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28-636: Coogan's Bluff is a promontory near the western shore of the Harlem River in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City . Its boundaries extend approximately from 155th Street and the Macombs Dam Bridge viaduct to 160th Street, between Edgecombe Avenue and the river. A deep escarpment descends 175 feet (53 m) from Edgecombe Avenue to the river, creating

56-646: A museum) is located nearby, in Washington Heights. South of 155th Street, Coogan's Bluff becomes a smaller cliff within Jackie Robinson Park . Immediately across the Harlem River, in the Bronx , is Yankee Stadium , home of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees . 40°49′57″N 73°56′21″W  /  40.8326°N 73.9393°W  / 40.8326; -73.9393 Promontory Located at

84-559: A prime fortified location since the 10th century . The surrounding rivers act as a natural moat, making it difficult for enemies to access the fort. Another example of a promontory fort is Fort Pitt , which was built by the English during the American Revolution on the site of the former Fort Duquesne , which belonged to the French during the French and Indian War. The fort was located at

112-590: A sheltered area between the bluff and river known as Coogan's Hollow . From 1890 to 1964, the hollow was home to the Polo Grounds sports stadium. The promontory is named for James J. Coogan (1846–1915), a real estate developer and one-term Manhattan Borough President , who owned the land during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The earliest known published reference to "Coogan's Bluff" appeared in The New York Times in 1893. From 1890 until April 1964,

140-527: Is another example of a promontory fort. Located on a small promontory, the town was part of the Ajuran Sultanate 's domain during the Middle Ages and was strategically located to defend against potential invaders. This article about geography terminology is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Frederick Douglass Boulevard Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on

168-685: Is currently home to the Polo Grounds Towers housing complex: four 30-story buildings containing a total of 1,616 apartments. The complex was completed on June 30, 1968, and is run by the New York City Housing Authority . Attached to Tower #2 is the Polo Grounds Community Center, run by Children's Village, which hosts such programs as the Polo Grounds Youth Conference. A plaque on the property marks

196-726: Is different from that of the rest of Eighth Avenue. As its name indicates, CPW forms the western edge of Central Park . It also forms the eastern boundary of the Upper West Side . It runs 51 blocks from Columbus Circle (at 59th Street , or Central Park South ) to Frederick Douglass Circle (at 110th Street , or Cathedral Parkway). The gates into Central Park along its western edge are: Merchants Gate at 59th Street, Women's Gate at 72nd, Naturalists Gate at 77th, Hunters Gate at 81st, Mariners Gate at 85th, Gate of All Saints at 96th, Boys Gate at 100th, and Strangers Gate at 106th. Central Park West's expensive housing rivals that of Fifth Avenue on

224-585: Is known as Frederick Douglass Boulevard before merging onto Harlem River Drive north of 155th Street. Eighth Avenue begins in the West Village neighborhood at Abingdon Square (where Hudson Street becomes Eighth Avenue at an intersection with Bleecker Street ) and runs north for 44 blocks through Chelsea , the Garment District , Hell's Kitchen 's east end, Midtown and the Broadway theater district in

252-528: The A , ​ B , ​ C , and ​ D trains in the Upper West Side, runs under Eighth Avenue. MTA Regional Bus Operations primarily operates the following bus routes on the avenue. All routes are uptown unless specified below: The southernmost section is known solely as Eighth Avenue between Abingdon Square and Columbus Circle. This portion of Eighth Avenue has carried traffic one-way northbound since June 6, 1954. Since

280-462: The Harlem River at the Harlem River Drive around West 159th Street. While Central Park West has its own address system , address numbers on Frederick Douglass Boulevard continue as if Central Park West had used Eighth Avenue's numbering system. The corridor along Frederick Douglass Boulevard was rezoned in 2003, allowing for larger residential buildings of greater density, and resulting in

308-630: The New York Yankees shared the Polo Grounds with the Giants for ten seasons ( 1913 – 22 ). For their first 31 years, the football Giants of the National Football League (NFL) played home games at the Polo Grounds ( 1925 – 55 ), then went to Yankee Stadium. After four seasons without a baseball team (1958–1961), the expansion New York Mets were tenants in 1962 and 1963 , then moved to

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336-656: The New-York Historical Society and the American Museum of Natural History . The area from 61st to 97th Streets is included in the Central Park West Historic District . The building located at 55 Central Park West is the infamous "Spook Central" from the movie Ghostbusters . The famed New York City restaurant Tavern on the Green is located off Central Park West, at 66th Street , within

364-535: The Upper East Side . Several notable residences on Central Park West include: According to The New York Times ' s architecture critic Paul Goldberger , the street's buildings, both the new ones like 15 Central Park West and the old ones such as The Century , "fit together the same way the ones in that hypothetical Main Street do, and for the same reason. For more than a hundred years, their architects honor

392-476: The 1990s, the stretch of Eighth Avenue that runs through Greenwich Village and its adjacent Chelsea neighborhood has been a center of the city's gay community, with bars and restaurants catering to gay men. New York City's annual gay pride parade takes place along the Greenwich Village section of Eighth Avenue. Also, along with Times Square , the portion of Eighth Avenue from 42nd Street to 50th Street

420-585: The approximate location of home plate within the demolished ballpark. Coogan's Bluff can be reached via the New York City Subway 's 155th Street station, on the IND Concourse Line ( B and ​ D trains). City bus routes Bx6 , Bx6 SBS , M2 and M10 service the area as well. The Morris-Jumel Mansion , the oldest house in Manhattan still standing (built in 1765 and now

448-457: The avenue also experienced cleanliness issues, and homeless and mentally ill people were prevalent. In addition, due to the sidewalk-widening projects, parts of Eighth Avenue narrow to two lanes in Midtown. North of Columbus Circle, the roadway becomes Central Park West (abbreviated to CPW ). Unlike many Manhattan avenues, CPW has traffic running in two directions, and its address numbering system

476-470: The ballpark was actually situated in Coogan's Hollow, the bottomland between the bluff and the river. The Coogan heirs continued to own the land on which the Polo Grounds stood even though the Giants owned the stadium. This stymied the Giants' efforts to maintain the stadium and was a factor in their decision to move to San Francisco after the 1957 season. Before the opening of the first Yankee Stadium in 1923 ,

504-477: The bluff overlooked the Polo Grounds , a professional sports venue that served as the home ballpark for Major League Baseball 's New York Giants from 1891 until the franchise's move to San Francisco after the 1957 season . Sportswriters commonly used Coogan's Bluff as a sobriquet for the Polo Grounds—as Chavez Ravine refers to Dodger Stadium and China Basin to Oracle Park —although

532-544: The confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, providing an additional layer of defense. The surrounding area eventually became the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . In Ireland , many promontory forts were built by the ancient Celts for defense against invaders. These forts were often located on isolated peninsulas or headlands and were difficult to access, making them ideal for defending against enemy attacks. The ancient town of Ras Bar Balla in southern Somalia

560-421: The construction of condominiums, rental buildings, restaurants, and cafes. Formerly described as having urban blight , it is now gentrified , especially in the restaurants along its route, giving it the nickname "Restaurant Row". This gentrification is partly due to massive city investment. According to The New York Times the demographic too has changed: A 2007–2011 census survey estimated that 61 percent of

588-560: The edge of a landmass , promontories offer a natural defense against enemies, as they are often surrounded by water and difficult to access. Many ancient and modern forts and castles have been built on promontories for this reason. One of the most famous examples of promontory forts is the Citadel of Namur in Belgium. Located at the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, the citadel has been

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616-538: The eponymous neighborhood , before it finally enters Columbus Circle at 59th Street and becomes Central Park West. North of Frederick Douglass Circle , it resumes its Eighth Avenue designation, but is also known as Frederick Douglass Boulevard. The avenue ends north of 155th Street , and merges into the Harlem River Drive . The New York City Subway 's IND Eighth Avenue Line , serving the A , ​ C , and ​ E trains in Lower Manhattan and

644-550: The grounds of Central Park. In 1899, while exiting a streetcar, Henry Bliss was run over by a taxi at CPW and West 74th Street , becoming the first person to be run down and killed by a motor car in the Americas. North of Frederick Douglass Circle at 110th Street in Harlem , it is Frederick Douglass Boulevard , though sometimes still unofficially referred to as Eighth Avenue. Frederick Douglass Boulevard eventually terminates near

672-670: The new Shea Stadium in northern Queens in 1964 . The New York Titans/Jets of the American Football League (AFL) played their first four seasons at the venue ( 1960 – 63 ), then also left for Shea in 1964 . The Bushman Steps, located just west of Coogan's Bluff in Sugar Hill / Hamilton Heights , led from the 155th Street subway station to the Polo Grounds ticket booths; the John T. Brush Stairway, on West 157th Street between St Nicholas Avenue and Edgecombe Avenue, then carried fans

700-498: The rest of the way down to the stadium. The two stairways are the only intact structures that remain from the Polo Grounds era. The Brush Stairway was named in honor of the owner of the Giants franchise from 1890 until his death in 1912. The identity of the namesake of the Bushman Steps has apparently been lost. The 15.15-acre (6.13 ha) hollow, bordered by Frederick Douglass Boulevard , West 155th Street and Harlem River Drive ,

728-426: The unspoken agreement to work together, to line their buildings up with each other and to work in a consistent scale with materials that are compatible." Most of these housing cooperatives were built around 1930, replacing late-19th century hotels with the same names. Some, including The Century, The San Remo, The Majestic, and The El Dorado, are twin towers. Other landmarks and institutions along its length include

756-522: The west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan, though today the name changes twice: At 59th Street/ Columbus Circle , it becomes Central Park West , where it forms the western boundary of Central Park , and north of 110th Street/Frederick Douglass Circle, it

784-403: Was an informal red-light district in the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s before it was controversially renovated into a more family friendly environment under the first mayoral administration of Rudolph Giuliani . The Midtown section of Eighth Avenue was frequented by tourists by the 21st century, and the sidewalks in Midtown were widened to accommodate increased crowds. However, that section of

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