125th Street (Manhattan)

Coordinates: 40°48′39″N 73°57′09″W / 40.8108°N 73.9526°W / 40.8108; -73.9526

West 125th looking from Broadway to the Hudson River

125th Street is a two-way street that runs east-west in the New York City borough of Manhattan, considered the "Main Street" of Harlem; It is also called Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

Neighborhoods

Christmas shopping on 125th Street

125th Street between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue

The western part of the street runs diagonally between the neighborhoods of Manhattanville and Morningside Heights from the north-west from an interchange with the Henry Hudson Parkway at 130th Street. East of Morningside Avenue it runs east-west through central Harlem to an interchange with F.D.R. Drive by the East River, where it becomes the Manhattan leg of the RFK-Triborough Bridge. Many sections of the street have been gentrified and developed with such stores as MAC Cosmetics, Old Navy, H&M, CVS/pharmacy, and Magic Johnson Theaters. The historic Apollo Theater is here. In collaboration with the community, the city has developed a plan for the 125th Street corridor focusing on reinforcing and building upon its strengths as an arts and cultural corridor.^[1]

West of Convent Avenue, 125th Street was re-routed onto the old Manhattan Avenue. The original 125th Street west of Convent Avenue was swallowed up to make the super-blocks where the low income housing projects now exist. What remains of the original alignment of 125th Street is called La Salle Street, which runs between Amsterdam Avenue and Claremont Avenue.

A proposal to convert the street into a Trans-Harlem Expressway died when funds were diverted from the proposed 125th Street Hudson River bridge.

Fault line

A rift in the crust runs along underneath this street and is known as the 125th Street Fault. The fault line creates a fault valley deep enough to require the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line to become a trestle bridge between 122nd and 135th Streets. The street in the 18th century was called The Hollow Way.

Public transportation

The following New York City Subway stations are located at 125th Street (west to east):

• 125th Street at Broadway serving the 1 train
• 125th Street at St. Nicholas Avenue serving the A B C D trains
• 125th Street at Lenox Avenue serving the 2 3 trains
• 125th Street at Lexington Avenue serving the 4 5 6 <6> trains

Metro-North Railroad's Harlem – 125th Street commuter station is also on 125th Street, at Park Avenue.

Notable occupants

55 West 125th where Bill Clinton has his office

As of 2011, former president Bill Clinton maintains an office on 125th Street.^[2][3]

• The intersection of 125th and Lexington Avenue is the location where Lou Reed buys heroin on the Velvet Underground's I'm Waiting for the Man from their seminal 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico.^[4]

Notes

1. ^ New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) 125th Street project
2. ^ http://www.dnainfo.com/20101108/harlem/bill-clinton-renews-lease-on-harlem-office-space
3. ^ Leonard, Tom. "Harlem's identity under threat from developers", The Telegraph, March 16, 2008. Accessed April 8, 2008. "Harlem has seen rapid gentrification since the late 1990s and 125th Street - included last year in a list of America's 10 greatest streets - is now home to Bill Clinton's office."
4. ^ The Velvet Underground, "I'm Waiting for the Man", The Velvet Underground & Nico, Verve, 1967.