Bank of America, 350 Fifth Ave., 345 Park Ave. South, 675 Third Ave., 56 E. 42nd St., Chase, 430 Third Ave., 633 Third Ave., 2 Park Ave, 386 Park Ave. South, 349 Fifth Ave.; Citibank, One Park Ave., 90 Park Ave., 145 E. 42nd St., 411 Fifth Ave., 22 W. 32nd St., 330 Madison Ave., 734 Third Ave.; Commerce Bank, 475 Park Ave. South, 401 Fifth Ave., 317 Madison Ave.; North Fork, 470 Park Ave. South, 245 E. 34th St., 10 E. 34th St., 404 Fifth Ave., 109 E. 42nd St.; Wachovia, 99 Park Ave., 666 Third Ave, 230 Park Ave.; Washington Mutual, 355 Lexington Ave., 460 Park Ave., 101 Park Ave.

All the normal rules apply to housing in Murray Hill, (side streets are more expensive than avenues, doorman towers are pricier), with the added caveat that several blocks around the entrances and exits to the Queens Midtown Tunnel get a fair amount of traffic. Ivana Tagliamonte, vice president and associate broker at Halstead Property, LLC, said on average, one bedrooms rent for $3,500 a month; studios can fetch $2,000 a month. To buy a one bedroom, be prepared to spend on average $600,000 to $700,000 for a co-op and $900,000 for a condo; $400,000 will get you a studio. The inventory ranges from luxury high rises to prewar brownstones.