Upper West Side History & Culture
While the first mansions were built on the Upper East Side a few years after the opening of Central Park in 1858, it took the Upper West Side longer to get going. A construction boom finally arrived by the late 19th/early 20th century, hastened in part by the 1904 debut of the city’s first subway line, with numerous stops throughout the area. Then came the townhouses and large apartment buildings, which have remained ever since and help the UWS retain its inherent character — even as other things within it change. Lincoln Center and the American Museum of Natural History would be enough for any neighborhood to leave a serious footprint, but one mustn’t ignore venues like the Beacon Theatre or museums like the New-York Historical Society, among many others. Central Park is a no-brainer, but put Riverside Park’s name up in lights, too, for its glorious — as the name implies — waterfront landscapes.