Carnegie Hill Historic District

The Carnegie Hill Historic District takes its name from the industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who defied the social conventions of his time by building his home here in 1902. While his wealthy peers clustered much further south, Carnegie intentionally chose this site on 91st Street to secure a massive plot of land that allowed him to build a private garden, a feature that was virtually unheard of in Manhattan at the time. His move to what was then known as Prospect Hill turned this once modest, semi-rural community into a center of gravity for the city's elite. As he intended, his arrival catalyzed a wave of development, drawing other wealthy families and architects to the area and forever altering the neighborhood's character.