33rd Street (Manhattan)

33rd Street (Manhattan)
Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	33rd Street
Location	Manhattan, New York City
Direction a	West
Terminus a	Riverfront
Direction b	East
Terminus b	East River
Notable	Empire State Building, Koreatown, Herald Square

33rd Street (Manhattan) 33rd Street is a crosstown street on the island of Manhattan in New York City, running from the West Side waterfront across Midtown to the East River. The street traverses neighborhoods associated with Hell's Kitchen, Midtown Manhattan, Koreatown, and the Murray Hill area, and passes major commercial, transportation, and institutional sites. 33rd Street links several urban axes including Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and Park Avenue, and sits amid civic nodes like Herald Square and cultural institutions such as the New York Public Library system branches.

Route and geography

33rd Street extends roughly 1.5 miles roughly west–east between the Hudson River and the East River, crossing Manhattan's numbered grid. The street intersects major thoroughfares including Twelfth Avenue, Eleventh Avenue, Tenth Avenue, Ninth Avenue, Eighth Avenue, Seventh Avenue, Avenue of the Americas, Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, Park Avenue, Lexington Avenue, Third Avenue, Second Avenue, and First Avenue. The topography is flat but interrupted by elevated rail rights and subterranean infrastructure tied to Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal. East of FDR Drive the street meets the East River embankment and waterfront infrastructure associated with East River Park and the United Nations Headquarters district.

History

The parceling of 33rd Street followed the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 that established Manhattan's grid, a plan contemporary with urban developments like Washington Square Park and Union Square. Industrial and commercial uses grew in the 19th century alongside transportation projects such as the Hudson River Railroad and later the New York Central Railroad. The Gilded Age and the Roaring Twenties catalyzed office towers and department store growth in the vicinity of Herald Square and Pennsylvania Station. During the 20th century, real estate booms tied to entities like Macy's and New York Life Insurance Company shaped building typologies. Postwar urban renewal debates involving figures like Robert Moses influenced adjacent highway and park projects, while late 20th-century rezoning and the Clinton Administration-era economic trends encouraged hospitality and residential conversions. In the 21st century, global investment from firms connected to Blackstone Group and international capital flows influenced office redevelopment and preservation campaigns tied to landmarks such as the Empire State Building.

Landmarks and notable buildings

33rd Street hosts and neighbors a range of architectural and institutional landmarks. The street skirts the southern edge of the Empire State Building complex and lies adjacent to Herald Square, home of Macy's Herald Square and the Herald Square urban plaza. Near Park Avenue the corridor abuts the New York Public Library system branches and corporate headquarters once occupied by Vornado Realty Trust holdings. Educational and professional institutions along the route include buildings associated with Baruch College-adjacent campuses and medical facilities connected to Bellevue Hospital Center networks. Hospitality landmarks include historic hotels influenced by developers who worked with firms like Conrad Hotels and Marriott International. Religious architecture and clubhouses reflect congregations and organizations such as The Players (actor's club) and denominational parishes with roots contemporary to St. Patrick's Cathedral expansion patterns. Commercial facades recall department store architecture developed by firms like McKim, Mead & White and 20th-century skyscraper design exemplified by developers connected to Lazard and Cushman & Wakefield.

Transportation

33rd Street sits in a dense transportation matrix integrating rail, subway, bus, and automobile arteries. The street is proximate to major rail hubs including Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal, which link to intercity carriers such as Amtrak and commuter services operated by Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit. Subway lines serving nearby stations include services on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, IND Eighth Avenue Line, IRT Lexington Avenue Line, and BMT Broadway Line, with access points at Penn Station, Herald Square, and adjacent stops that connect to Times Square–42nd Street and Fulton Center transfers. Surface transit along cross streets includes routes operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations, while regional vehicular flows use Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue corridors. Bicycle infrastructure improvements have followed trends promoted by advocacy groups like Transportation Alternatives.

Culture and in popular media

33rd Street and its environs appear in literature, film, and journalism tied to Manhattan's Midtown narratives. Cinematic depictions by directors who worked with studios like Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. have used nearby vistas of the Empire State Building and Koreatown in establishing shots, and authors linked to the New York School and the Beat Generation have set scenes in adjacent neighborhood cafes and club venues. Periodicals such as The New York Times and The Village Voice have chronicled retail transformations around Herald Square and office-market cycles driven by firms like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs. Music videos and television series produced by companies including CBS and NBC have staged exterior scenes on cross streets near 33rd, embedding the corridor in representations of Manhattan urban life.

Category:Streets in Manhattan