Tuesday, September 1, 2026 – Manhattan Streets: Always an Adventure

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A Walk on Park Avenue (south)

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Ephemeral New York

Judith Berdy

Issue # 1741

I was walking up Park Avenue from 33rd Street to 37th and discovered some sites that interested me on this warm, humid and damp morning. On the corner of 35th Street this plaque commemorates the farm named Inclenberg owned by Robert and his wife Mary Murray.

Where in colonial Manhattan was Inclenberg?

The only thing marking it is a bronze plaque discreetly affixed to an apartment building on Park Avenue and 35th Street in today’s Murray Hill.

But in the 1750s, with New York City concentrated far downtown, this was the center of a 29-acre hilltop estate known as Belmont or Inclenberg, the latter also lending its name to the surrounding area.

According to this account, Inclenberg was absolutely lovely.

“A magnificent place altogether was Inclenberg . . . approached by an avenue of magnolias, elms, spruce and Lombardy poplars . . . the spacious, two-story mansion had a broad veranda extending around three sides, and . . . front windows commanding a view of Kip’s Bay and the East River.”

It was the home of prosperous businessman Robert Murray and his wife, Mary Lindley Murray, who entertained the city’s elite there, including George Washington.

Hosting Washington wasn’t Inclenberg’s only brush with Revolutionary War–era notoriety.

Legend has it that in 1776, Mary Lindley Murray—who, unlike her secret Loyalist husband, was a fierce supporter of American freedom—supposedly used tea, cake, and female charm to helped the Patriots escape the British army.

“When Gen. William Howe crossed the East River from Long Island in 1776, pursuing Washington’s troops and attacking New York City, Mrs. Murray and her daughters invited General Howe and his officers to tea,” states a 1999 New York Times article.

“They accepted and were detained long enough to allow Washington and his troops to escape.”

The Murrays died by the turn of the 19th century; their mansion burned down in 1835. The neighborhood and its once-formidable hill carry their name—while Inclenberg has been almost forgotten.

A New Look for Building Canopies

NY TIMES (c)

Since the weather was dark and raining, I have used the NYTimes images.

By Tim McKeough

If you notice walkers slowing down in front of 41 Park Avenue in Manhattan, and wonder why, just look up.

Sheltering the sidewalk is a fabric entrance canopy printed on top and bottom with a graphic treatment by Ara Starck, the Paris-born, New York-based artist. Seen from below, the work, named Stonehenge Stellaris, offers a surreal take on the heavens — an abstract map of Manhattan depicting Stonehenge NYC’s 23 rental buildings as constellations, where your location is indicated by a company logo. The top of the canopy, viewable from apartments above, depicts leafy branches that blossom into human hands.

“The awning is very important because it’s the first thing that greets you and then the last thing you see when you leave,” said Ms. Starck, a daughter of the high-profile designer Philippe Starck.

“I’m not the type of painter who thinks that art should be in a gallery,” added Ms. Starck, who has painted expansive ceilings in hotels designed by her father, including Le Meurice in Paris and SLS South Beach in Miami Beach. “The more I can go outside the frame, or even outside on the street, the happier I am.”

The side entrance to the UNION LEAGUE CLUB enhances Park Avenue

Time for a light lunch. Scandinavia House has a delightful cafe with a great snack to full meal menu.

Interesting mural on the corner of 50 Street and Vernon Blvd.

CREDITS

NY TIMES
EPHEMERAL NEW YORK
Judith Berdy

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
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