Real Estate
Enclave, a new residential building next to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, did not earn raves from local residents.
Movin’ on up…to Uptown’s Morningside Heights
BY MARTHA WILKIE
Downtowners might not consider
Uptown neighborhoods such as
Inwood, Washington Heights,
Manhattan Valley and Morningside
Heights. These are vibrant neighborhoods
that, yes, have been or are being
gentrifi ed, with its inherent problems,
but still offer (relative) bargains.
Morningside Heights is dominated by
Columbia University and the relationship
between town and gown is fraught.
An infamous 1960s plan to build a gym
in Morningside Park featured separate
entrances for students (largely white
and all male, the school didn’t go coed
until 1983) on the Columbia side,
and the Harlem community (almost all
African-American) on the Harlem side.
There were huge protests.
Today, Columbia is still struggling
to make everyone happy. A brand-new
Manhattanville campus has just been
opened on the far West Side around
125th St. We’ll see how that changes
the area. President Obama lived nearby
during his time at Columbia.
Morningside Heights feels like a
college town, with bookstores, street
booksellers and thousands of college
students. The venerable Hungarian
Coffee Shop is always packed, even
without WiFi — so all those people
tapping away are actually writing, not
Facebooking.
Get your piece of the rock — in Morningside Heights.
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book covers are
framed on the wall along with those
of fellow local authors. Eateries line
Broadway, including Tom’s Restaurant,
the diner that “Seinfeld” and Suzanne
Vega’s “Tom’s Diner” made famous.
Stroll the grounds of the venerable
yet eternally unfi nished Cathedral of
St. John the Divine and meet the prosaically
named peacocks who wander
freely: Jim, Harry and Phil. Phil has his
own Twitter account @CathedralPhil.
On W. 114th St., you’ll fi nd a natural
curiosity: a gigantic boulder jammed
PHOTO BY MARTHA WILKIE
between two buildings. Which reminds
me of my favorite New York City geology
joke: “The Bronx is gneiss, but
Manhattan’s full of schist.”
The building stock is mostly pre-war
on the smaller side. The low scale makes
the area feel sunny and uncrowded. A
few new developments include a hotly
disputed one right smack up against the
cathedral; preservationists objected,
but to no avail. Much of the neighborhood
is now protected by a new historic
district.
On Broadway, near 123rd St. there’s
an attractive one-bedroom in a prewar
elevator building with high ceilings,
hardwood fl oors and a windowed
kitchen (listing says “eat-in” but seems
slim to me). It’s a relative bargain at
$349,000.
( h t t p s : / / s t r e e t e a s y . c om /
building/3117-broadway-new_york/56)
A two-bedroom, one-bath on Tiemann
Place has a newly renovated
kitchen and bath. It’s on the fi fth fl oor
with an elevator, so gets lovely light. It’s
just three blocks to the giant Fairway
near 125th St. It’s on the market for
$542,000.
(https://streeteasy.com/building/31-
tiemann-place-new_york/52)
For rentals, a no-fee pre-war twobedroom,
one-bath with shining fl oors
and a gorgeous wood-paneled living/
dining room is available for $2,950.
( h t t p s : / / s t r e e t e a s y . c om /
building/414-west-121-street-new_
york/27b)
In new construction, Enclave at the
Cathedral offers a one-bedroom, onebath
rental for $3,895 a month. The
view of the Gothic edifi ce is striking.
It looks as though you could reach
out and touch it! Fabulous amenities
include a gym, roof deck, art gallery
and a game room with the chicest pingpong
table ever.
(https://brodsky.com/rentals/morningside/
enclave/apartment-w-916)
30 February 28, 2019 TVG Schneps Media
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