by Mathew R. Warren
To some, East End Avenue may seem like the end of the world, but to its residents East End is a haven for quiet city living. Situated along the east river between 79th Street and 90th Street, East End is surrounded on three sides by parks. John Jay Park to the south, Asphalt Green to the north, and the center piece, Carl Schurz Park, which includes a promenade that stretches along the river from 82nd Street to 90th Street. Patricia Peressutti, a 34 year resident of East End explained, “When you are home you almost feel like you’re not in Manhattan.”
With the nearest subway 5 avenues to the west on Lexington Avenue the rest of Manhattan can feel worlds away, but with cross town buses on both 79th Street and 86th Street commuting really isn’t that difficult. Cabs are generally available. Even walking from East End to Lexington only takes about 15 minutes.
There is no doubt that East End is very much apart from the hustle and bustle of the city. The storefront commercial businesses along all of East End can be counted on one hand. For some residents, the lack of many stores only adds to the area’s charm, as Peressutti described, “It still has more of a neighborhood feel than most of New York. I know the butcher, the tailor, the shoemaker; just yesterday I borrowed $2 from the tailor to give to the butcher.”
In the past there had been more stores. “Big Stores like Duane Reade on York Avenue pushed out the pharmacies and stationeries that used to be here.” Said Susie Coleman, daughter of the original owners of Coleman’s Deli, which has been located at 50 East End since 1952.
There are many businesses along York and 1st Avenue accessible to East End residents, but as Al, a doorman for 30 years at 10 East End put it, “East End is residential, period! After 9 at night there’s nobody here.” With no bars the majority of people out after dark on East End are walking their dogs or on their way home.
Former East End resident, Kris Nedelka said, “I understand the lack of nightlife, because it’s a family neighborhood. But the promenade is a romantic place to go with a date.”
East End does have a certain feeling of classic New York that is romantic. Woody Allen shot a scene from Annie Hall on the promenade. Gracie Mansion at the north end of Carl Schurz, was built in 1799, and is supposed to be the official residence of New York's mayors, though Mayor Bloomberg has chosen not to live there. Henderson Place, a group of town houses between 86th Street and 87th Street, was built in 1882 and is now a historic landmark. Though in recent years East End has seen a number of new buildings go up, many of the elegant early 20th century and prewar buildings remain, some of which have also been declared historic landmarks.
Good public and private schools in the area, along with the playgrounds and playing fields provided by the parks have made East End ideal for raising children. Al exclaimed, “I’ve seen a lot of baby boomers move in and a lot of babies born here.” Even before the baby boomers, East End was known as a family oriented place. Referring to the tenement buildings that where replaced by new high rises on East End, Coleman explained, “There are actually fewer kids around than there used to be. The tenements housed large families. Today’s residents may be richer, but they have fewer children.”
Since the removal of the Third Avenue El in 1955, the Upper East Side has seen a great deal of development, and the overall demographics of East End have changed. Today East End is host to some of New York’s elite real estate. According to Geoffrey Wigdor, a real estate agent at Halstead, “With the excellent views and beautiful parks the average 2 bedroom on East End goes for 1 to 1.2 million. Penthouse apartments go for up to 15 million.” The city is currently considering a possible new garbage route along East End that could have an affect on real estate values, but more likely new high end developments like 170 East End will make the market even hotter.
East End continues to attract young married couples looking to raise a family. Single young professionals though, tend to look elsewhere. When asked why they wouldn’t live on East End, regardless of the price, Jamie Reixach, 25, who grew up on East End, expressed, “It’s not a place where you go to develop; it’s a nice place to settle down.” Nedelka, also 25, said, “I like to be a little more out there, I’m running around a lot nowadays.”
No matter where the next hip and trendy neighborhood in New York is, there is a timeless classiness to East End that keeps it a special part of the city.
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