Stable Row and the
Geography of Parking Garages in Manhattan

At the turn of the 20th century, horses were a primary provider of motive power and New York City was home to an estimated 74,000 horses and 4,600 stables. The Upper West Side was becoming a fashionable neighborhood of row houses and apartment buildings. Amsterdam Avenue was the area's chief service corridor, which undoubtedly reduced the avenue's desirability for residential purposes compared to the blocks to the east and west. The blocks between Broadway and Amsterdam and West 75th to West 77th streets became the home to a number of stables and the area became known colloquially as "Stable Row." (CPC 2007, Lueck 2006)

As automobiles and trucks replaced horses, many of the Stable Row buildings became garages, were replaced by new garage buildings and/or came to house automobile-associated businesses. City directory listings mapped below show the speedy transformation of stables around Manhattan into parking garages in the first two decades of the 20th century. The 1907 directory (Trow 2007) lists 71 garages and 681 livery stables in Manhattan (58 and 534 of those addresses, respectively, remained geocodable in 2009). By 1926, almost all of the stables were gone, replaced by 394 listings for garages out of 1,355 total listings for auto-related businesses (1,068 were geocodable in 2009). By 2009, an online yellow pages site for NYC (nyc.com 2009) listed 916 unique garages (848 geocodable) in Manhattan, although barren areas may indicate that this listing has significant omissions.

1907

1925

2009

(click thumbnails for larger maps)

In the 1926 listings, there are 47 addresses of garages common with 1907 listing of stables, although the actual number of stables converted into garages may be higher due to street number changes.

As of summer 2009, 23 of the 1907 stable addresses seem to still be in use as parking garages, although there are likely missing addresses from both years and further investigation would be needed to determine exactly which of these buildings are the same.

Although Stable Row remained in some form for over a century, low-rise buildings have been greedily eyed by developers during the sporadic bursts of building activity that afflict the city from time to time (Gray 1987). The "Roaring" 1920s saw the construction of numerous tall residential buildings on the Upper West Side, with notable additions to the stable row area including 2126 Broadway (The Beacon Theatre and Hotel, 1927), 2138 Broadway (1924), 2162 Broadway (Manhattan Towers, 1930), 360 West 77th (1929).

The construction bubble of the early 21st century resembled that of the 1920s and lead to the demise of the 348 Amsterdam (Mason Stables) and everything on West 76th Street for the construction of residential towers and a Jewish Community Center.

A closer look at maps of the Upper West Side indicates that Stable Row may not have been the most dense concentration of stables in the neighborhood. Stables (and, later, garages) were scattered around the neighborhood and a cluster of stables around 66th street between Amsterdam and West End Avenue near the old railyard may have been more significant in terms of numbers of animals. That area (as with a number of stable areas on the lower East Side) was obliterated during urban renewal in the 1950s and 1960s.

1907

1925

2009

(click thumbnails for larger maps)

Stable Row Buildings

The New York Cab Company (318 - 330 Amsterdam at 75th St) is a Romanesque Revival style building designed by C. Abbott French and built between 1888-1890. It originally was one of the numerous stables run by a a firm incorporated in 1884 that provided horse-drawn carriage service using practices later adopted by the auto taxi industry, including fixed fares, badged drivers and yellow-painted carriages. With the coming of both the automobile and the subway in the first decade of the 20th century, the stable was converted to a succession of automotive tenants in 1910. A painted sign for Sheridan Square Motors still existed on the western wall of the building as of 2009. The building was landmarked by the city in 2006 with the finding that the building, "...has a special character, special historical and aesthetic interest and value as part of the development, heritage, and cultural characteristics of New York City" (LPC 2006a).

12/17/2008 03:38 PM New York Cab Company

12/22/2008 12:29 PM New York Cab Company

12/23/2008 12:21 PM New York Cab Company

4/17/2007 01:49 PM Sheridan Sq. Motors wall sign

4/17/2007 01:49 PM Sheridan Sq. Motors sign over 207 West 75th

207 West 75th is an attractive little row house just to the west of the NY Cab Company Building and is listed in the 1907 City Directory as a stable business run by Sarah Abbott. It seems much too small to have housed many animals and may simply have been an office or veterinary facility for the stables next door. Indicative of the changes in the neighborhood at the end of the 20th century, it went from being offices for a veterinarian and a plumber to a high-end tanning salon.

1/22/2008 11:01 AM 207 West 75th

1/22/2008 11:01 AM 207 West 75th

332 Amsterdam (at West 76th Street), in contrast to its neighbor to the south, had a somewhat less attractive pedigree. A 1926 City Directory lists occupants of the site as Hassler NY Co. (auto supplies), Harry J. Dornan (auto supplies), and W.G. Young and Co. (206 West 76th, auto repairs). I recall it being an abandoned service station when I came to the neighborhood in the early 1990s and the lot became the home to a Jewish Community Center in 2000.

2000 332 Amsterdam under construction

8/30/2006 03:07 PM 332 Amsterdam (JCC)

8/30/2006 03:08 PM 332 Amsterdam

210-216 West 76th Street (at the SE corner of Broadway) was listed by the city as being built in 1914 and, therefore, probably was always a garage. However, despite being listed by the city as being built in 1925, 210 West 76th Street is listed in the 1907 City Directory as the home of the West End Stables. The 210 had more ornamentation than the fairly bland 216, which gives some indication that it heralded from an earlier and more elegant period. However, both met the same fate in 2009 when they were demolished to make way for yet another luxury dormitory for rich people.

8/21/2008 03:38 PM 216 West 76th

8/21/2008 03:39 PM 216 West 76th

10/3/2008 05:52 PM West End Stables (210 West 76th)

10/3/2008 05:52 PM West End Stables

10/3/2008 05:53 PM West End Stables

10/3/2008 05:54 PM West End Stables

5/5/2009 03:20 PM 210-216 West 76th after demolition

The Mason / Dakota Stable Building (342 Amsterdam btw 76th and 77th) was commissioned by real estate investor Edmund Coffin, Jr. (1844-1929) and built between 1891 and 1894. The design by Bradford Gilbert (1853-1911) combined Romanesque Revival and Dutch Renaissance Revival elements, and used color and texture rather than ornamentation to provide character. In 1912 it was renamed the Dakota Stables and modified for use as an automobile garage. It was renamed the Pyramid Garage in the 1950s (LPC 2006b).

This Dakota Stables should not be confused with a previous Dakota Stables that is listed in the 1907 City Directory at 210 West 75th Street. That building was demolished in 1911 and ultimately replaced by the Beacon Theatre and Hotel (Gray 1987).

The layout was notable in that it wrapped around the buildings on the corner of 76th street, giving it entrances on 76th Street, 77th Street and Amsterdam. In a common developer tactic, the final owner stripped much of the historic detailing while the building was under consideration for landmark status and, thus, removing the reason for protecting it (Lueck 2006). It was demolished in 2007 and replaced by The Harrison, a pleasant but conventional luxury dormitory for rich people.

1/2/2007 04:31 PM W side Amsterdam btw 76th and 77th St

1/2/2007 04:32 PM 207 West 76th

1/2/2007 04:35 PM 342 Amsterdam

1/2/2007 04:35 PM Mason Stables prior to demolition

1/2/2007 04:39 PM Mason Stables interior

5/1/2007 12:19 PM Mason Stables and 342 Amsterdam demolition

5/1/2007 12:22 PM Mason Stables demolition

7/28/2009 09:29 AM The Harrison, 205 West 76th St

West 77th Street retained much of the service character of the area after its neighbors to the south met the developer's wrecking ball.

7/28/2009 09:28 AM West 77th Street (south side)

7/30/2009 12:47 PM West 77th Street (north side)

203 West 77th Street is listed in the 1907 City Directory as a stable run by Jacob Taylor. City building records list this structure as being built in 1920. The detailing of the building seems to indicate somewhat older vintage, although the height and small footprint would seem to indicate an entirely automotive life.

7/30/2009 12:48 PM 203 West 77th

12/17/2008 03:43 PM Jacob Taylor, 203 West 77th

7/30/2009 12:49 PM 203 West 77th

7/30/2009 12:48 PM 203 West 77th

206 West 77th Street, in contrast to some of its more ornate neighbors, represents an entirely functional aesthetic, which may reflect its 1929 construction date or later modifications.

7/28/2009 09:30 AM 206 West 77th

7/28/2009 09:30 AM 206 West 77th

7/28/2009 09:31 AM 206 West 77th

205 West 77th Street is a firehouse built for Engine Company 74 around 1900. The first fire wagons were likely horse-drawn.

9/7/2009 05:17 PM Engine Company 74 (205 West 77th)

9/7/2009 05:18 PM Engine Company 74 (205 West 77th)

7/30/2009 12:48 PM Engine Company 74 (205 West 77th)

219 West 77th is listed in city records as having been built in 1917. Although the gray coat of paint obscures what might actually be a fairly attractive building, it has likely been a garage for its entire existence.

7/30/2009 12:49 PM 219 West 77th

7/30/2009 12:49 PM 219 West 77th

7/30/2009 12:48 PM 219 West 77th

7/30/2009 12:50 PM 219 West 77th

2182 Broadway wrapped around a corner building, giving it entrances on both Broadway and 77th Street. City building records list it as being constructed in 1926 and it is not listed as a stable or garage address in the 1907 or 1926 City Directories. Given its architecture and its frontage on Broadway (away from the rabble on Amsterdam), it was likely unassociated with the other automotive businesses further to the east.

7/30/2009 12:49 PM 2182 Broadway

7/30/2009 12:49 PM 2182 Broadway

When I returned to NYC for a visit in February 2012, 2182 Broadway was a hole in the ground, awaiting yet another dorm for the bourgeoisie.

2/27/2012 10:58 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 10:59 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 10:59 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:00 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:00 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:00 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:01 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:01 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:01 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:02 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:02 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:03 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:04 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:04 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:06 AM 2182 Broadway

2/27/2012 11:04 AM 78th Street

10/28/2001 12:13 PM 78th Street in simpler times

Claremont Riding Academy (175 West 89th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam) was well north of Stable Row, but deserves mention as an example of what some of the finer stables in the city looked like. It was also the last riding stable in Manhattan, although some stables to service carriage horses survived in the West 30s and 40s.

5/1/2007 12:41 PM Claremont Riding Academy

5/1/2007 12:43 PM Claremont Riding Academy

5/1/2007 12:44 PM Claremont Riding Academy

Data

PDF Scan of NY City Directory 1907 garages

PDF Scan of NY City Directory 1907 stables

PDF Scan of NY City Directory 1925 garages

Shapefile of NY City Directory 1907 garages

Shapefile of NY City Directory 1907 stables

Shapefile of NY City Directory 1925 garages

Shapefile of 1907 stables used as garages in 1926

Shapefile of 1907 stables used as garages in 2009

(Shapefiles are in ESRI format for use with ArcGis or QGis mapping software)

References

City Planning Commission (CPC). 2007. Calendar No. 18. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/cpc/070217.pdf (last accessed 27 August 2009)

Gray, Christopher. 1987. Streetscapes: The Dakota Stables. New York Times, 24 May. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEFDD133AF937A15756C0A961948260 (last accessed 27 August 2009)

Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). 2006a. New-York Cab Company Stable, Designation list 382, LP-2209. http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/NYCabCo.pdf (last accessed 27 August 2009)

Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). 2006b. Mason Stable Building. http://www.landmarkwest.org/.../Stables/LPC%20Dakota%20Stable%20Building.pdf

Lueck, Thomas J. 2006. Former Stables on the Upper West Side Get Opposite Verdicts on Landmark Status. New York Times, 15 November. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/15/nyregion/15stables.html

NYC Department of City Planning (DCP). 2007. MapPLUTO (geographic data). http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/applbyte.shtml (last accessed 27 August 2009)

nyc.com. 2009. Yellow Pages, Parking Garages. http://www.nyc.com/search/find.aspx?secid=24&name=parking+garage (last accessed 27 August 2009).

Trow Business Directory. 1907. New York City, "Garages".

Trow Business Directory. 1907. New York City, "Stables, Livery".

Phillips Business Directory. 1926. New York City (various listings for automotive-related businesses).

Last update 10 September, 2009