Berger, Joseph. “In Murray Hill, The College Life Need Never End.” The New York Times.
January 18, 2011. Accessed July 26, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/nyregion/19about.html.
Joseph Berger touches on the stereotypes Murray Hill insinuated in the early 2000’s. He focuses on the post-college graduate life and how many of the residents are in between the phase of just graduating college and starting their careers. Berger uses Windsor Court, an apartment complex that hosts many of these types of residents. He interviewed a couple of residents and each reply with the same statement. “Everyone knows everyone,” he said. “If I don’t know them, I’m sure I have a friend who knows them.” Murray Hill is known as a close-knit group of post-college grads who just continue with the same routines that they practiced in college. Joshua Schwadron, who lived until recently in another of Murray Hill’s postgraduate hives, where he could claim Facebook friendships with half of the residents, put it this way: “You leave college and you think you’ll be nostalgic for your community, and you realize that the community never goes away — if you live in the right place.” Berger also implies that living in Murray Hill insinuates that you have a good background and shouldn’t worry about your potential partner’s background as well. For example, living in Windsor Court most likely means you are above the average according to Heather Katz. “If I meet a guy in the laundry room of Windsor Court, he probably has a good job, probably went to a good school,” Ms. Katz explained. Murray Hill can thus be considered one big Match.com, but in the old-fashioned, face-to-face way.
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Connors, Anthony. “Then & Now the Murray Hill Hotel.” NY Daily News. May 17, 1988. Accessed July 25, 2018. http://www.nydailynews.com/murray-hill-hotel-article-1.792254.
Anthony Connors shares the history of the old Murray Hill Hotel during the 1880’s . Located on the luxurious Park Avenue, the Murray Hill Hotel had seen some of it’s finer times hosting famous guests such as Mark Twain and President Grover Cleveland. Back in the day, a room with four meals only cost four dollars. Compare to the costs today, that is practically free! Connors provides information on the architecture and design plans for the old hotel containing details such as the rococo influences. However, in 1947, the Murray Hill Hotel was torn down after losing a fight with the Pershing Square Building Corp who then erected an office building in it’s place.
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Gregor, Alison. “Murray Hill for Family Living.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Aug. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/realestate/murray-hill-for-family-living.html.
Moving past the post-college graduate living days of Murray Hill, Alison Gregor focuses on the new stereotype of family living in this neighborhood. With the use of multiple interviews conducted on the new and old residents, Gregor shows readers the switch in Murray Hill from “postgraduate playground” to streets filled with baby strollers. Diane G. Bartow, the president of the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association, has lived there for more than 30 years. “For about the last three years, there’s been a big change in the demographics of the area,” she said. In addition to the young college graduates, “it was a population that skewed older, but now we’re seeing a lot of families with little children moving to the area, staying in the area.”
Gregor divides Murray Hill into four sections. Between Lexington and Park Avenues are largely 19th century brownstones and rowhouses. Park Avenue has towers with co-ops and high end rental apartments and Third Avenue divides Murray Hill with shops, restaurants, and bars. Anything to the east is mostly recent college graduates and young professionals. Based on her interviews, most residents if not all are comfortable residing in Murray Hill and have no qualms when it comes to transportation, necessities, and accessibility.
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Jacobson, Aileen. “Murray Hill, Manhattan: Where the Old and New Meet.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Dec. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/realestate/living-in-murray-hill-manhattan.html.
Through the use of interviews and research, Aileen Jacobson highlights the contrast between the wants of the older and younger generation and speaks on the “divide” forming in Murray Hill. The divide is Third Avenue where everything to the East are high rise condos and fast paced developments while everything above Third Avenue is historical and peaceful. According to Ashley Petrylak, a resident for nine years, the population is older in the historical part of the neighborhood while the younger professionals and young families are moving into the East. However, in order to keep a balance between the two sides, many association members including Petrylak are trying to “blend the two communities” with “new networking committees.” Because there is a younger crowd moving in, the neighborhood is also developing with children sections, parks, and bars and restaurants to attract the younger professionals. However, not everyone is happy with these developments. “Edan Unterman, 80, is a 30-year resident and president of the East Midtown Coalition for Sensible Development. His group has been trying to “restrain plans” for many years, he said, for the large waterfront tract along First Avenue that Ms. Epstein referred to, as well as smaller projects that have replaced existing structures. “We have lost every single battle,” said Mr. Unterman, a corporate attorney.”
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Peck, Richard. “Murray Hill: The Old, the New, the Blue.” The New York Times. October 19, 1975. Accessed July 25, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/19/archives/murray-hill-the-old-the-new-the-blue-murray-hill-a-mix-of-the-old.html.
Richard Peck’s piece allows readers to glimpse into the architectural and structural design of Murray Hill in the 1970’s. With a “Gilded Age reputation,” Murray Hill was once a remarkable and historical neighborhood boasting numerous famous guests and buildings. The Church of Transfiguration on 1 east 29th (which still stands today) was built in 1849 and the Gothic elements and lich gate which was a fight of the great-aunt of President Roosevelt added to the church’s impressive place in history. On the wall of 16 Park Avenue, there is a plaque commemorating Mary Murray and her daughters for their contribution to the American Revolution. It is said that they detained the British soldiers and delayed their arrival with tea and lunch. However, due to Murray Hill’s reputation, the neighborhood was quite strict when it came to what and where buildings could be erected. “A restrictive covenant outlined the kinds of homes and businesses to be allowed. There were to be no livery stables, slaughter houses, smith’s or forges. No gun powder, glue, vitriol, ink or turpentine manufacture. No tannery, brewery, distillery. No museum, theater or circus.” It was only until J.P. Morgan Jr. created the Murray Hill Association and denied the resident’s attempt to restrict apartment house building.
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Walsh, Kevin. “MURRAY HILL, Manhattan.” Forgotten New York. March 27, 2011. Accessed July 26, 2018. http://forgotten-ny.com/2011/03/murray-hill-manhattan/.
Kevin Walsh journals his self-guided tour throughout Murray Hill in March 2011. Walsh states that although due to the neighborhood’s expensive prices and quiet residential streets, the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and the UN buildings can break the silence. With the use of his pictures, he allows readers to join his journey and read his thoughts on Murray Hill. He highlights the architectural history of many buildings and focuses on the structure of their doors and frames. Murray Hill may like to keep the appearance of “historical” and “vintage” implied by Walsh’s findings. He shares a photo of “a selection of awnings along 3rd Avenue between East 36th and 39th Streets. These are all actually rather new but they’re going for a classic look and appearance. I believe the Dukes sign incorporates a couple of vintage Coca-Cola bullet signs.”
