Lincoln Square, Manhattan

Square and neighborhood in New York City

Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center Lincoln Square at night

class=notpageimage|

Location of Lincoln Square in Manhattan

40°46′26″N 73°59′04″W﻿ / ﻿40.773828°N 73.9844722°W﻿ / 40.773828; -73.9844722

Lincoln Square is the name of both a square and the surrounding neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Lincoln Square is centered on the intersection of Broadway and Columbus Avenue, between West 65th and 66th streets. The neighborhood is bounded by Columbus and Amsterdam avenues to the east and west, and 66th and 63rd streets to the north and south, respectively.[1] However, the term can be extended to refer to the neighborhood between 59th and 72nd streets. It is bounded by Hell's Kitchen, Riverside South, Central Park, and the Upper West Side proper. The studios for WABC-TV are located here.

The area includes the 66th Street–Lincoln Center station served by the New York City Subway's 1 and ​2 trains, and is anchored by Lincoln Center, a collection of performing-arts venues, and the Manhattan campus of Fordham University.

Lincoln Square is part of Manhattan Community District 7 and its primary ZIP Code is 10023. It is patrolled by the 20th Precinct of the New York City Police Department.

## History[edit]

Lincoln Square is located on the site of San Juan Hill, a predominantly African American neighborhood of tenements.[2] San Juan Hill was generally bordered by Amsterdam Avenue to the east, West End Avenue to the west, 59th Street to the south, and 65th Street to the north. It has been suggested that the area was named after the 10th Cavalry that fought with Theodore Roosevelt at the Battle of San Juan Hill during the Spanish–American War, but this is not certain.[2] It was possibly the most heavily populated African-American neighborhood in Manhattan in the early 20th century.[3] One of the blocks within the neighborhood contained almost 5,000 residents.[2]

Notable residents had included Thelonious Monk, who came to live here in 1922. In addition to the significant African American community, there was also an Afro-Caribbean community there, which has left its traces in the Bye-ya and Bemsha Swing compositions of Thelonious Monk, co-written much later with Denzil Best, who also grew up in this neighborhood.[4] James P. Johnson also lived in the neighborhood in the 1910s and 1920s, during which time he composed the music for the "Charleston" dance.[5]

In 1940, the New York City Housing Authority characterized the area as "the worst slum section in the City of New York" and made plans to renew the area by demolishing the old tenements. The Amsterdam Housing Projects were built on the cleared land in 1948, replacing three blocks that had collectively housed 1,100 residents.[6][3]

During the 1950s and 1960s, a consortium of civic leaders and others led by John D. Rockefeller III built the Lincoln Center as part of the "Lincoln Square Renewal Project" during urban planner Robert Moses's program of urban renewals.[7] Respected architects were contracted to design the major buildings on the site, and construction started in 1959.[8] Over the next thirty years the previously blighted area around Lincoln Center became a new cultural hub.[9] Over 7,700 residents were displaced during the redevelopment project.[10] The new developments contained 4,400 housing units, of which only a few were allocated to San Juan Hill's former residents.[11] Most of the area's former residents instead moved to Harlem, another predominantly African American neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, as well as the Bronx.[2][12]

### Name[edit]

Lincoln Center was named after Lincoln Square. The reason for naming the area "Lincoln Square" is unknown, however. The name was bestowed on the area in 1906 by the New York City Board of Aldermen, but records give no reason for choosing that name.[1]

There has long been speculation that the name came from a local landowner, because the square was previously named Lincoln Square. City records from the time show only the names Johannes van Bruch, Thomas Hall, Stephan de Lancey, James de Lancey, James de Lancey Jr. and John Somerindyck as area property owners.

The area may also have been named as a tribute to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. One speculation is that references to President Lincoln were omitted from the records because the mayor in 1906 was George B. McClellan Jr., son of General George B. McClellan who was general-in-chief of the Union Army during the American Civil War and a bitter rival of Lincoln.[13]

## Demographics[edit]

Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of Lincoln Square was 61,489, an increase of 6,250 (11.3%) from the 55,239 counted in 2000. Covering an area of 371.00 acres (150.14 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 165.7 inhabitants per acre (106,000/sq mi; 40,900/km2).[14]

As of the 2010 Census, the racial makeup of the neighborhood was 73.4% (45,103) White, 4.4% (2,710) African American, 0.1% (58) Native American, 11.2% (6,916) Asian, 0.0% (14) Pacific Islander, 0.3% (175) from other races, and 1.9% (1,196) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.6% (5,317) of the population.[15]

## Points of interest[edit]

* ABC Television Center East studios, and its flagship station WABC-TV
* American Folk Art Museum
* Amsterdam Houses, New York City Housing Authority
* Leonard Bernstein Way (West 65th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway)
* Central Park
* Church of St. Paul the Apostle
* Church of the Good Shepherd (152 West 66th Street)
* Columbus Circle
* Dante Park
* Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Lower School
* Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
* Fordham University Lincoln Center campus
* Holy Trinity Church
* Peter Jennings Way (W. 66th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West)

* Juilliard School
* Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Campus
* Lincoln Center
* Lincoln Square farmers market (at Richard Tucker Square)
* Lincoln Square Synagogue
* Manhattan New York Temple (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
* Merkin Concert Hall
* Museum of Biblical Art (American Bible Society)
* New York Institute of Technology
* New York Society for Ethical Culture
* Professional Children's School
* Richard Tucker Square
* Sesame Workshop
* West Side YMCA

|

## Notable residents[edit]

* Barbara Hillary (1931–2019), the first African-American woman to reach both the North Pole and South Pole, was born in San Juan Hill.[16][17]

## References[edit]

Notes

1. ^ a b Collins, Glenn (May 11, 2009). "50 Years In, Lincoln Center's Name Is Still a Mystery". The New York Times. City Room Blog. "Records conclusively show that the New York City Board of Aldermen formally named the area Lincoln Square in May 1906. The minutes of their meetings are devoid of discussion, however, about the reason for the name."
2. ^ a b c d "How Lincoln Center Was Built (It Wasn't Pretty)". The New York Times. December 21, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
3. ^ a b "NYCHA Collection, LaGuardia and Wagner Archives". Archived from the original on March 9, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
4. ^ Kelley, Robin D.G. (2010). Thelonious Monk : the life and times of an American original (1st Free Press trade pbk. ed.). New York: Free Press. ISBN 978-1-4391-9046-3.
5. ^ "Runnin' Wild: A Biography of James P. Johnson". Riverwalk Jazz. Stanford University Libraries. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
6. ^ Bloom, N.D.; Lasner, M.G. (2015). Affordable Housing in New York: The People, Places, and Policies That Transformed a City. Princeton University Press. p. 104\. ISBN 978-0-691-16781-7. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
7. ^ "Rockefeller Philanthropy: Lincoln Center" Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (PDF format).
8. ^ Kihss, Peter (May 15, 1959). "PRESIDENT TURNS EARTH TO START LINCOLN CENTER; He Describes $75,000,000 Arts Project as 'Mighty' Influence for Peace IN CITY FOR 13 HOURS Visits World Trade Fair and Receives Souvenirs on Behalf of 21 Nations Eisenhower Breaks Ground to Start the Construction of the Lincoln Arts Center HE CALLS PROJECT POWER FOR PEACE Sees Aid to Understanding in 75 Million Development -- Visits Trade Fair". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
9. ^ Roth, Leland M. (2001). American Architecture: A History. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press. ISBN 9780813336619, ISBN 9780813336626. OCLC 47867623.
10. ^ Sekules, K. (2012). Fodor's 25 Best New York [With Laminated Pullout Map]. Fodor's 25 best. Fodor's Travel Publications. p. 42\. ISBN 978-0-307-92811-5. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
11. ^ Whyte, W.H.; Warner, S.B. (1993). The Exploding Metropolis. Classics in Urban History. University of California Press. p. 123\. ISBN 978-0-520-08090-4. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
12. ^ Young, Michelle (July 21, 2014). "Lincoln Center: From Dutch enclave and notorious San Juan Hill to a thriving cultural center". 6sqft. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
13. ^ Collins, Glenn (May 11, 2009). "50 Years In, Center's Name Is Still a Mystery". The New York Times. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
14. ^ Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre – New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010, Population Division – New York City Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016.
15. ^ Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin – New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010, Population Division – New York City Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016.
16. ^ Collins, Lauren. "True North", The New Yorker, March 26, 2007. Accessed September 25, 2017. "Hillary—who has a squat build and a powerhouse smile—was born in the San Juan Hill neighborhood of Manhattan (now near the site of Lincoln Center) and brought up in Harlem."
17. ^ "Barbara Hillary, 1st African-American woman to reach North and South poles, dies in NYC at 88". 1010 WINS. November 23, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.

Further reading

* Grand Buildings, but Also a Sense of Community, The New York Times, April 30, 2006

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lincoln Square, Manhattan.

* Lincoln Square BID
* Lincoln Square Community Council records, circa 1953–1981. Held by the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.
* Lincoln Square Urban Renewal Project photographs, circa 1957–1958. Held by the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.

* v
* t
* e

Upper West Side (including Lincoln Square, Manhattan Valley, Riverside South)

Manhattan, New York City

Buildings

| 59th–72nd Sts|

* 1 Lincoln Plaza
* 1 Riverside Park
* 5 West 63rd Street
* 15 Central Park West
* 50 West 66th Street
* 55 Central Park West
* 101 Central Park West
* 200 Amsterdam
* Bradford Hotel
* The Brentmore
* The Century
* Deutsche Bank Center
* The Dorilton
* Empire Hotel
* First Battery Armory
* Harperly Hall
* IRT Powerhouse
* Hotel des Artistes
* Lincoln Towers
* The Majestic
* Millennium Tower
* Park Loggia
* The Prasada
* Pythian Temple
* The Sofia
* Trump International Hotel and Tower
* Waterline Square

|

72nd–86th Sts|

* 257 Central Park West
* 520 West End Avenue
* The Ansonia
* The Apthorp
* Apple Bank Building
* The Astor
* Hotel Beacon
* Hotel Belleclaire
* The Beresford
* Bretton Hall
* Chitte Building
* The Dakota
* Endicott Hotel
* The Greystone
* The Kenilworth
* The Langham
* The Level Club
* Olcott Hotel
* Public School 9
* Red House
* Rossleigh Court
* The San Remo

86th–110th Sts|

* 161 West 93rd Street
* 353 Central Park West
* 360 Central Park West
* 370 Riverside Drive
* The Ariel
* Association Residence Nursing Home
* Astor Court Building
* The Belnord
* Claremont Riding Academy
* Columbus Square
* The Cornwall
* The El Dorado
* Frederick Douglass Houses
* Master Apartments
* Hotel Paris
* New York Cancer Hospital
* The Normandy
* Pomander Walk
* Schinasi Mansion
* The Turin

Former|

* Apthorp Farm
* Astor Market
* Charles M. Schwab House
* Lincoln Arcade
* Somerindyck House

Culture

| Shops, restaurants|

* Asiate
* Atlantic Grill
* Barney Greengrass
* Essential by Christophe
* Jean-Georges
* Murray's Sturgeon Shop
* Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto
* Zabar's

|

Museums|

* American Museum of Natural History
* Children's Museum of Manhattan
* Museum of Biblical Art
* New-York Historical Society

Theaters/performing arts|

* Arclight Theatre
* Beacon Theatre
* Stand Up NY
* Symphony Space
* Triad Theatre

| Lincoln Center|

* Alice Tully Hall
* David Geffen Hall
* David H. Koch Theater
* Rose Hall
* Metropolitan Opera House
* Vivian Beaumont Theater
* Walter Reade Theater

|

Former|

* Andanada
* Café des Artistes
* Century Theatre
* Dovetail
* Eighty One
* Metro Theater
* Mikell's
* Nicholas Roerich Museum
* A Photographer's Gallery
* Telepan

Green spaces and recreation

* Central Park
* Damrosch Park
* Riverside Park
* Sherman Square
* Septuagesimo Uno
* Verdi Square
* West Side Community Garden

Education

| Primary and secondary|

* The Anderson School PS 334
* Calhoun School
* Collegiate School
* Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School
* Dwight School
* Edward A. Reynolds West Side High School
* Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
* Gateway School
* Innovation Diploma Plus High School
* Manhattan Day School
* PS 9 Sarah Anderson School
* PS 166
* The School at Columbia University
* Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan
* Stephen Gaynor School
* Studio Maestro
* Trinity School

|

Post-secondary|

* Bard Graduate Center
* Fordham University School of Law
* William E. Macaulay Honors College
* Yeshivat Hadar

Music schools|

* Bloomingdale School of Music
* Kaufman Music Center
* Mannes School of Music

Religion

| Churches, chapels|

* Advent Lutheran Church
* All Angels' Church
* Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
* Broadway United Church of Christ
* Christ & Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church
* Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew
* Church of the Ascension, Roman Catholic
* Church of the Blessed Sacrament
* First Baptist Church in the City of New York
* First Church of Christ, Scientist
* Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York
* Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Church
* Holy Trinity Church
* Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
* Riverside Memorial Chapel
* Rutgers Presbyterian Church
* St. Agnes Chapel
* Second Church of Christ, Scientist
* St. Gregory the Great Church
* St. Ignatius of Antioch Church
* St. Michael's Episcopal Church
* Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Manhattan
* West End Collegiate Church
* West-Park Presbyterian Church

|

Synagogues|

* Ansche Chesed
* B'nai Jeshurun
* Congregation Habonim
* Congregation Ohab Zedek
* Congregation Rodeph Sholom
* Congregation Shaare Zedek
* Congregation Shearith Israel
* Jewish Center
* Lincoln Square Synagogue
* Ramath Orah
* Stephen Wise Free Synagogue

Transportation

| Subway stations|

* 59th Street–Columbus Circle
* 66th Street–Lincoln Center
* 72nd Street/Central Park West
* 72nd Street/Broadway
* 79th Street
* 81st Street–Museum of Natural History
* 86th Street/Central Park West
* 86th Street/Broadway
* 96th Street/Central Park West
* 96th Street/Broadway
* 103rd Street/Central Park West
* 103rd Street/Broadway
* Cathedral Parkway–110th Street/Central Park West
* Cathedral Parkway–110th Street/Broadway

|

Streets|

* 66th Street
* 72nd Street
* 74th Street
* 79th Street
* 85th Street
* 89th Street
* 95th Street
* 96th Street
* Amsterdam Avenue
* Broadway
* Central Park West
* Columbus Avenue
* Columbus Circle
* Frederick Douglass Circle
* Riverside Drive
* West End Avenue

Other|

* New York Central Railroad 69th Street Transfer Bridge
* 79th Street Boat Basin

Related topics

* Central Park West Historic District
* Manhattantown
* San Juan Hill

See also: Manhattan Community Board 7

* v
* t
* e

Streets of Manhattan

* Commissioners' Plan of 1811
* List of eponymous streets in New York City
* List of numbered streets in Manhattan

North–south|

| Major avenues|

* 1st Av
* 2nd Av
* 3rd Av
* Lexington Av
* Park Av
* Madison Av
* 5th Av
* Broadway
* 6th Av (Av of the Americas)
* Lenox Av
* 7th Av (Fashion Av)
* 8th Av
* 9th Av
* 10th Av
* 11th Av
* 12th Av

|

Financial District|

* South
* Pearl
* Broad
* William
* Nassau
* Theatre Alley
* Whitehall
* Canyon of Heroes
* State
* West

Lower East Side|

* Allen
* Pike
* Baxter
* Centre Market Pl
* Bowery
* Centre
* Division
* Chrystie
* Coenties Slip
* Eldridge
* Elizabeth
* Essex
* Forsyth
* Lafayette
* Doyers
* Rivington
* Ludlow
* Mott
* Mulberry
* Orchard
* Park Row
* Spring

Lower West Side|

* Cortlandt Alley
* Trinity Pl
* Church
* Greenwich
* Hudson
* Jones
* MacDougal
* Patchin Pl
* Sullivan
* Gay
* Thompson
* Varick
* Washington
* W Broadway
* LaGuardia Pl
* Weehawken
* West Side Hwy
* Bank
* 13th Av

East Village / Gramercy|

* Ave D
* Ave C
* Ave B
* Ave A
* Asser Levy Pl
* Shevchenko Pl
* Irving Pl
* 4th Av
* Union Square E
* Park Av S
* University Pl
* Union Square W

Midtown|

* Beekman Pl
* Sutton Pl
* Park Av Viaduct
* Park Av Tunnel
* Vanderbilt Av
* Rockefeller Plz
* 6½ Av
* Great White Way
* Shubert Alley
* Dyer Av
* Hudson Blvd

Upper East / Upper West|

* East End Av
* York Av
* Museum Mile
* East Dr
* Center Dr
* West Dr
* Central Park W
* Columbus Av
* Amsterdam Av
* West End Av
* Riverside Dr

Harlem / Wash. Hts.|

* Pleasant Av
* Lenox Av (Malcolm X Blvd)
* Powell Blvd
* Douglass Blvd
* Morningside Dr
* Audubon Av
* St. Nicholas Av (Duarte Blvd)
* Claremont Av
* Ft. Washington Av
* Cabrini Blvd
* Sylvan Pl
* Tiemann Pl

East–west|

| Financial District|

* Bridge
* Stone
* Marketfield
* Beaver
* Exchange Pl
* Wall
* Albany
* Liberty
* Cortlandt St/Wy
* Maiden La
* Dey
* Fulton
* Vesey
* Ann

|

Downtown|

* Spruce
* Roosevelt
* Chambers
* E Broadway
* Henry
* Madison
* Cherry
* Worth
* N Moore
* Broome
* Canal
* Hester
* Grand
* Delancey
* Stanton
* Houston
* Vandam
* Bleecker
* Bond
* Great Jones
* 4th
* Waverly Pl
* Washington Square N
* Astor Pl
* Washington Mews
* Stuyvesant
* Macdougal Alley
* 8th
* St. Mark's Pl
* Greenwich Av
* Christopher
* Charles
* 14th

Midtown|

* 23rd
* 34th
* 42nd
* 45th (George Abbott Way)
* 47th
* 50th
* 51st
* 52nd (Swing Alley / St of Jazz)
* 53rd
* 54th
* 55th
* 57th
* 59th (Central Park S)

Uptown|

* 66th / Peter Jennings Way
* 72nd
* 74th
* 79th
* 85th
* 86th
* 89th
* 93rd
* 95th
* 96th
* 110th (Cathedral Pkwy / Central Park N)
* 116th
* 125th (Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd)
* 130th (Astor Row)
* 132nd
* 133rd
* 139th (Strivers' Row)
* 145th
* 155th
* Bogardus Pl
* Dyckman
* Plaza Lafayette

Intersections|

| Circles|

* Columbus
* Duke Ellington
* Frederick Douglass

|

Squares|

* Chatham
* Cooper
* Duarte
* Duffy
* Foley
* Gramercy Park
* Grand Army Plz
* Hanover
* Herald
* Hudson
* Jackson
* Lincoln
* Madison
* Mulry
* Pershing
* Petrosino
* Sherman
* Stuyvesant
* Times
* Tompkins
* Union
* Verdi
* Washington
* Zuccotti Park

* Italics indicate streets no longer in existence.
* All entries are streets, circles, or squares unless otherwise noted
* See also: Manhattan address algorithm

* v
* t
* e

Neighborhoods in the New York City borough of Manhattan

Lower Manhattan
below 14th St
(CB 1, 2, 3)|

* Alphabet City
* Battery Park City
* Bowery
* Chinatown
* Civic Center
* Cooperative Village
* East Village
* Essex Crossing
* Financial District
* Greenwich Village
* Hudson Square
* Little Australia
* Little Fuzhou
* Little Italy
* Loisaida
* Lower East Side
* Meatpacking District
* NoHo
* Nolita
* SoHo
* South Street Seaport
* South Village
* Tribeca
* Two Bridges
* West Village
* World Trade Center

Midtown Manhattan (CB 5)|

* Columbus Circle
* Diamond District
* Flatiron District
* Garment District
* Herald Square
* Koreatown
* Madison Square
* Midtown South
* NoMad
* Silicon Alley
* Theater District
* Times Square

West Side (CB 4, 7)|

* Chelsea
* Hell's Kitchen
* Hudson Yards
* development
* Lincoln Square
* Manhattan Valley
* Penn South
* Pomander Walk
* Riverside South
* Upper West Side

East Side (CB 6, 8)|

* Carnegie Hill
* Gramercy Park
* Kips Bay
* Lenox Hill
* Murray Hill
* Peter Cooper Village
* Rose Hill
* Stuyvesant Square
* Stuyvesant Town
* Sutton Place
* Tudor City
* Turtle Bay
* Union Square
* Upper East Side
* Waterside Plaza
* Yorkville

Upper Manhattan
above 110th St
(CB 9, 10, 11, 12)|

* Astor Row
* East Harlem
* Fort George
* Hamilton Heights
* Harlem
* Hudson Heights
* Inwood
* Le Petit Senegal
* Manhattanville
* Marble Hill (Bx CB 8)
* Mount Morris Park
* Morningside Heights
* Sugar Hill
* Sylvan
* Washington Heights

Islands|

* Ellis Island (CB 1)
* Governors Island (CB 1)
* Liberty Island (CB 1)
* Randalls Island (CB 11)
* Roosevelt Island (CB 8)
* Wards Island (CB 11)

Former|

* Five Points (CB 3)
* Gas House District (CB 6)
* Jones's Wood (CB 8)
* Ladies' Mile (CB 5)
* Little Germany (CB 3)
* Little Spain (CB 4)
* Little Syria (CB 1)
* Manhattantown (CB 7)
* Radio Row (CB 1)
* San Juan Hill (CB 7)
* Seneca Village
* Tenderloin (CB 4)

* Community boards: 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* 9
* 10
* 11
* 12
* Joint interest area:
* 64 (Central Park)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template