On the East side of 91st Street and Third Avenue in a sub-neighborhood of the Upper East Side known as Yorkville, there is a large white fence blocking vehicular traffic from driving between Second and Third Avenue. It has been this way since the late 1960s when construction of the massive identical brown brick buildings that face each other, first began. Before the developer was given the right to build on this street, the land belonged to a beer company named the Ruppert Beer Company, hence the name Ruppert Yorkville towers. Prior to construction, this was an open street, no different from any other. However, the history of how East 91st Street between Second and Third Avenue came to be is one that does in fact differ from all other streets. I had the pleasure of speaking with Rita Popper – a long-time resident of this street and a member of Manhattan’s Community Board 8 which runs from the North side of 59th street to the South side of 96th street … from the East River to Central Park – including Roosevelt Island.
Rita Popper was, like me, curious about the history of this unique block, so she researched; in fact she spent years researching. She told me that the original plan for this street was for a 90 story building and a high school that was going to be built across 91st street and therefore (because of the high school) the street would be closed to vehicular traffic. A street like this, a block with no through-traffic, like Lincoln center or Times Square, was dubbed “a super street.” And this is what this street was going to be as the high school was going to lay across the street. Plans change. Popper never found out exactly how the plans changed. She said that obviously money motivates most changes in development BUT the important thing here is that they never, even after eliminating the plan for a high school, changed the plan to close the street.
Popper and her colleague searched for around three years to find out how the street remained closed, she said “ I can’t even begin to tell you where we went.” In her quest for answers she met with a man who had worked at the Manhattan Borough President’s office at the time of the closing of the street and he said that this decision was done “on a handshake.” Popper told me “so the street was closed and paved with what they call pavers and that is how East 91st Street was born.”
The street is not officially “closed off”; the government does in fact own the street. If it were privately owned, that would mean the owner of the apartment buildings on the block would be responsible for the street. For a while there was no official ordinance protecting the carless oasis and because of this, Rita Popper and the late David Rosenstein were very nervous when the waste management plant was being built nearby. The prospect of the city sending garbage trucks up and down the street was, understandably, upsetting to them. So they decided to do something about it. The two co-chaired a Task Force called the “91st Street De-mapping Task Force” Manhattan Community Board 8 states its purpose to be:
“The 91st Street De-mapping Task Force was formed, pursuant to a September 2014 resolution of CB8M, to find a way via demapping or other mechanism, to protect the pedestrian mall on 91st St. between Second-Third Avenues, closed to traffic since the mid-1970s as part of a Large Scale Residential Development approved by the City Planning Commission in 1971 with boundaries coincident with the Ruppert Brewery Urban Renewal Area, from ever being reopened as a city street.”
They went to the Parks Department and it took them four years and it was “a lot of work” and it required lots of documents and paperwork; not to worry because Popper and Rosenstein were well-equipped to work around the many obstacles often encountered in our not-so-efficient Federal government. “ It took a lot of paperwork and trust me we had it.” Their efforts were successful, the street was declared a pedestrian plaza; with this new designation, the street now had an official name and some protections. But Popper says not to be overly giddy as “ this does not mean it can’t be taken back, but at least it gives it an official name.” An article reporting on the new public plaza designation said something quite similar to what Popper told me:
“Although the street has been protected from traffic for decades, it was never officially de-mapped by the city Department of Transportation. Because the street was still treated like any other, there was always a risk that cars could one day return. The plaza designation does not mean the street will be de-mapped by the city, but will further protect against the return of cars.”
In the late 1980s , there were efforts to name the street after James Cagney, an oscar-winning actor known for his role as George M. Cohan in the iconic Academy Award winning film “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Cagney did not in fact live on this exact street but he did live nearby and thus the street was named James Cagney place and a monument was built at the midpoint between Second and Third Avenue paying homage. In 1991 there was an official ceremony unveiling this tribute to the late actor. Attendees at the ceremony included heavyweight champion Floyd Paterson, Mayor David Dinkins, and actress Mary Tyler Moore. City Councilman Robert Dryfoos, who proposed the name change, stated: “ James Cagney was a very special person who grew up in this neighborhood… He was a rags-to-riches story who never forgot the New York City streets he came from.” The new name and monument also served as a preventive measure against the government opening the street to cars.
Despite being public property, it is a city street that government agencies ignore. The Department of Transportation does not collect garbage from the many trash cans on the street, the owner of these buildings empties the trash. Essentially, the city does not do much for the street. Even though the city owns the street, the maintenance and upkeep is paid for privately. Most recently, there was a leak at the top of the street and the DOT covered the whole area in black tar. It stuck out like a sore thumb next to the brick pavers that fill the rest of the street. The DOT would not pay to replace the pavers so the condominium board paid to have the street fixed even though they do not own it.
The three buildings on the street are a dark brick color that were government subsidized affordable housing, part of a program called Mitchell Lama. The developer got permission to build here in 1968 and the Board of Estimate (which according to Popper does not know how to add or subtract) said that the developer had to provide 40 years of affordable housing, meaning they could go market rate in 2008. The year 2008 is 40 years from 1968, however, the landlord did not walk out of court and immediately open the building, it took him until 1975 to open the buildings. So, as one can see, the buildings were not available for 40 years. The Tenants Association, currently headed by Popper, “have taken everyone to court” but to no avail; the courts said that it was written as 1968 to 2008 and could not be changed. Furthermore, they took no responsibility for “the lack of arithmetic skills.” There was, however, some success: Popper was able to save the residents of the Knickerbocker Tower their apartments for 10 years. Essentially, the original developer was not a great guy. Seven years, from 1968 to 1975, is a long time to construct an apartment building… It is important to note that any building opened before December 31 of 1973 was rent-stabilized and the owner, who started construction in 1968, made sure to open after 1973 thus giving him complete control over the building.
Popper has been a champion for this street (aka pedestrian plaza) for many years, in fact she was one of the first people living here; September 26th marked her 47th year living here. She has seen much change, but not all change has been welcomed. In recent years Citi Bikes have popped up all around the city; many people love these new and cost-effective bikes but their massive docking stations have left many concerned. The DOT insisted that a Citi Bike dock be placed in the pedestrian plaza but Popper and many others were vehemently against it because, adding the bike dock here would mean an inevitable increase in bike traffic going straight through the block, possibly endangering the residents, specifically young children who play up and down the street. Popper opposed the addition of the bike dock and was met with fierce pushback from the DOT. They said that if she did not allow the Citi Bikes to be there they would open up the whole street. Left with no other option, Popper obliged. She told me “ …so I gave up the bike dock to save the street.”
Despite the bureaucratic complexities the street carries with it – it is still an oasis of community and togetherness. Up until the 2020 pandemic there were community events such as art, music, and even movie festivals. There was even an activities director whose job was sadly terminated during the pandemic as it was no longer safe to have large gatherings on the street and the job had become obsolete. While the pandemic left the street eventless, it did provide a much needed outdoor escape for many during the lockdown. Many took to the street to exercise during the pandemic, they brought with them their equipment like barbells and yoga mats. The street was never not used during the pandemic. Luckily things are starting to come back. As per the many posters taped to lamp posts all around the Upper East Side, there will be a celebration of art and crafts on James Cagney place on October, 15th.
This street and its community means so much to so many and has shaped so much of my life. I first arrived in the neighborhood in 2006, when my newly-single mother needed a safe place to settle down with her six-month-old baby. My mom and I lived on 95th and Third, up until I was about three-years-old. My Mom began looking for a new place because as I grew, the one bedroom apartment we shared became quite cramped. She loved the neighborhood, especially because she works on 90th and Park and has the luxury of a two-minute commute. She looked for an affordable two bedroom apartment in our current neighborhood. She toured many apartments but when she saw our current building something was different. On this block, on opposite sides of the street, the two identical 40 story buildings face each other and in between them is the street open only to pedestrians: James Cagney Place. This is every parents’ dream. Not to mention, there is a playground at the end of the block. This street has been a staple of my childhood; it is constantly filled with residents of the Yorkville neighborhood, especially on snowy days when sledding is the only logical pastime. The street is always lively and more often than not there are celebratory gatherings right in front of the entrance to my building! I have seen everything from children’s birthday parties, to Halloween parties to bark-mitzvahs (the celebration of a Jewish dog’s 13th birthday). If one was to randomly walk by, they would most definitely see at least one group of senior citizens chatting on a bench, at least seven or eight dogs, a child on a scooter, and smiles!
The brick street has always been a place where I could take my scooter, sled, or bike and have endless hours of fun. As time passes, and I get older, I use the street less and less. I went from stroller to bike to now not really going at all. It makes me sad to think about, almost like the giving tree by Shel Silverstein, it gave me years of fun and introduced both my mother and me to lifelong friends, yet now we barely spend time there at all. I am forever grateful for the years of fun and friendship James Cagney Place has given me.
