NYC:Manhattan hoods-Clinton

Heading back west brings us into the hood known as Clinton. It goes from 42nd to 59th St between 8th Ave and the Hudson River. This hood is both residential and commerical. Originally this was nothing but open land at the time and was known to be a forest. George Washington used to bring up his troops when evading the British. In 1803, De Witt Clinton became the mayor of the city, to which this area was later named for him. He helped the city by improving the schools as well as plan the Erie Canal. Samuel L Norton resided in his estate known as The Hermitage, which was at 43rd St between 8th and 9th Aves. However, it wasn't until the 9th Ave El that would finally bring people into this area. In 1868, Holy Cross was built on 42nd St as the oldest place to be there today. In 1881, the name Hell's Kitchen was thrown in after the number of immigrants who were mainly Irish as well as a tennement that had that name. The area then saw urban decay comming in due to the lack of this. In 1892, a statue of Christopher Columbus was built in the median of 59th St, Broadway, and 8th Ave, which is called Central Pk West until 110th St, in a roundabout known as Columbus Circle. In 1904, the IRT was moved up to pass through this area as it built a powerhouse by the Hudson River. In 1925, the third Madison Sq Garden was errected at 50th St and 8th Ave on the NW corner, and was to be the new home of the NY Rangers. In 1928, the Film Center was built to allow for jobs. Around that same time, Hearst Magazine built their headquarters at the NW corner of 47th St and 8th Ave. The Passanger Ship Terminal was built as a major port to be used as a gateway for comming in and out of the city. However, Hell's Kitchen remained as a slum even after all of that. In 1946, the NY Knickerbocks, the Knicks for short, were a founding member of the NBA and played their home games at MSG until the fourth one was built. After the Vietnam War, the USS Intrepid was docked on a pier by 57th St and was made into a musuem since then. Newer apartment buildings, like the NY Coliseum and 2 Columbus Circle were errected. As MSG III came down, a new complex known as Worldwide Plaza went on its place. The neighborhood was later renamed to Clinton in honor of the former mayor and governor of the state as a park was laid out for him by the West Side Hwy (NY 9A). However, most never called it by that name, and wanted to keep the name Hell's Kitchen, b/c it was called that for 100 years, but the NYC recognized it as Clinton despite that. In recent years some newer buildings errected along 42nd and 59th Sts. In 2003, the NY Coliseum was demolished and replaced by the Time Warner Center. Other new projects here include the Hearst Tower and The Helena. Today, Clinton is a very livable neighborhood. Some places have been closed down, while others have managed to stay. There are some prestigous hotels here such as the Windmere. You can get here by taking the subway to either 42nd St-PA Bus Terminal (A, C, E), 50th St-8th Ave (C, E), and 59th St-Columbus Circle (1, A, B, C, D). Here is what you will find in Clinton.





















































































































































































































































































































































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