Morningside Heights

New Yorkers can celebrate the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is performing at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine on Thursday, August 1, at 7 p.m., as part of the Beethoven Ninth Freedom Tour. This concert is the penultimate date of their tour, which has included stops at grand cathedrals and concert halls throughout Europe and the United States.
learn more

Events & Things To Do

For $1.95M, this Morningside Heights co-op has pre-war elegance in a building with a presidential past

Photo credit: Michael Alley for The Corcoran Group

August 18, 2023

For $1.95M, this Morningside Heights co-op has pre-war elegance in a building with a presidential past

This pretty pre-war co-op at 622 West 114th Street in Morningside Heights has gracious proportions and the rare-for-Manhattan four-bedrooms. Filled with well-preserved architectural details and elegant wood built-ins, this uptown "classic seven," asking $1,950,000, doesn't need a celebrity angle to attract buyers–but a presidential pedigree never hurts: President Barack Obama lived in a fourth-floor walkup in the same building (that unit was listed for $1,450,000 back in 2020) after graduating from Columbia University in the 1980s.
take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Your guide to Morningside Heights: A college town in a city neighborhood

Tom’s Restaurant is a landmark in Morningside Heights thanks to Seinfeld. Photo by Scarlet Sappho on Flickr

May 17, 2023

Your guide to Morningside Heights: A college town in a city neighborhood

Bookended by Morningside and Riverside Parks on a high plateau in Upper Manhattan, Morningside Heights is tucked between the neighborhoods of Manhattanville to the north and Manhattan Valley to the south. The neighborhood's street boundaries are Morningside Drive to the east, 125th Street to the north, 110th Street to the south, and Riverside Drive to the west, with Broadway as its main commercial thoroughfare. Morningside Heights is also considered to be part of Harlem–with the Upper West Side just below. To use a bookend analogy is fitting: Morningside Heights is the largest student neighborhood in New York City; it is this distinction that provides the city neighborhood with its college town vibe.
What to do and see, and where to live in Morningside Heights

Photo credit: Al Siedman (VHT) for The Corcoran Group

April 10, 2023

For $3.1M, this four-bedroom Morningside Heights co-op is a turn-key family-sized home

This pre-war co-op at 380 Riverside Drive in Morningside Heights has a rambling layout that defies the space-starved New York City apartment norm, with four bedrooms, a den, and an office in addition to living and dining rooms, endless closet space, and bathrooms galore. While its classic architecture is intact, the turn-key home steps from Riverside Park, asking $3,100,000, has up-to-the minute fixtures and finishes and modern conveniences like central air conditioning.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Gaze upon Riverside Park from your bay window in this $1.8M Morningside Heights pre-war co-op

Photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

April 5, 2023

Gaze upon Riverside Park from your bay window in this $1.8M Morningside Heights pre-war co-op

On the market for the first time ever, this three-bedroom co-op residence in Fowler Court at 400 Riverside Drive, asking $1,795,000, is the embodiment of the spacious Upper Manhattan pre-war home. Built in 1908, the building is surrounded by the beautiful architecture of the Morningside Heights historic district. Large rooms and a flexible floor plan mean you can add another bedroom or even more space to the living area.
See more, this way

Distinctive Homes

Photo credit: Brown Harris Stevens

March 13, 2023

For $1.5M, a three-bedroom Morningside Heights pre-war co-op with a colorful Mondrian motif

This sprawling co-op in a classic pre-war building at 532 West 111th Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side offers a considerable amount of space for its ask of $1,495,000–if you don't mind navigating the awkward twists and turns often found in pre-war apartments. The co-op's interior design takes its cue from a Mondrian painting, bringing creativity and color to its classic 20th-century architecture.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

$10M penthouse at Robert A.M. Stern’s Claremont Hall sets sales record for Morningside Heights

Renderings courtesy of Binyan Studios

January 20, 2023

$10M penthouse at Robert A.M. Stern’s Claremont Hall sets sales record for Morningside Heights

A penthouse at a Robert A.M. Stern-designed tower in Morningside Heights is in contract for $10 million, marking a record for the Manhattan neighborhood. The full-floor residence sits atop Claremont Hall, a 41-story building located within the campus of Union Theological Seminary. Positioned at one of the highest points in the area, Penthouse 41 is a four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home with stunning city, park, and river views.
Find out more

Real Estate Trends

Moving ‘sculpture garden’ with glowing, handmade lanterns will light up Morningside Heights

Morningside Lights 2019; Photo by Michael Seto

August 16, 2022

Moving ‘sculpture garden’ with glowing, handmade lanterns will light up Morningside Heights

Morningside Heights' annual lantern festival will light up the sky for the first time totally in person since 2019. Hosted by the Arts Initiative and Miller Theatre at the Columbia University School of the Arts, the 11th-annual "Morningside Lights" event allows visitors to create their own lanterns and float them in a procession from Morningside Park to Columbia's campus. Free lantern building workshops will be held on September 17 through 23 and the procession kicks off on September 24 at 8 p.m.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

NYC architects reimagine the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Morningside Heights campus

All renderings courtesy of Michael Moran

March 17, 2022

NYC architects reimagine the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Morningside Heights campus

The Jewish Theological Seminary on Thursday released images of its newly redesigned campus in Morningside Heights. The campus was redesigned by the award-winning Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects who have reimagined it with the community-focused form of Judaism that JTS teaches and practices through new open, outward-facing architecture.
See more here

$348M restoration of Riverside Park is part of largest investment in 90 years

Photo of Riverside Park by Momos on Wikimedia

May 6, 2021

$348M restoration of Riverside Park is part of largest investment in 90 years

The city announced this week plans to provide $348 million in funding for the rehabilitation of major infrastructure in Riverside Park, marking one of the largest investments at the waterfront park since the 1930s. The project restores the "overbuild," a series of bridge structures built over the Amtrak tunnels between West 72nd and West 123rd Streets. The deteriorated structure has damaged pathways and affected the park's usability, according to the city.
More here

Architecture And Design

Lovely alcove studio in Morningside Heights has a 600-square-foot terrace for $650K

Photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

February 25, 2021

Lovely alcove studio in Morningside Heights has a 600-square-foot terrace for $650K

A 600-square-foot terrace is big for any apartment, but for an alcove studio, it's downright palatial. This just-renovated co-op at 600 West 111th Street in Morningside Heights is modern, bright, and wrapped in an L-shaped terrace overlooking the Hudson River and Riverside Park with views to the George Washington Bridge. It's hard to believe, but the asking price is $650,000.
See inside

Distinctive Homes

Obama’s former Morningside Heights apartment lists for $1.45M

Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

November 24, 2020

Obama’s former Morningside Heights apartment lists for $1.45M

During his time attending Columbia in the early '80s, President Barack Obama lived first on West 109th Street and then on East 94th Street. After graduating, he moved back to Morningside Heights, to a three-bedroom apartment at 622 West 114th Street. This fourth-floor walkup is now listed for sale, asking $1,450,000.
READ MORE

Photo courtesy of CityRealty

May 20, 2020

150-name waitlist opens for modern affordable rentals next to Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Photo courtesy of CityRealty Known as Enclave at the Cathedral, this pair of 13- and 15-story towers adjacent to the landmarked Cathedral of St. John the Divine (the world's largest cathedral, to be exact) in Morningside Heights was built in 2016. At the time, a housing lottery opened for the 428-unit rental's 87 affordable apartments. Four years later, a waiting list has come online that will randomly select 150 applicants earning 60 percent of the area median income for future vacancies in these units, which range from $888/month studios to $1,427/month two-bedrooms.
See if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Plans to convert Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine into field hospital have been canceled

Photo by Kripa Chettiar on Flickr

April 10, 2020

Plans to convert Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine into field hospital have been canceled

Update 4/10/20: Plans to convert the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine into an emergency field hospital have been canceled. ABC News reported on Thursday that tensions between the progressive church and the Samaritan's Purse, known for its anti-LGBTQ and Islamaphobic views, may have halted the project. A spokesperson with the church told ABC the space could either become a hospital with a different agency, a morgue, or nothing if the number of hospitalizations continues to drop. One of the largest churches in the world will be converted into a field hospital this week. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Manhattan's Morningside Heights neighborhood said it will have nine climate-controlled medical tents installed in its 600-foot-long nave and underground crypt by the end of the week, the New York Times first reported. The site is expected to house at least 200 patients, who could start arriving as early as this week.
Find out more

Policy

$595K Morningside Heights pad is a flexible two-bedroom near Columbia and Riverside Park

Listing images by VHT; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

March 10, 2020

$595K Morningside Heights pad is a flexible two-bedroom near Columbia and Riverside Park

By Alexandra Alexa

Conveniently located near Columbia University and only one block from Riverside Park, this two-bedroom in Morningside Heights is sunny, flexible, and recently upgraded. It’s in an HDFC co-op building at 175 Claremont Avenue so income restrictions will apply, but if you qualify, the apartment is a sound investment at $595,000.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

Go behind the scenes at Morningside Heights’ Riverside Church and its 400-foot-tall bell tower

Exterior photo via Wikimedia; Photo of bell tower © 6sqft

January 23, 2020

Go behind the scenes at Morningside Heights’ Riverside Church and its 400-foot-tall bell tower

After nearly 20 years, the iconic bell tower of the Riverside Church in Morningside Heights has officially reopened. The impressive Gothic-style cathedral is home to the 74-bell Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon, which includes a 40,000 pound Bourdon bell, the largest tuned bell in the world. The tower closed to the public almost two decades ago following 9/11 but reopened for public tours earlier this month. 6sqft recently took a tour of the stunning Riverside Church, known for its interdenominational services and dedication to social justice causes.
Take the tour

This $529K co-op tucked between Columbia and Riverside Park could be a smart move

Image credit: RISE Media courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

January 17, 2020

This $529K co-op tucked between Columbia and Riverside Park could be a smart move

Asking $529,000, this first-floor home at 606 West 113th Street is on a pretty tree-lined street in Morningside Heights between Riverside Park and Columbia University/Barnard College. Located in an historic co-op building with a gorgeous lobby and plenty of pre-war details, this charming one-bedroom apartment has bay windows, 10-foot ceilings, and exposed brick in the living room and bedroom.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

November 11, 2019

For $807K, light, pattern, and color wake up this two-bedroom Morningside Heights co-op

Situated within the amenity-filled Morningside Gardens co-operative complex, this two-bedroom home at 70 La Salle Street in Morningside Heights was renovated less than a year ago. The result is a cheerful and chic mix of color, pattern, and well-configured space that's highlighted by an abundance of natural light. With ceilings of over nine feet tall and floor-to-ceiling windows, this corner unit, asking $807,000, maximizes space with plenty of closets in addition to large and livable rooms.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Homemade, illuminated lanterns will float above Morningside Heights

Photo from 2018’s Morningside Lights festival by Michael Seto via Flickr

August 27, 2019

Homemade, illuminated lanterns will float above Morningside Heights

The sky above Morningside Heights will soon come alive with illuminated, handmade lanterns. The Arts Initiative and Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts next month will host its annual "Morningside Lights" festival, which allows community members to make their own lanterns and float them in a procession through Morningside Park to Columbia's campus. Free workshops will be hosted each day at the Miller Theatre leading up to the event from Sept. 14-20, with the magical march happening on Saturday, Sept. 21.
It's lit

Events & Things To Do

24 weed-eating goats have arrived in Riverside Park

Photo © 6sqft

May 21, 2019

24 weed-eating goats have arrived in Riverside Park

This morning, hundreds of local residents, news outlets, and local school children packed into Riverside Park at 120th Street to see a herd of 24 goats released into the park. The spectacle kicked off the Riverside Park Conservancy's GOaTHAM, an initiative to use "retired" goats from a local farm to help clear out a surge of invasive species from a hard-to-access area of the park. From today until August 30th, the team of goats will be noshing on poison ivy, bittersweet, wineberry, and more.
Watch the hungry goats in action

Events & Things To Do

January 3, 2019

For $1.6M, this Morningside Heights co-op is a fine example of a pre-war classic six

Located in the picturesque Upper West Side/Morningside Heights neighborhood it shares with Columbia University's campus, Amele Hall at 536 W 111th Street is a classic elevator co-op built in 1910 by architect partners Mulliken and Moeller. This classic six apartment, listed for $1.595 million, has been modernized but retains its turn-of-the-century charm.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

The best affordable and student-friendly off-campus neighborhoods in NYC

Columbia campus, via Pixabay

August 9, 2018

The best affordable and student-friendly off-campus neighborhoods in NYC

By Cait Etherington

If you can’t bear the idea of living in the dorms for another year, you’re not alone. Unless you happen to go to Columbia where over 90 percent of students live on campus, there's a high likelihood you’ll be searching for your own apartment at some point during your college years, just like 57 percent of students at NYU and 74 percent at The New School. And if you're like most students, you’ll be looking for an apartment far from downtown that strikes the right balance between affordability, commutability, and access to services. To help you make the smartest decision possible, 6sqft has compiled a list of affordable, student-friendly neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn. By New York City standards, all of these are both safe (e.g., reported fewer than 1.5447 crimes per 1000 people in June 2018) and within reach (e.g., on average, three-bedroom units can still be rented for less than $5,000 per month). Using July 2018 City Realty data on average neighborhood rents, we've broken down how much you’ll pay on average to live in a three-bedroom shared unit in each of these neighborhoods. We’ve also provided average commute times to both Union Square, which is easily walkable to NYU, The New School, and Cooper Union, and to the Columbia University campus.
Get the guide

July 16, 2018

Asking $740K, this big, bright Morningside Heights co-op has character but could use another bathroom

Usually when we think of bringing an architect to a viewing, it's because the property is in serious need of TLC. This two-bedroom, one-bath co-op at 509 west 122nd Street near Columbia University in the heart of Morningside Heights is move-in ready, with pre-war details and a modern remodel. But the bath is somewhat exiled on a complicated path to any bedroom on the floor plan, the living and dining rooms and the kitchen that serves them don't seem to be on speaking terms–and inspiration from a pro can't hurt. And while it won't kill anybody, at the very least this pretty co-op's new owner should throw away the floor plan and wing it. At least there's an elevator.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

April 19, 2018

Pre-war beauty in Riverside’s ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ building asks $1.8M

Morningside Heights' the Strathmore, the Bing & Bing co-op at 404 Riverside Drive designed by architects Schwartz and Gross, is so iconic that it was used as Midge and Joel's home in the 1950s period series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." The unit used as a backdrop for the show is the childhood home of architect Allegra Kochman, who also owns–and designed the interiors of–this one-bedroom beauty, now on the market for $1.825 million (h/t NYP).
See more, this way

Distinctive Homes

June 26, 2017

$3,300/month prewar co-op is just one block from Columbia University

By Emily Nonko

Any Columbia students out there in search of summer housing? This charming apartment, from the prewar cooperative 609 West 114th Street, is now renting. Besides the great Morningside Heights locale, a half block from the campus and a half block from Riverside Park, you get interior details like 10-foot ceilings, crown moldings and French doors. A corner location and windows everywhere you look stream in sunlight throughout the day. Although in a co-op building this apartment has been rented out for years, and was last asking $2,900 a month in 2015.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

April 12, 2017

Astoria, Morningside Heights and Bay Ridge have highest turnover of rent-stabilized apartments