Beekman Place

This is Beekman Place as seen from the East River. From this vantage point, we see the backs of the row of houses of those lucky souls who have river views. This small enclave is an urban oasis - a two-block long street tucked in between 49th and 50th Street and East of 1st Avenue. The area is less well known (particularly to outsiders) that its neighbor Sutton Place, two blocks north. The Beekman name is one of NYC's oldest - William Beekman came to America on the same ship as Peter Stuyvesant in 1647. James Beekman built a mansion here, Mount Pleasant, in 1764 (it was used as British headquarters during the Revolutionary War). Nathan Hale was hanged here as a spy in 1776. It was demolished in 1874 as the city's grid plan encroached. By the end of the 19th century the area had become a slum with industry at the river's edge. In the 1920s, the neighborhood started to turn around, eventually to become one of the most sought after addresses of the wealthy. The roster of current and former residents reads like a small Who's Who - with names like Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Ethel Barrymore, Irving Berlin. Note the building second from the left (in the row of nine) - it is the former home of architect Paul Rudolph - read about him here and here ....