Lincoln Square

By Denisa R. Superville | Special to amNewYork

June 15, 2006

Long before there was a Lincoln Center, the name Lincoln Square referred to the area between where 63rd Street and 66th Street intersected with Broadway and Columbus Avenue. But as so often happens in New York City, the surrounding neighborhood would in time take on that name, though many residents simply call it the Upper West Side.

The area west of Broadway to the Hudson River was known as San Juan Hill, a tenement neighborhood. It was here that Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story was set, on blocks that would one day be cleared for the Lincoln Center, where Bernstein himself worked for many years.

East of Broadway to Central Park West was always more affluent, according to urban historian Judy Richheimer. The area had a thriving theater district and lively jazz scene, Richheimer.

Today, Lincoln Square is booming, powered by the presence of Lincoln Center.

"There is no doubt that Lincoln Center caused the development of this part of town," said Monica Blum, president of the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District. "They really are an engine. That's why restaurants are here. That's why apartment buildings were built. That's not the only reason, but I think that it has an awful lot to do with [it]."

At least 10 projects, including renovations to Lincoln Center, are in the planning or construction phase. They will add hundreds of apartments to a neighborhood that already attracts young professionals, students, artists and empty nesters shopping for second homes.

To buy/ rent

The neighborhood offers a mix of modern high-rise condominiums, Art Deco and Romanesque buildings and stately brownstones. It is not the most expensive in Manhattan, but it will certainly cost you a pretty penny to live here.

To rent

Much of the rental market in Lincoln Square centers around co-op and condo buildings. The averages so far this year in co-op buildings:

Studio: $1,776
One bedroom: $2,599
Two-bedroom: $3,767

The average in condo buildings:

Studio: $2,584
One bedrooms: $3,628
Two bedrooms: $6,635

To buy

Average sales in co-ops:

Studio: $368,222