MANHATTAN

Murray Hill & Kips Bay Neighborhood Guide

Murray Hill & Kips Bay are often grouped together and considered one neighborhood because of their close proximity and similar reputation and vibe. This New York neighborhood offers a lot to its residents, providing several gorgeous buildings, restaurants, and bars that cater to the many professionals that live in the area. The majority of these places are affordable, and they often stay open late to accommodate the neighborhood bar crowd. Despite some partying weekend warriors, this NYC neighborhood is surprisingly tranquil during the week and offers a convenient respite from the hectic bustle of Midtown, Manhattan.
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Murray Hill & Kips Bay Real Estate Stats

MEDIAN SALE PRICE

$850,000

MEDIAN RENTAL PRICE

$4,700

An Abbreviated History of Murray Hill & Kips Bay

The area now known as Murray Hill was first settled by the Munsee Native Americans, until the 17th century European colonization when it became part of the common lands of New York City. Murray Hill was named after the Murray family, who were 18th-century Quaker merchants. Robert Murray, the family’s patriarch, moved to the area from Pennsylvania in the early 1750s and became the most prominent shipper and trader in New York. After arriving in NYC, Murray purchased land from the city to build a large farm and house that would later become known as Murray Hill. The home played a prominent role during the American Revolution, when Mary Lindley, a Quaker woman who posed as a loyalist, delayed the British by inviting officers in for tea and cake after they landed at Kips Bay.

When Dutch settler Jacobus Hendrickson Kip arrived in modern-day Manhattan, he purchased land on the east side for his family farm and named it “Kips Bay” because of its close proximity to the East River. In 1851 the farm was torn down and the neighborhood began to become more metropolitan. At the same time, a medical infirmary from lower Manhattan was moved to Kips Bay. By the 1950s, the VA Medical Center and the NYU Medical Center opened in Kips Bay marking the well known nickname of the area, “Hospital Row” and making it home to some of America’s best hospitals. The area became an upper-class residential area until the 20th century, when it began modernizing with the famous brownstones New York and Brooklyn are so well known for. Beginning in the 1990s, the neighborhood began to transition into a hub for recent college graduates, with several bars, restaurants, and renovated residential units providing a welcome space for entry-level, early-stage professionals. The neighborhood also became home to numerous consulates because of its proximity to the United Nations headquarters.

NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARIES

  • Madison Avenue to the West
  • 42nd Street to the North
  • FDR Drive to the East
  • 23rd Street to the South
23rd Street 4 5 6
28th Street 4 5 6
murray hill streetscape

Residents Love This Neighborhood Because

  • Access to several grocery stores all within close distance
  • Plenty of great restaurants, bars, and coffee shops
  • Relatively affordable neighborhood rental properties

What to expect

Cafés

+60
Colleges / Universities

12
Community Gardens

1
Hospitals

15
Libraries

7
Parks

8

Playgrounds

4

Restaurants

+100

Yoga Studios

5

Murray Hill & Kips Bay Landmarks and Cultural Institutions

A NEIGHBORHOOD TOUR

Get to know the neighborhood by visiting its most notable landmarks and sites. From museums and sculptures, to parks, markets, and hidden neighborhood gems, you’ll find everything you need to know about the neighborhood’s most unique and historical attractions.

Library Way

The New York Public Library first opened in 1911 and is now a National Historic Landmark. Library way runs between Fifth and Park Avenues along 41st street and houses the public library. You know you have arrived at Library Way because you’ll be greeted by elegant metal plaques with famous literary quotes ingrained in the sidewalk. On these plaques you’ll find poems and quotes from famous authors like Dylan Thomas, William Butler Yeats, Ernest Hemingway, Samuel Beckett, Mark Twain, Julia Alvarez, Emily Dickenson, and others.

The Morgan Library And Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum originally began as the personal library of cultural benefactor and financier Pierpont Morgan in 1890. Morgan assembled a collection of historic manuscripts, early printed books, old master prints, and drawings. Years after Morgan’s death, his son decided the library was filled with such important works that it needed to become a public institution. Now, the Morgan Library & Museum serves to “preserve, present, and interpret an extraordinary collection, stimulate creativity and imagination while advancing learning, and nurturing enjoyment.”

Dalmation And Taxi Sculpture

The thirty foot sculpture of a dalmatian balancing a real New York City taxi on its nose is a sight to see in Murray Hill, located outside the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital. Donal Lipski created “Spot” to give some joy and comfort to those entering the hospital and had an inspirational belief that art work had healing powers.

Holographic Studios

Holographic Studios is the world’s oldest holography gallery. It produces holograms below the gallery in laser laboratories and offers production, gifts, classes, tours, lecture services, and laser effects for film and photography.

Architecture in Murray Hill & Kips Bay

Beaux-Arts

Renaissance/Baroque Revival

Architecture Outlines_Italianate

Italianate

Art Deco

Gothic Revival

Notable New Yorkers

Who Have Lived in Murray Hill & Kips Bay

FRANKLIN AND ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

Political family

AYN RAND

Author

ANDY WARHOL

Artist

Popular Food & Drink

TEMPURA MATSUI

222 East 39th Street

KAJITSU

125 East 39th Street

ATOMIX

104 East 30th Street

DELECTICA

564 3rd Ave

ELEVEN MADISON PARK

11 Madison Ave

THE CLOCKTOWER

5 Madison Ave

TAPROOM NO. 307

307 3rd Ave

VEZZO THIN CRUST PIZZA

176 Lexington Ave

All Notable New Yorker photos courtesy of Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons. Photo of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by Official Campaign Portrait session by Leon A. Perskie; Photo of Ayn Rand by “Talbot” (though not on original dust jacket). Published by the Bobbs-Merrill Company; Photo of Andy Warhol by Unknown (Mondadori Publishers);

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