42nd Street (Manhattan)
Looking west along 42nd Street from Seventh Avenue (2004)
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|
| Other name(s) |
Lincoln Highway (west of Broadway) New 42nd Street (8th to 7th Avenues) |
|---|---|
| Maintained by | NYCDOT |
| Length | 2.0 mi (3.2 km) |
| Location | Manhattan, New York City |
| Postal code | 10036, 10018, 10017, 10168 |
| West end |
 NY 9A (12th Avenue) in Hell's Kitchen
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| East end |
 FDR Drive in Murray Hill / Midtown East
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| North |
43rd Street (west of 1st Avenue) 48th Street (east of 1st Avenue) |
| South |
41st Street (west of 6th Avenue) 40th Street (6th to 5th Avenues) 41st Street (east of 5th Avenue) |
| Construction | |
| Commissioned | March 1811 |
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district (and, at times, the red-light district) near that intersection. The street has held a special place in New Yorkers' imaginations since at least the turn of the 20th century, and is the site of some of New York's best known buildings, including (east to west) the United Nations, Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
During the American Revolutionary War, a cornfield near the present location of the New York Public Library at 42nd Street was where General George Washington angrily attempted to rally his troops after the British landing at Kip's Bay, which scattered many of the American militiamen. Washington's attempt put him in danger of being captured, and his officers had to persuade him to leave. The rout eventually subsided into an orderly retreat.
John Jacob Astor purchased a 70 acres (28 ha) farm in 1803 that ran from 42nd Street to 46th Street west of Broadway to the Hudson River.
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Wikipedia