Lenox Hill

By Patrick Verel | Special to amNewYork

April 6, 2006

When the Third Avenue el train was torn down in 1955, it sparked a transformation of the section of the Upper East Side closest to the East River that is still continuing today.

Where it was once primarily the province of pre-war tenements, it now has at least a dozen high-rise luxury towers, myriad tony townhouses and more doormen than you can shake a stick at. Rockefeller University and several hospitals occupy York Avenue on the east side, and to the west are ritzy boutiques and galleries on Lexington and Third avenues.

The neighborhood is actually east of its namesake hill, which takes its name from the 30-acre farm of the Scotsman Robert Lenox. The farm, which he owned until his death in 1840, stretched from what is now 68th to 74th streets between Park and Fifth avenues.

Nowadays, the only thing that's growing are the choice of dwellings.

The transformation of the old Barbizon Hotel for Women, at Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street, into 66 luxury apartments is a prime example of the continuing changes.

David Dubin, a senior associate at The Corcoran Group, said close proximity to midtown and safety are Lenox Hill's biggest draws. "The Upper East Side is not trendy; it's not the Meatpacking district. But it will always hold its value," he said. "It's an area that's tried and true and established. You have families, singles -- there's a real mix of people. It's a neighborhood that's really a home to people."

The Buzz

Crime is not a problem on the Upper East Side, and even though the bars on First Avenue can get pretty raucous, noise isn't so bad either. What troubles residents of the Upper East Side in general, and the residents of Lenox Hill in particular, is density.

The 19th Precinct, which includes Lenox Hill, recorded 217,063 residents in 1.754 square miles in the 2000 census. When you try to get on the No. 6 train at East 68th Street during the morning rush hour, it can feel like every one of those people is there, too. Rena Goldstein, sales associate for Halstead Properties, said the area is one that could really benefit from the proposed Second Avenue subway.

"There is a lot of grumbling and complaining and wishing for a Second Avenue subway to relieve the crowding," she said. She said noses get turned up at apartments on East End Avenue for that very reason.

Until then, Upper East siders have to grin and get used to being a little more intimate with their fellow straphangers.

Find it

Lenox Hill is bordered by East 59th Street to the south, Lexington Avenue to the west, East 79th Street to the north and the East River to the east.

What's Selling

» 547-square-foot studio on 70th Street between Third and Lexington avenues: $625,000.
» 773-square-foot one-bedroom condo on 65th Street at Second Avenue: $749,000.
» 1,002-square-foot one-bedroom condo on 62nd Street between Third and Lexington avenues: $1.15 million.
» 1,031-square-foot two-bedroom on 65th Street between First and Second avenues: $1.16 million
» 4,025-square-foot four-bedroom condo with terrace on 72nd Street between First and Second avenues: $5.6 million.

What's Renting