Upper West Side

The subway station at 79th Street now honors an Upper West Side icon. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority unveiled a tribute to Saul Zabar, the owner of the famed Zabar's deli, who passed away last week at the age of 97. The agency has put up vinyl posters of Zabar in his signature white coat along the 1 train platform. The deli recently collaborated with the MTA to celebrate the subway’s 120th anniversary and Zabar’s 90th birthday.
Discover more

Transit

Design for ‘floating’ 79th Street Boat Basin dock house gets final approval

All renderings courtesy of Architecture Research Office

September 8, 2025

Design for ‘floating’ 79th Street Boat Basin dock house gets final approval

More than 10 years after Hurricane Sandy extensively damaged the Upper West Side's 79th Street Boat Basin and its dock house, and three years after it was temporarily closed, the city is moving forward with a replacement facility. The Public Design Commission last month voted to approve the design for the reconstruction of the boat basin and the new dock house by Architecture Research Office (ARO). The planned one-story building appears to float over the Hudson River, with nine columns supporting the structure above the dock, chamfered corners to allow for better views, and a stainless steel facade that reflects the surrounding water and sky.
READ MORE

This $1.3M Upper West Side co-op’s design-forward renovation highlights its pre-war charm

All photos courtesy of Hayley Ellen Day

August 27, 2025

This $1.3M Upper West Side co-op’s design-forward renovation highlights its pre-war charm

This one-bedroom home at 151 West 74th Street has been lovingly renovated with color and material choices that make the classic pre-war co-op a rare find. Graceful architecture has been retained, while spaces have been opened up and enhanced with modern appliances, fixtures, and 21st-century comforts. Asking $1,295,000, this Upper West Side classic was finished with color and pattern carefully chosen to enhance its historic warmth.
get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

Upper West Side public library to be redeveloped with new branch and 850 apartments

Bloomingdale branch. Photo by Jim.henderson on Wikimedia

July 30, 2025

Upper West Side public library to be redeveloped with new branch and 850 apartments

As New York City explores every option to ease its housing crisis, officials are looking to build mixed-income housing atop a new library branch on the Upper West Side. As first reported by West Side Rag, the city plans to raze and replace the Bloomingdale Library at 150 West 100th Street with a new library, health services facility, and 850 units of housing. The project follows the model of other co-located housing developments at public libraries in Sunset Park and Inwood.
Find out more

Hebrew Union College taps Beyer Blinder Belle to renovate historic UWS armory building for new campus

Photos courtesy of Hebrew Union College

July 24, 2025

Hebrew Union College taps Beyer Blinder Belle to renovate historic UWS armory building for new campus

A historic Upper West Side armory building turned television studio is getting ready for its next chapter. After buying the First Battery Armory from ABC earlier this year, Hebrew Union College has hired Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners to renovate the landmarked building as part of the Jewish seminary's new New York campus. The renovation will add modern classrooms, a new library, and dedicated spaces for prayer and gathering.
details this way

Architecture And Design

New Yorkers with SNAP benefits to get free Museum of Natural History membership

Image via WikiCommons

July 18, 2025

New Yorkers with SNAP benefits to get free Museum of Natural History membership

The American Museum of Natural History on Friday announced a free membership for New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The new "Discoverer" membership level includes free general admission plus entry to one ticketed exhibition during every visit. The initiative is a joint effort by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, Human Resources Administration, and Department of Social Services.
Discover more

This $4M Upper West Side co-op is an elegant classic six on two floors

Courtesy of Scott Wintrow – Gamut Photo

July 8, 2025

This $4M Upper West Side co-op is an elegant classic six on two floors

This two-level co-op at 257 West 86th Street embodies the graceful architecture you'd find in a Gilded Age Manhattan home, with the addition of modern design flair. Asking $3,950,000, the three-bedroom home is in a 1906 co-op building originally built as artist studios. Though its six-room layout is indeed classic, it's spread out over two floors for a sophisticated townhouse feel.
take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Extell proposes 1,200-foot tower on the Upper West Side

Gary Barnett’s Extell Development is planning a 1,200-foot-tall tower at the former ABC headquarters at 77 West 66th Street, on the Upper West Side. Photo by Jim.henderson on Wikimedia.

June 16, 2025

Extell proposes 1,200-foot tower on the Upper West Side

A new supertall residential skyscraper proposed for the Upper West Side would become the neighborhood’s tallest building by a wide margin. Extell Development founder Gary Barnett met with Manhattan Community Board 7 last month to discuss plans for a 1,200-foot-tall tower at 77 West 66th Street, the former Disney campus. The 90-story building would surpass the height of Extell’s tower at 55 West 66th Street, across the street. Hoping to avoid another prolonged legal battle like the one that development faced, Barnett told the board he plans to include 100 affordable units in two smaller buildings as a gesture of "peace" with the community.
Learn more

New Developments

Lincoln Center unveils design for revamped Amsterdam Avenue side of campus

Aerial view from Amsterdam Avenue looking east; visible are new streetscape, gardens, and theater. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry

May 19, 2025

Lincoln Center unveils design for revamped Amsterdam Avenue side of campus

New renderings reveal a reimagined west side of Lincoln Center, part of a project aimed at making the campus more welcoming and accessible. Lincoln Center for Performing Arts (LCPA) on Monday unveiled a preliminary design for the transformation of its Amsterdam Avenue-facing side, led by Hood Design Studio, Weiss/Manfredi, and Moody Nolan. The proposal includes an outdoor performance venue, new community park spaces, and the removal of a longstanding wall, which cuts the campus off from the rest of the neighborhood.
Discover more

Architecture And Design

Lincoln Center announces hundreds of free events as part of ‘Summer for the City’ festival

Credit: Lawrence Sumulong

April 15, 2025

Lincoln Center announces hundreds of free events as part of ‘Summer for the City’ festival

Lincoln Center has announced the lineup for its fourth annual Summer for the City festival, with hundreds of free events and performances at the world-renowned cultural hub. Running from June 11 through August 9, the festival features a slate of events spanning dance, theater, opera, and more that celebrate the diversity of New York City's cultural landscape. Summer for the City will activate every corner of the Lincoln Center campus, with events held across indoor and outdoor spaces at the famed arts center.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

Upper West Side’s Metro Theater on track to reopen after 20 years

Photo by london road on Flickr

April 7, 2025

Upper West Side’s Metro Theater on track to reopen after 20 years

A long-vacant, landmark movie theater on the Upper West Side finally has new owners following a $3.5 million funding boost from Gov. Kathy Hochul. The nonprofit Upper West Side Cinema Center on Sunday purchased the Metro Theater for $6.9 million, with help from Hochul and an additional $500,000 in grants from the State Senate. The nonprofit plans to restore the historic Art Deco building, located on Broadway near 99th Street, with five new screens, a lobby lounge, an education center, and a public cafe.
get the details

City Living

A three-story penthouse atop an Emery Roth-designed Upper West Side co-op asks $6M

All photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

April 2, 2025

A three-story penthouse atop an Emery Roth-designed Upper West Side co-op asks $6M

This triplex co-op at the Oliver Cromwell at 12 West 72nd Street is classic Manhattan living with the added privilege of impressive outdoor space and dazzling, unobstructed Central Park views. Asking $5,995,000, the co-op, with its three floors of living space, feels like a townhouse. The pre-war details that come with the iconic Emery Roth-designed building are enhanced by interiors redesigned by Mutuus Studio; the home has even been featured in Architectural Digest.
take the three-floor tour

Distinctive Homes

Babe Ruth’s Upper West Side apartment asks $1.6M

All photos courtesy of Celeste Godoy Photography. Images are virtually staged.

April 1, 2025

Babe Ruth’s Upper West Side apartment asks $1.6M

Baseball is back, and so is Babe Ruth's New York City apartment. The New York Yankees legend called this apartment at 345 West 88th Street on the Upper West Side home for more than 10 years near the end of his historic career. In 2015, the apartment was listed for $1,595,000. A decade later, the co-op returns to the market at the same price.
It's a homerun

Distinctive Homes

For $1.75M, your own private oculus with skyline views on the Upper West Side

All photos courtesy of Celeste Godoy for The Corcoran Group

March 19, 2025

For $1.75M, your own private oculus with skyline views on the Upper West Side

Tucked under the eaves at the Ansonia condo at 2109 Broadway, this petite penthouse offers a unique way to experience panoramic city vistas. The circular windows that punctuate the Upper West Side building's signature Beaux-Arts architecture create an oculus effect that brings in light and provides a birds-eye view of Manhattan. Asking $1,750,000, the two-bedroom home has the air of a Parisian garret (without the stair climb), with the added condo convenience of the iconic address.
high-floor heaven, this way

Distinctive Homes

Photo credit: Jon Nissenbaum

March 18, 2025

A newsroom icon’s sprawling Upper West Side co-op asks $5.5M

A year after the passing of PBS journalist Robert "Robin" MacNeil (of MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour fame) the Canadian-American TV journalist's nine-room home at 44 West 77th Street is for sale. Asking $5,500,000, the pre-war co-op on the Upper West Side is the kind of classic Manhattan residence that feels like a rambling country estate, where you could throw lavish parties–or hide from just about everyone (even the news).
take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Fordham’s Lincoln Center sculpture garden debuts new exhibition, including iconic ‘Hippo Ballerina’

“The Magis Sculpture Exhibition” at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus. All images courtesy of Taylor Ha, Fordham University

February 3, 2025

Fordham’s Lincoln Center sculpture garden debuts new exhibition, including iconic ‘Hippo Ballerina’

New York City's beloved hippo sculpture, and other whimsical works of art, can now be found at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus. On display through December, "The Magis Sculpture Exhibition" adds 11 new pieces to the university's outdoor sculpture garden, between West 60th and West 62nd Streets. Inspired by fables, art history, music, modern animation, and more, the exhibition complements the garden's 10 sculptures on permanent display. A highlight of the new installation is Bjørn Okholm Skaarup’s "Hippo Ballerina"—a 15-foot hippo sculpture that draws inspiration from Edgar Degas’ "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen" and the dancing hippos from Walt Disney’s "Fantasia."
Find out more

This $4.8M townhouse adds modern architecture to a historic Manhattan Valley block

Photo courtesy of Edward Menashy and Douglas Elliman

January 10, 2025

This $4.8M townhouse adds modern architecture to a historic Manhattan Valley block

The Upper West Side's Manhattan Valley district has a neighborhood vibe that's increasingly rare in New York City. This aspect–along with proximity to Central Park–is another reason the five-floor townhouse at 138 Manhattan Avenue may be a rare find. Asking $4,750,000, the 19th-century home was designed by noted Gilded Age architect C.P.H. Gilbert. Within its graceful frame, the home's interiors are a showcase of modern architecture and design, including a roof deck and "penthouse" studio on the fifth floor.
explore all five floors

Distinctive Homes

Largest and most expensive Stegosaurus fossil now on view at AMNH

The Apex Stegosaurus on view in the American Museum of Natural History’s Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. Alvaro Keding & Daniel Kim/© AMNH

December 6, 2024

Largest and most expensive Stegosaurus fossil now on view at AMNH

One of the largest and most complete Stegosaurus fossils ever discovered—and the most expensive—is now on display at the American Museum of Natural History. Known as Apex, the 150-million-year-old fossil, measuring 11.5 feet tall and 27 feet long, was unveiled on Thursday just inside the entrance to the museum's Richard Gilder Center in the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium. Nearly 80 percent complete, the fossil was loaned to AMNH by Griffin, who purchased it for a record-breaking $44.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction in July, according to Gothamist.
Read more

How an UWS dry cleaner brings joy to the community through elaborate Barbie window displays

All photos courtesy of Debra Kravet unless otherwise noted.

December 2, 2024

How an UWS dry cleaner brings joy to the community through elaborate Barbie window displays

By Lidia Ryan

There’s a splash of hot pink on Amsterdam Avenue — well, Barbie pink. Since the "Barbie" movie came out in the summer of 2023, a dream house scene with doll versions of characters from the movie, including Margot Robbie’s Barbie and Ryan Gosling’s Ken, has been on display (and still growing) in the window of Apthorp Cleaners. But Barbie has a much longer history with this Upper West Side dry cleaner. Since owner Debra Kravet and her husband Joel moved into the space at 383 Amsterdam Avenue in 2009, Debra has been creating elaborate Barbie window displays in keeping with pop culture, the seasons, and timely events. Right now, a "Wicked" display with doll versions of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba complement the “Barbie” movie window.
details here

This $839K co-op in an Upper West Side mansion has a presidential connection

Photo courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

November 20, 2024

This $839K co-op in an Upper West Side mansion has a presidential connection

If you'd like to live in a grand Upper West Side mansion for less than $1 million, this four-room co-op at 280 West End Avenue rises to the occasion. Built in 1887, the stately Romanesque Revival mansion–once the home of the son and widow of President Ulysses S. Grant, according to the listing–holds the $839,000 key to Manhattan mansion living in the form of a one-bedroom home with an elegantly rounded bay window.
have a look a-round

Distinctive Homes

November 18, 2024

American Museum of Natural History’s origami holiday tree features 1,000 pouncing paper animals

The American Museum of Natural History’s beloved Origami Holiday Tree returns this year, featuring over 1,000 hand-folded paper models inspired by the world’s leaping critters. In honor of the leap year's end, this year's theme is "Jumping for Joy," celebrating animals that hop, from rabbits, grasshoppers, and kangaroos to frogs, squirrels, and the newly-discovered leaping leech. The 13-foot tree will be on display in the Ellen V. Futter Gallery on the first floor starting November 25 through mid-January.
Learn more

Upper West Side’s Metro Theater may finally reopen

Photo by london road on Flickr

November 15, 2024

Upper West Side’s Metro Theater may finally reopen

A landmarked Upper West Side movie theater that has been vacant for nearly two decades may soon be returned to its former glory—as long as its buyers can raise $7 million by the end of the year. As reported by the New York Times, the nonprofit Upper West Side Cinema Center on Friday announced it reached a deal with the current owners of the Metro Theater, located on Broadway near 99th Street, to purchase the theater, contingent on securing the required funds.
READ MORE

City Living

‘Smart Curbs’ program to optimize curb space on the Upper West Side

Images courtesy of NYC DOT

October 29, 2024

‘Smart Curbs’ program to optimize curb space on the Upper West Side

The streets of the Upper West Side will soon better suit community needs as part of a new initiative by the Department of Transportation. DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Monday announced the launch of the agency's "Smart Curbs" pilot program on the Upper West Side, which will modernize the streets by adding neighborhood loading zones, bike corrals, and other amenities and policies to create cleaner, more vibrant, and less congested public spaces from West 86th to West 72nd Streets, between Broadway and Central Park West.
Find out more

$4.5M Central Park West duplex in Hotel des Artistes gets color just right

Photo credit: Real Estate Production Network for Sotheby’s International Realty

October 24, 2024

$4.5M Central Park West duplex in Hotel des Artistes gets color just right

With its Gothic-style facade and rich history of being home to notable New Yorkers, the Hotel des Artistes co-op at 1 West 67th Street is a Manhattan icon. This freshly renovated 1,800-square-foot duplex was converted to a one-bedroom home with gracious proportions and luxurious details, highlighted by a perfectly curated color palette. Asking $4,495,000, the decidedly not-beige pre-war home comes with a separate guest/staff room on the same floor.
a stylish rainbow, this way

Distinctive Homes

This six-story $13.9M Upper West Side townhouse has all of life’s luxuries under one roof, with an elevator to get there

All photos courtesy of H5 Photography for The Corcoran Group

October 10, 2024

This six-story $13.9M Upper West Side townhouse has all of life’s luxuries under one roof, with an elevator to get there

On a historic Upper West Side townhouse block, this six-story home at 308 West 88th Street is truly a Manhattan mansion. From the rec-room-ready full basement to the indoor/outdoor retreat on the rooftop–and the elevator that hits every floor–the home, asking $13,850,000, provides a gracious, historic residence with every 21st-century convenience. A no-expense-spared renovation added modern amenities to the pre-war architecture of the 8,500-square-foot townhouse, including skylights, a sauna, a wine cellar and tasting room, a luxurious full-floor primary suite, and a state-of-the-art kitchen.
take the six-floor townhouse tour

Distinctive Homes

Watch the seasons of Central Park change from this $3.4M top-floor Upper West Side co-op

Photo credit: Joel Pitra of DDreps

October 4, 2024

Watch the seasons of Central Park change from this $3.4M top-floor Upper West Side co-op