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Get to know Hamilton Heights

Long before his surname became synonymous with a multiple-time award-winning cultural sensation, Alexander Hamilton lived in Upper Manhattan near modern-day 143rd Street between Amsterdam and Convent Avenues. He only lived there for two years, but his old house — the Hamilton Grange National Memorial — remains preserved in St. Nicholas Park, an indelible part of Hamilton Heights. However, the namesake isn’t the only thing that’s historical about the neighborhood. The Hamilton Heights Historic District consists of buildings exemplifying Queen Anne, Romanesque, and Beaux-Arts styles. The City College of New York’s campus also sits within the neighborhood’s borders and flaunts striking Collegiate Gothic structures. Modern housing along the hilly, tree-lined blocks of Hamilton Heights is a mix of apartment buildings, brownstones, and row houses. Multiple subway lines stopping along Broadway and St. Nicholas Avenue make Hamilton Heights a stately retreat within Manhattan, offering opportunities to explore the farthest reaches of the borough’s bounds.

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Hamilton Heights Commerce & Culture

Alexander may get naming rights, but Hamilton Heights has been home to countless other greats recognizable on last name alone, from Belafonte to Gershwin to Rockwell. Hamilton Heights, itself part of the greater “West Harlem” area, contains the subsection of Sugar Hill. Recognized as a National Historic District, Sugar Hill is immortalized in the lyrics of the jazz standard “Take the ‘A’ Train,” a number often performed by another notable resident of the area, Duke Ellington. It’s also got a set of significant buildings, including some eye-catching Queen Anne homes. Riverbank State Park is one of the few state parks in Manhattan and provides waterfront vistas across its acreage, along with an Olympic-size swimming pool and a rink for roller or ice skating. Food falls into the diverse set one comes to expect in NYC, meaning you’re covered for pub fare, pasta, or sushi — and close to numerous exciting eateries.