An 1893 redrawing of the 1807 version of the Commissioners' grid plan for Manhattan, a few years before it was adopted in 1811

The uptown trend of Manhattan, allegorized as an inexorable parade of destiny on its "march uptown",[1][2] refers to the northward socioeconomic real estate trend toward Uptown, a long-standing historical pattern from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Beginning with New Amsterdam at the island's southern tip, European colonial and later American settlement under the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 expanded continually in a common direction.

Former agricultural hamlets such as Harsenville, Carmansville, and Harlem became successively industrial exurbs, residential suburbs, and urban districts, the former farmland between them being filled in.[3] Thus, in the concentric zone model, the zones moved outward.

Different economic and social aspects took different trajectories, such as business and retail and entertainment[4] shift from Lower Manhattan to Midtown Manhattan,[5][6][7][8][9] and the path of the Four Hundred and social elites of other eras was closely followed, often ahead of business and other residential settlement;[10] several New York City ethnic enclaves took their own route, most notably African American neighborhoods from the Five Points through several intermediate stages of community displacement to Harlem.

Few projects were able to slow the trend,[11] though some aspects of it did settle in the mid-20th century.[12] Broadway theatre during the 19th century marched from Lower Manhattan via the Bowery and up Broadway, finally alighting around Longacre Square, soon to be renamed Times Square and displacing the horse trade.

The trend reversed itself to some extent in the 21st century, in the period after the September 11 attacks.

See also

References

  1. ^ Page, Max (2001-04-28). The Creative Destruction of Manhattan, 1900-1940. University of Chicago Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-226-64469-1.
  2. ^ Scobey, David M. (2002). Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape. Temple University Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-1-59213-235-5.
  3. ^ "Harsenville to Carmansville: The Lost Villages of the Upper West Side". 6sqft. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  4. ^ Eaton, Walter Prichard (1907). "Oscar Hammerstein: A Boy Who Never Grew Up". American Magazine. Colver Publishing House. p. 31.
  5. ^ Federal Writers' Project (N.Y.) (1939). New York City Guide: A Comprehensive Guide to the Five Boroughs of the Metropolis: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Richmond. Prelinger Library. New York, Random House. p. 185.
  6. ^ Lockwood, Charles (2014-10-15). Manhattan Moves Uptown: An Illustrated History. Courier Corporation. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-486-78120-4.
  7. ^ Rosenwaike, Ira (1972-10-01). "Geographic Trends in Manhattan". Population History in New York City. Syracuse University Press. pp. 48–49. ISBN 978-0-8156-2155-3.
  8. ^ Barr, Jason M. (2016-05-12). "The First Inversion". Building the Skyline: The Birth and Growth of Manhattan's Skyscrapers. Oxford University Press. pp. 135–141. ISBN 978-0-19-934438-3.
  9. ^ Barr, Jason M. (2019-08-06). "The Bedrock Myth and the Rise of Midtown Manhattan (Part II) - Skynomics Blog". Building the Skyline. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  10. ^ "City's Social Centre Is Now in East 70th St.; Uptown Trend Noted 25 Years Ago Continues". The New York Times. 1928-01-25. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  11. ^ Roberts, Sam (2013-01-22). Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America. Grand Central Publishing. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-4555-2595-9.
  12. ^ "SMITH SEES A HALT IN UPTOWN TREND; Declares Centre of Business Is Permanently Fixed in Midtown Section. URGES RESIDENCES IN AREA Empire State Building, Grand Central and Penn Stations Called 'Anchors' at McCreery Luncheon. Traces Growth of Thirty-five Years. Predicts Suburban Advances". The New York Times. 1931-04-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
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