Riverside Drive, New York City, Blizzard of 2006

Riverside Drive is a scenic north–south thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The road runs on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, generally paralleling the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between New ...

and Riverside Park between 72nd Street and the vicinity of the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey, with Manhattan in New York City. The bridge is named after George Washington, the first president of the United St ...

at 181st Street. North of 96th Street, Riverside Drive is a wide divided

boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may ...

. At several locations, a serpentine local street diverges from the main road, providing access to the residential buildings. Some of the city's most coveted addresses are located along its route.

History

Development

The of land in the original park between 72nd to 125th Streets were originally inhabited by the Lenape people, but by the 18th century were used for farms by the descendants of European colonists. In 1846, the

Hudson River Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

(later the

West Side Line The West Side Line, also called the West Side Freight Line, is a railroad line on the west side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. North of Penn Station, from 34th Street, the line is used by Amtrak passenger service heading north vi ...

and Hudson Line) was built along the waterfront, connecting New York City to Albany. In 1865,

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

commissioner William R. Martin put forth the first proposal for a riverside park along the

. An act providing for such was presented to the Legislature by commissioner

Andrew Haswell Green Andrew Haswell Green (October 6, 1820 – November 13, 1903) was a lawyer, New York City planner, and civic leader. He is considered "the Father of Greater New York," and is responsible for Central Park, the New York Public Library, the Bronx ...

in 1866 and approved the same year. The first segment of Riverside Park was acquired through condemnation in 1872.Park history
riversideparknyc.org. Retrieved August 26, 2014. The park also included the construction of Riverside Drive (then known as Riverside Avenue), a tree-lined drive curving around the valleys and rock outcroppings, overlooking the future park and the waterfront. The avenue was laid out in 1868 and was wide for its entire length. The plans for Riverside Park and Avenue brought the attention of

William M. Tweed William Magear Tweed (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878), often erroneously referred to as William "Marcy" Tweed (see below), and widely known as "Boss" Tweed, was an American politician most notable for being the political boss of Tammany ...

, who bought several lots adjacent to the park in anticipation of its construction. A selection process for the designers of Riverside Park followed, and in 1873 the commissioners selected

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co-d ...

, a park commissioner who had also designed Central Park. Initially, Riverside Avenue had been planned to run in a straight line, which would have required a retaining wall and extensive fill. By then, the difficult topography of the area had come to the attention of the Manhattan park commissioners, and in 1873 Olmsted was given the authorization to redesign the grade of Riverside Avenue. To accommodate this, Olmsted devised a new plan that would create a main road extending from 72nd to 123rd Streets, with overpasses at 79th and 96th Streets, as well as "carriage roads" to serve the nearby neighborhood. The

grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also ref ...

of the road was not to exceed 1:27. Riverside Avenue's main road would contain two roadways, one for each direction, separated by a median. A pedestrian path and a horse path would run alongside the avenue, and trees would provide shade along the route. Over the following years, work proceeded on Riverside Avenue, with various ramps and stairs to the park as well as a bridle path between 104th and 120th Streets. In 1876 Olmsted was asked to create plans for the design of the avenue as a country drive, but ultimately it was paved. In late 1876, bids were accepted for paving of Riverside Avenue. Olmsted was ousted as parks superintendent in December 1877. From 1875 to 1910, architects and horticulturalists such as

Calvert Vaux Calvert Vaux (; December 20, 1824 – November 19, 1895) was an English-American architect and landscape designer, best known as the co-designer, along with his protégé and junior partner Frederick Law Olmsted, of what would become New York Ci ...

and Samuel Parsons laid out the stretch of park/road between 72nd and 125th Streets according to the English gardening ideal, creating the appearance that the park was an extension of the Hudson River Valley. The avenue was opened in 1880 and was well-used by walkers, bikers, and drivers. The viaduct across 96th Street remained incomplete until 1902. In 1908, the avenue was renamed Riverside Drive.

Expansion of Riverside Park

In the 1930s,

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

's rail track north of 72nd Street was covered in a Robert Moses project called the '' West Side Improvement''. Moses' biographer

Robert Caro Robert Allan Caro (born October 30, 1935) is an American journalist and author known for his biographies of United States political figures Robert Moses and Lyndon B. Johnson. After working for many years as a reporter, Caro wrote '' The Power ...

described Moses surveying the area prior to his project, and seeing: The Moses project, which was bigger than the Hoover Dam project, created the Henry Hudson Parkway, buried the West Side Line in the

Freedom Tunnel The Freedom Tunnel is the name given to the railroad tunnel on the West Side Line under Riverside Park in Manhattan, New York City. Used by Amtrak trains to and from Pennsylvania Station, it got its name because the graffiti artist Chris "Fre ...

, and greatly expanded Riverside Park. It was so skillfully done that many believe the park and road are set on a natural slope. Riverside Park, part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, is now a scenic waterfront public park on the narrow strip of land between the Hudson River and Riverside Drive. It is approximately .

Riverside South

In the 1980s Donald Trump, then owner of the of land just south of Riverside Park that had been the Penn Central freight rail yard, proposed a very large real estate development project. However, hampered by his weakened financial condition and opposed by six civic groups ( Municipal Art Society,

Natural Resources Defense Council The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, B ...

TNew Yorkers for Parks
Regional Plan Association, Riverside Park Fund, and Westpride), Trump agreed in 1990 to their plan, which was designed to mimic Riverside Park and Drive further north. Though scaled down, the project is still the second biggest private real estate venture under construction in New York City. The agreed-upon plan would expand Riverside Park by and extend Riverside Drive to the south as ''Riverside Boulevard.''. The new ''Riverside Park South,'' stretching between 72nd and 59th streets, is the central element of the development. Portions of the former rail yard, such as the

New York Central Railroad 69th Street Transfer Bridge The 69th Street Transfer Bridge, part of the West Side Line of the New York Central Railroad, was a dock for car floats which allowed the transfer of railroad cars from the rail line to car floats which crossed the Hudson River to the Weehawken ...

, are incorporated into the new park.

Route

Starting at 72nd Street, Riverside Drive passes through the Manhattan neighborhoods of the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, over Manhattanville in West Harlem by way of the Riverside Drive Viaduct and through Washington Heights. Below 72nd Street, Riverside Drive continues as Riverside Boulevard which stretches through Riverside South to 59th Street where it merges into the West Side Highway. Only a few stretches of Riverside Drive were built along an older road; due to the hilly terrain, Riverside Drive crosses a natural cleft in the bedrock at 87th Street on an iron viaduct and passes over 96th Street, Tiemann Place and 135th Street, and 158th Street on further viaducts. At Tiemann Place and 135th Street, and at 158th Street, an old alignment is present, also named Riverside Drive, while the viaduct portion or main route is officially named and signed "Riverside Drive West". The viaduct between Tiemann Place and 135th Street is called the "Riverside Drive Viaduct", as it is the most notable of the Riverside Drive viaducts. At its north end, Riverside Drive merges with the northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway; this came about because the northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson used the roadway of Riverside Drive when it construrcted. In 2005, the retaining wall of Castle Village collapsed onto both Riverside Drive and the northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway. The wall was repaired and the roadway reopened in March 2008. Riverside Drive terminated at

Grant's Tomb Grant's Tomb, officially the General Grant National Memorial, is the final resting place of Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president of the United States, and his wife, Julia Grant. It is a classical domed mausoleum in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan ...

in a

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

, prior to the construction of the Manhattan Valley viaduct, spanning 125th Street, completed in 1900. North of 158th Street the right of way which currently carries the name Riverside Drive was known as Boulevard Lafayette, which led to Plaza Lafayette in Hudson Heights. The section exiting the parkway at the

Dyckman Street Dyckman Street ( ), occasionally called West 200th Street, is a street in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is commonly considered to be a crosstown street because it runs from the Hudson River to the Harlem River and inter ...

exit and ending at

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

is still known as Riverside Drive. The New York City Bus route serves Riverside Drive from 72nd to 135th Streets. The and terminate at Riverside Drive and 158th Street.

Riverside Drive Viaduct

The elevated steel highway of the Riverside Drive Viaduct, built in 1901, runs between Tiemann Place and 135th Street above Twelfth Avenue. It is shouldered by masonry approaches, though the span proper was made of open hearth medium steel, comprising twenty-six spans, or bays. The south and north approaches are of rock-faced Mohawk Valley limestone with Maine granite trimmings, the face work being of coursed ashlar. The girders over Manhattan Street (now 125th Street) were the largest ever built at the time. The broad plaza effect of the south approach was designed to impart deliberate grandeur to the natural terminus of much of Riverside Drive's traffic as well as to give full advantage to the vista overlooking the Hudson River and New Jersey Palisades to the west. File:RSD Viaduct GT jeh.JPG, 125th Street Viaduct File:RSDViaductc1900.jpg, Under construction File:Riverside Drive viaduct.jpg, Below, facing north File:Harlem viaduct.jpg, Below, facing south F. Stuart Williamson was the chief engineer for the viaduct, which constituted a feat of engineering technology. Despite the viaduct's important utilitarian role as a highway, the structure was also a strong symbol of civic pride, inspired by America's late 19th-century

City Beautiful movement The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...

. The viaduct's original roadway, wide pedestrian walks and overall design were sumptuously ornamented, creating a prime example of public works that married form and function. An issue of '' Scientific American'' magazine in 1900 remarked that the Riverside Drive Viaduct's completion afforded New Yorkers "a continuous drive of ten miles along the picturesque banks of the Hudson and Harlem Rivers." The viaduct underwent a two-year-long reconstruction in 1961 and another in 1987.

Buildings and monuments

Residential buildings

The eastern side of Riverside Drive was once a series of luxuriously finished rowhouses interspersed with free-standing nineteenth century mansions set in large lawns. Today, it is lined with apartment buildings such as the Normandy and the Master Apartments, as well as some remaining town houses from 72nd to 118th Streets. The brick-faced Schwab House occupies the site of "

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural ...

", built for steel magnate

Charles M. Schwab Charles Michael Schwab (February 18, 1862 – September 18, 1939) was an American steel magnate. Under his leadership, Bethlehem Steel became the second-largest steel maker in the United States, and one of the most important heavy manufacturer ...

, formerly the grandest and most ambitious house ever built on Manhattan Island. Among the more eye-catching apartment houses are the curved facades of

The Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world to ...

and

The Paterno The Paterno is a Manhattan apartment building located at 116th Street and Riverside Drive and also known as 440 Riverside Drive. The building is noted for its curved facade, impressive marble lobby with a stained-glass ceiling, and substantial p ...

and the Cliff-Dwellers Apartments at 96th Street, with mountain lions and buffalo skulls on its friezes. The

Henry Codman Potter Henry Codman Potter (May 25, 1834 – July 21, 1908) was a bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. He was the seventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Potter was "more praised and appreciated, perhaps, than any public m ...

house at 89th Street is one of the few remaining mansions on Riverside Drive; it houses

Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim (also known as the Rabbinical Seminary of America) is an Orthodox Yeshiva in the United States, based in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York. It is primarily an American, Lithuanian-style Talmudic Yeshiva. The Yeshiva is le ...

. The Master Apartments at 310 Riverside Drive, a landmarked 24-story

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

skyscraper, is near Columbia University and the 370 Riverside Drive building, which was erected in 1922–23 for approximately $800,000 by Simon Schwartz and Arthur Gross. International House is at 500 Riverside Drive, the next building north of Riverside Church, facing

, with a back entrance on

Claremont Avenue Claremont Avenue is a short avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It begins at 116th Street and runs north for a length of eleven blocks until it ends at Tiemann Place (the western segment of 127th Street) ...

Other structures

The

Nicholas Roerich Museum The Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York City is dedicated to the works of Nicholas Roerich, a Russian-born artist whose work focused on nature scenes from the Himalayas. The museum is located in a brownstone at 319 West 107th Street on Manhattan's ...

is on 107th Street and Riverside Drive.

The Interchurch Center The Interchurch Center is a 19-story limestone-clad office building located at 475 Riverside Drive and West 120th Street in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It is the headquarters for the international humanitarian ministry Church ...

and Riverside Church are located at 120th Street and Riverside Drive, while

Sakura Park Sakura Park is a public park located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City, north of West 122nd Street between Riverside Drive and Claremont Avenue. Situated between Riverside Church on the south, the Manha ...

is located two blocks north. Other attractions on Riverside Drive include

Riverbank State Park Riverbank State Park is a state park built on top of a sewage treatment facility on the Hudson River, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It was opened in 1993. On September 5, 2017, it was renamed Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park, aft ...

Trinity Church Cemetery The parish of Trinity Church has three separate burial grounds associated with it in New York City. The first, Trinity Churchyard, is located in Lower Manhattan at 74 Trinity Place, near Wall Street and Broadway. Alexander Hamilton, Albert Gall ...

Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (NYP/CUIMC), also known as the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), is an academic medical center and the largest campus of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. It includes C ...

, and

Fort Washington Park Fort Washington, located near the community of Fort Washington, Maryland, was for many decades the only defensive fort protecting Washington D.C. The original fort, overlooking the Potomac River, was completed in 1809, and was begun as Fort Wa ...

. Among the monuments along its route are the

Eleanor Roosevelt Monument The Eleanor Roosevelt Monument is a memorial located in New York City's Riverside Park, whose centerpiece is a statue of Eleanor Roosevelt, said to be the first monument dedicated to an American president's wife. Hillary Clinton Hillary Dian ...

at 72nd Street, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument at 89th Street,

Anna Hyatt Huntington Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (March 10, 1876 – October 4, 1973) was an American sculptor who was among New York City's most prominent sculptors in the early 20th century. At a time when very few women were successful artists, she had a thrivi ...

's ''Joan of Arc'' at 93rd Street, a monument to

John Merven Carrère John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Thomas Hastings Thomas Hastings may refer to: *Thomas Hastings (colonist) (1605–1685), English immigrant to New England *Thomas Hastings (composer) (1784–1872), American composer, primarily of hymn tunes * Thomas Hastings (cricketer) (1865–1938), Australian c ...

at 99th Street, Attilio Piccirilli's Fireman's Memorial at 100th Street, and

Notable residents

* Marian Anderson (1897-1993),

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically ...

and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century; lived at 730 Riverside Drive.Beaumont Apartments
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Accessed May 24, 2016. "The Beaumont housed a number of famous tenants over the years, including U.S. Representative Jacob K. Javits; architect Alfred Fellheimer; legendary African-American contralto Marian Anderson; and African-American writer Ralph W. Ellison, author of ''Invisible Man'' (1952), who lived in the building forfour decades until his death in 1994." *

Hannah Arendt Hannah Arendt (, , ; 14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) was a political philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor. She is widely considered to be one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century. Arendt was born ...

(1906-1975), political theorist, lived at 370 Riverside Drive from 1959 until her death in 1975. * Saul Bellow (1915-2005), author, lived at 333 Riverside Drive in the 1950s * Rafael Díez de la Cortina y Olaeta (1859-1939), linguist, resident of 431 Riverside Drive * Ralph Ellison (1913-1994), writer, longtime resident of 730 Riverside Drive.Riverside Park - Invisible Man: A Memorial to Ralph Ellison

New York City Department of Parks and Recreation The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also called the Parks Department or NYC Parks, is the department of the government of New York City responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecolo ...

. Accessed May 24, 2016. "Ellison lived near this part of Riverside Park at 730 Riverside Drive, also known as the Beaumont, a distinguished residence that was also home to United States Senator Jacob Javits and singer Marian Anderson." * Alfred T. Fellheimer (1875-1959), lead architect for

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminu ...

and

Cincinnati Union Terminal Cincinnati Union Terminal is an intercity train station and museum center in the Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Commonly abbreviated as CUT, or by its Amtrak station code, CIN, the terminal is served by Amtrak's ''Cardinal'' line ...

; lived at 730 Riverside Drive. *

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

(1898-1937), composer and pianist; occupied a penthouse at 33 Riverside Drive.Kell, Jennifer Gould
"Ira Gershwin’s famed UWS penthouse available for a song"
'' New York Post'', October 14, 2015. Accessed May 24, 2016. "They enjoyed each other's company so much, in fact, that they lived in the same apartment building, occupying adjoining penthouses at 33 Riverside Drive." *

Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...

(1896-1983), lyricist; occupied a penthouse at 33 Riverside Drive, adjoining his brother's apartment. * Katie Halper, American comedian, writer, journalist, filmmaker, podcaster, political commentator, and teacher. * William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), newspaper publisher; owned a five-story penthouse in the Clarendon at 137 Riverside Drive * Jacob K. Javits (1904-1986), United States Senator from New York from 1957 to 1981; lived at 730 Riverside Drive. * Uwe Johnson, German author, lived with his family from 1966 until 1968 at 243 Riverside Drive, today ''The Cliff Dwelling'' apartments * Paul Krugman bought an apartment on Riverside Drive with his Nobel Prize in economics money *

J. Robert Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer (; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. A professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, Oppenheimer was the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is often ...

and his family lived at 155 Riverside Drive on 88th Street. *

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

owned a townhouse at 33 Riverside Drive, the predecessor to the present apartment block. *

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...

, American sportswriter * Jim Rogers, investor and financial commentator * Damon Runyon, American newspaper man and author *

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

, lived at 173 Riverside Drive, then moved to 110 Riverside Drive from 1942 until his death in 1948Kell, Jennifer Gould and C.J. Sullivan
"You can own Babe Ruth’s two-bedroom UWS apartment for $1.6M"
'' New York Post'', August 31, 2015. Accessed June 25, 2018." * Serge Sabarsky, art dealer and art expert, lived at 110 Riverside Drive *

Thomas Sowell Thomas Sowell (; born June 30, 1930) is an American author, economist, political commentator and academic who is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. With widely published commentary and books—and as a guest on TV and radio—he beca ...

, American economist and social theorist, lived on the ground floor of a building on 152nd Street and Riverside Drive in the early 1950s. s

In popular culture

Film * Robert's apartment building in '' Enchanted'' (2007) is 440 Riverside Drive * Kate's apartment building in ''

Baby Mama A baby mama (also baby mother, or hyphenated baby-mama) is a slang term for a mother who is not marriage, married to her child's father, although the term often carries other connotations as well. This term is associated with African Americans or ...

'' (2008) is 210 Riverside Drive * The living room of

Oscar Madison ''The Odd Couple'' is a play by Neil Simon. Following its premiere on Broadway in 1965, the characters were revived in a successful 1968 film and 1970s television series, as well as several other derivative works and spin-offs. The plot concer ...

's "large eight-room affair on Riverside Drive in the upper eighties" is the setting of the

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

comedy, '' The Odd Couple'' (1965). * In the movie ''

Death Wish Death Wish or Deathwish may refer to: Common meanings *Suicidal ideation, term for thoughts about killing oneself *Death drive, term in Freudian psychiatry Arts and entertainment Radio *"Death Wish", a 1957 episode of the radio series ''X Minus ...

'' (1974), architect Paul Kersey (

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...

) lives at 33 Riverside Drive. * In the movie '' You've Got Mail'' (1998), Joe Fox lives at 152 Riverside Drive using the screen name NY152. * The part of the drive over its eponymous viaduct has been seen in the movie '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012). * In the movie '' Vanilla Sky'' (2001), A deranged ex-girlfriend Julianna Gianni (played by

Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. With a variety of works in film, she is widely recognised for her work in romantic comedies and animation. Diaz has received various accolades, including nominations for fo ...

) drives the lead character David Aames ( Tom Cruise) off the road at 96th Street and Riverside Drive; The Cliff Dwelling at 243 Riverside Drive can be seen prominently in the background as the car breaks the bridge barrier, soars through the air and then off the bridge, severely injuring both characters and leaving Aames with a severe facial disfiguration. * Scenes from Woody Allen's '' Manhattan'' (1979) were filmed at 265 Riverside Drive. * Parts of the

Walter Hill Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

movie '' The Warriors'' (1979) were filmed at locations around Riverside Park. * Gloria's apartment and key scenes from the

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and dire ...

film, ''

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkin ...

'' (1980) were filmed inside apartments at 800 Riverside Drive, The Grinnell. The iconic shootout was filmed alongside 790 Riverside Drive, The Riviera. Music * Riverside Drive on the viaduct is also seen during the climax of Lady Gaga's music video for "

Marry the Night "Marry the Night" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga for her second studio album, '' Born This Way'' (2011). The track was initially released for promotion on ''FarmVille'', six days before the release of ''Born This W ...

" (2011). * In the concert film ''

Liza with a Z ''Liza with a "Z"'' is a 1972 concert film made for television, starring Liza Minnelli, produced by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. Fosse also directed and choreographed the concert, and Ebb wrote and arranged the music with his song-writing partner John ...

'' (1972),

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

performs the number "Ring The Bells" about a woman who meets her dream man while traveling in Europe despite the fact that, initially unbeknownst to them, they'd been living next door to each other at 5 Riverside Drive. * The hard rock band

Tora Tora Tora Tora is an American glam metal band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, in 1985. "Tora" means "tiger" in Japanese and the name is a play on the code name for attack used by the Japanese Imperial Navy during their attack on Pearl ...

have a song called "Riverside Drive" on their debut album '' Surprise Attack'' (1992). Literature *In

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeev ...

's ''Piccadilly Jim'', published in 1917, Riverside Drive is mentioned in the opening lines as a "breezy and expensive boulevard" with one of its "leading eyesores" being the home of Financier Peter Pett and his crime novelist wife Nesta Ford. * In the novel '' Illuminatus'' (1975), the character Joe Malik lives in a

brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic– Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Typ ...

on Riverside Drive. * In F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel, '' This Side of Paradise'', Amory visits Mrs. Lawrence on Riverside Drive and reflects that the open space feels more pleasant than the more crowded parts of the city. * In the novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child featuring Special Agent Pendergast, the main protagonist,

Aloysius Pendergast Aloysius Xingu Leng Pendergast is a fictional character appearing in novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. He first appeared as a supporting character in their first novel, ''Relic'' (1995), and in its 1997 sequel ''Reliquary'', before ...

, lives in his great-uncle's mansion at 891 Riverside Drive. * In the novel ''Jahrestage'' (''Anniversaries'') by German author Uwe Johnson, the main character Gesine Cresspahl and her daughter Marie live at 243 Riverside Drive. Television * In the sitcom ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...

'', Liz Lemon (

Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...

) lives at 168 Riverside Drive. * In the TV show '' Mad Men'', copywriter Freddy Rumsen lives at 152 Riverside Drive.Mad Men, Season 2, Episode 9, Six Month Leave * In the sitcom '' Will & Grace'', Will lives at 155 Riverside Drive, as do Grace and Jack (Sean Hayes) at times throughout the series. * In the USA Network series ''

White Collar White collar may refer to: * White-collar worker, a salaried professional or an educated worker who performs semi-professional office, administrative, and sales-coordination tasks, as opposed to a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor ...

'', Neal Caffrey (

Matt Bomer Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2000, he made his television debut o ...

) lives in the 4th floor studio of a mansion owned by elderly widow June (

Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll (; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. She rose to prominence in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts, including ''Car ...

), located 351 Riverside Drive (the Schinasi Mansion). * In the

Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...

series ''

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' is an American period comedy-drama television series, created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, that premiered on March 17, 2017, on Amazon Prime Video. Set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it stars Rachel Brosnahan as M ...

'', Midge (

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) and Joel (

Michael Zegen Michael Jonathan Zegen (born February 20, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series '' Rescue Me'' (2004–2011), ''Boardwalk Empire'' (2011–2014), and '' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' (2017–present). ...

) live in Apt 9C, located at 404 Riverside Drive (The Strathmore). Theater * Bob Randall's play ''

6 Rms Riv Vu ''6 Rms Riv Vu'' is a play by Bob Randall, who also wrote the book for ''The Magic Show''. Play ''6 Rms Riv Vu'' derives its title from shorthand used by real estate agents in classified advertising. In this case, a six-room apartment with a v ...

'' (1972) tells the story of a married advertising copywriter and a discontented housewife who both end up looking at the same Riverside Drive apartment. The door is locked accidentally, trapping them inside, and a connection slowly develops as they begin to share the details of their respective lives. * ''

Between Riverside and Crazy ''Between Riverside and Crazy'' is a 2014 play by playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor Stephen Adly Guirgis. The play won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 2015 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, the 2015 Lucille L ...

'' is a 2014 play by Stephen Adley Guirgis.

Gallery

File:Columbia U Med Ctr RSD jeh.JPG, Near 165th Street File:RSD_158_jeh.JPG, At 158th Street File:Riverside_Drive_and_W_145th_St_intersection,_Manhattan.jpg, At 145th Street File:W125 stn from RSD viaduct jeh.jpg, The 125th Street station on the IRT Seventh Avenue Line, seen from Riverside Drive's upper level File:116th-Street-and-Riverside-Drive.jpg, Curved facades of

and

at 116th Street File:96_under_RSD_jeh.JPG, At 96th Street, which passes under Riverside Drive File:Riverside Drive at 72nd Street.jpg, Riverside Drive's southern end at 72nd Street, looking north from th
Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Plaza

References

Notes Bibliography * Stern, Robert A. M.; Gilmartin, Gregory; Mellins, Thomas (2009) ''New York 1930''. New York: Rizzoli.

External links

* Carter Horsley
"Riverside Drive,"
The City Review. * {{Manhattan streets, state=collapsed Hamilton Heights, Manhattan Harlem Inwood, Manhattan Streets in Manhattan Upper West Side Washington Heights, Manhattan Morningside Heights, Manhattan