Riverside-West End Historic District

The Riverside West End Historic District serves as a preserved record of how the Upper West Side transformed from a rural landscape into a dense urban enclave. During the late nineteenth century, the area began to fill with speculatively built row houses and mansions. As the subway reached the neighborhood, these smaller buildings were rapidly demolished to make way for grand high-rise apartment houses. This shift created the distinct street wall you see today, where large apartment buildings line the primary avenues while smaller remnants of earlier residential life remain tucked away on the side streets.