125th Street (Manhattan): Difference between revisions

[[File:W125irtjeh.JPG|thumb|350px300px|right|West 125th Street near [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]], looking west toward the [[Hudson River]]. The [[125th Street (IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line)|125th Street subway station]] of the [[IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line]] can be seen overhead.]]'''125th Street''', co-named '''Martin Luther King Jr., Boulevard''' is a [[two-way street]] that runs east-westeast–west in the New York City [[borough (New York City)|borough]] of [[Manhattan]], from [[First Avenue (Manhattan)|First Avenue]] on the east to Marginal Street, a service road for the [[Henry Hudson Parkway]] along the [[Hudson River]] in the west. It is often considered to be the "[[Main Street]]" of [[Harlem]], and is co-named [[List of streets named after Martin Luther King, Jr.|Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard]].

Notable buildings along 125th Street include the [[Apollo Theater]], the [[Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building]], the [[Hotel Theresa]], the [[Studio Museum in Harlem]], the [[Mount Morris Bank Building]], Harlem Commonwealth Council, the [[Harlem Children's Zone]], the [[St. Joseph of the Holy Family Church (New York City)|Church of St. Joseph of the Holy Family]], and the former [[West End Theatre (New York)|West End Theatre]], now home to the La Gree Baptist Church.

The street was designated by the [[Commissioners' Plan of 1811]] that established the Manhattan [[grid plan|street grid]] as one of 15 east-westeast–west streets that would be {{convert|100|ft}} in width (while other streets were designated as {{convert|60|ft}} in width).<ref>[[Gouverneur Morris|Morris, Gouverneur]], [[Simeon De Witt|De Witt, Simeon]], and [[John Rutherfurd|Rutherford, John]] {{sic}} (March 1811) [http://urbanplanning.library.cornell.edu/DOCS/nyc1811.htm "Remarks Of The Commissioners For Laying Out Streets And Roads In The City Of New York, Under The Act Of April 3, 1807"], [[Cornell University Library]]. Accessed June 27, 2016. "These streets are all sixty feet wide except fifteen, which are one hundred feet wide, viz.: Numbers fourteen, twenty-three, thirty-four, forty-two, fifty-seven, seventy-two, seventy-nine, eighty-six, ninety-six, one hundred and six, one hundred and sixteen, one hundred and twenty-five, one hundred and thirty-five, one hundred and forty-five, and one hundred and fifty-five--the block or space between them being in general about two hundred feet."</ref>

[[File:Apollo Theater Harlem NYC 2010 crop.JPG|thumb|200px|The world-famous [[Apollo Theater]]|left]]The western part of the street runs diagonally between the neighborhoods of [[Manhattanville, Manhattan|Manhattanville]] and [[Morningside Heights]] from the northwest from the [[West Harlem Piers]] and an interchange with the [[Henry Hudson Parkway]] at [[130th Street (Manhattan)|130th Street]]. East of Morningside Avenue it runs east-westeast–west through central Harlem to [[Second Avenue (Manhattan)|Second Avenue]], where a ramp connects it to the [[Triborough Bridge|Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge]]. However, 125th Street continues to [[First Avenue (Manhattan)|First Avenue]], where it connects to the southbound [[FDR Drive]] and the [[Willis Avenue Bridge]].

West of Convent Avenue, 125th Street was rerouted onto what was, prior to 1920, called Manhattan Street. What remains of the original alignment of 125th Street was renamed La Salle Street at that time. The remaining blocks run between [[Amsterdam Avenue (Manhattan)|Amsterdam Avenue]] and [[Claremont Avenue]]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' lamented the name changes, noting that the new names had "somewhat doubtful nomenclature,", and that the City's "Aldermen like French names" but gave no rationale for the moves otherwise.<ref>[http{{cite news |url=https://querytimesmachine.nytimes.com/memtimesmachine/archive-free1920/06/27/96360956.pdf?res=F50A1FFE3B5E157A93C5AB178DD85F448285F9 "|title=Harlem Street Renamed"] ''|work=[[The New York Times]]'' (|date=June 27, 1920)}}</ref> A block of the original 125th Street in this area was de-mapped to make the super-blocks where the [[Grant Houses]] projects now exist.

Beginning in the late 1990s, many sections of 125th Street have been [[Gentrification|gentrified]] and developed with such stores as [[MAC Cosmetics]], [[Old Navy]], [[H&M]], [[CVS/pharmacy]], and [[Magic Johnson Theaters]]. In collaboration with the community, the city has developed a plan for the 125th Street corridor focusing on reinforcing and building upon its strengths as an arts and cultural corridor.<ref>[{{Cite web |url=http://www.nycedc.com/Web/AboutUs/OurProjects/CurrentProjects/125thStreet.htm |title=New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) 125th Street Project] |access-date=2008-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070529005145/http://www.nycedc.com/Web/AboutUs/OurProjects/CurrentProjects/125thStreet.htm |archive-date=2007-05-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A [[rift]] in the [[Crust (geology)|crust]] runs along underneath this street from the [[East River]] to [[New Jersey]] and is known as the '''125th Street Fault''' or the '''Manhattanville Fault'''.<ref>{{cite news | last=Kaminer | first=Ariel | title=Preparing for the Day the Earth Moves in the City | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=March 19, 2011 | url=httphttps://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/nyregion/20critic.html | accessdateaccess-date=2015-09-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| author=Lee, Denny | url=httphttps://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/12/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-up-close-california-here-we-come-scientists-warn.html|title=California, Here We Come: Scientists Warn of Earthquakes Here|date=May 12, 2002|accessdateaccess-date=September 29, 2015|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref name=duke /> It is suspected to have caused a magnitude-5.2 [[earthquake]] in 1737, two smaller ones in 1981,<ref>{{cite news | last=Shahid | first=Aliyah | title=NYC due to be hit by killer quake? | newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] | date=March 17, 2011 | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/earthquake-hit-new-york-city-history-yes-not-9-0-magnitude-japan-earthquake-article-1.124761 | accessdateaccess-date=2015-09-29}}</ref> as well asand a 2.4 magnitude quake in 2001.<ref name=duke>[http://www.dukelabs.com/ForTeachers/NYC_2001_Quake/NYCQuake.htm "Small Earthquakes Strike New York City"] Duke Geological Laboratory website</ref> The [[fault line]], which skims across the top of [[Central Park]] and runs to [[Roosevelt Island]] to the southeast,. It creates a fault valley deep enough to require the [[IRT Broadway – SeventhBroadway–Seventh Avenue Line]] ({{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh north}}) to use a [[Trestle bridge|trestle]] bridge between 122nd and 135th Streets, even though the line goes underground at either end and remains at the same elevation above sea level throughout.<ref>{{cite book |title=Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and Around New York City |edition=2nd |publisher=Metropolitan Section, American Society of Civil Engineers |year=2009 |pages=90–91}}</ref> [[Riverside Drive (Manhattan)|Riverside Drive]] also elevates to crosscrosses over the fault valley on a high viaduct.

The following [[New York City Subway]] stations are located at 125th Street (west to east):<ref>{{NYCS const|map}}</ref>

* [[125th Street (IRT Broadway – SeventhBroadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|125th Street]] at [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]], served servingby the {{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh north local}}

* [[125th Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|125th Street]] at [[St. Nicholas Avenue (Manhattan)|St. Nicholas Avenue]], served servingby the {{NYCS trains|Eighth center}}

* [[125th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line)|125th Street]] at [[Lenox Avenue (Manhattan)|Lenox Avenue]], servingserved by the {{NYCS trains|Lenox}} trains

* [[125th Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|125th Street]] at [[Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)|Lexington Avenue]], served servingby the {{NYCS trains|Lexington}}

File:Sydenham Hospital Clinic.jpg|Sydenham Hospital Clinic<br />formerly the Commonwealth Building<ref>{{cite aia5|page=529}}, p.529</ref><br />(215 West 125th St.)

File:Hotel Theresa from east.jpg|[[Hotel Theresa]], now Theresa Towers,<br />a NYC landmark and on the NRHP<br />(West 125th St. and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.)

File:Victoria Theater 227 West 125th Street WTM3 The Fixers 0048 crop.jpg|Victoria Theater, now being renovated into a mixed-use building<ref>[{{cite web |date=September 11, 2013 |url=http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/09/11/mapping_the_changes_coming_to_harlems_125th_street.php#more |title=Mapping the Changes Coming to Harlem''CurbedNY'']s 125th Street |website=Curbed New York}}</ref><br />(237 West 125th St)

*As of 2011, former president [[Bill Clinton]] maintains an office on 125th Street.<ref>Frractenberg,{{cite news |last=Fractenberg |first=Ben. [|url= http://www.dnainfo.com/20101108/harlem/bill-clinton-renews-lease-on-harlem-office-space "|title=Bill Clinton Renews Lease on Harlem Office Space"] ''|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213014720/http://www.dnainfo.com/20101108/harlem/bill-clinton-renews-lease-on-harlem-office-space |archive-date=2010-12-13 |work=DNAinfo'' (|date=November 8, 2010)}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Leonard, |first=Tom. [http|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1581418/Harlems-identity-under-threat-from-developers.html "|title=Harlem's identity under threat from developers"], ''|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'', |date=March 16, 2008. Accessed |access-date=April 8, 2008. "|quote=Harlem has seen rapid gentrification since the late 1990s and 125th Street - included last year in a list of America's 10 greatest streets - is now home to Bill Clinton's office."}}</ref>

[[Category:Streets in Manhattan|125]]