Turtle Bay Real Estate Article from The WSJ

Turtle Bay is a great section of Manhattan. There is a lot more going on there than the UN! Check out the WSJ article to learn about the housing stock and quality of life.

By SUSHIL CHEEMA

Ramin Talaie for The Wall Street Journal

Shops and restaurants occupy the first floors of buildings along East 53rd Street in Turtle Bay.

Nestled between Midtown Manhattan and the East River is the upscale enclave of Turtle Bay, home to the United Nations, soaring high-rise buildings and handsome brownstones.

If You’re Browsing This Weekend . . .

First settled in 1639, the area was an important point of shipbuilding through the 18th century. Brownstones popped up after the Civil War, and the bay, home to railroad piers and wharfs, was filled in and developed by the end of the 1860s, according to the Turtle Bay Association.

Tenements housed Italian, German, Irish and Jewish immigrants. By the 1920s, the neighborhood became fashionable and notables like actress Katherine Hepburn would call Turtle Bay home.

The origin of the neighborhood’s name is debated: Some say there were once turtles in a creek that ran through the area, but others say it came from a corruption of the Dutch word “deutal,” or “a bent blade,” used to describe the bay’s shape.

Construction of the U.N. building in the late 1940s pushed out area slaughterhouses and attracted diplomatic missions and consulates and high-rise buildings. They include the Veneto, a 34-story tower, with 137 residences, and the 72-story Trump World Tower condominiums.

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Ramin Talaie for the Wall Street Journal

A pub on Second Avenue displays its location.

While some locals have long been drawn to the area because of its central location and easy access to the shopping, entertainment and dining of Midtown, investors and second-home buyers are increasingly calling Turtle Bay home.

Foreign buyers also like to be near theaters and shopping, but want a more residential feel, says Jacky Teplitzky of Prudential Douglas Elliman, who has worked with international clients.

“Most of [Manhattan's] hotels are located actually in Midtown and the East Side,” she says. “A lot of these tourists, when they come over, that’s what they know.”

Parks: Large green space is hard to come by in Turtle Bay, but small pockets do exist.

Tudor City, a cluster of 11 apartment buildings that is practically a neighborhood in itself, was built in the 1920s and has a park and adjacent public playgrounds. Ralph J. Bunche Park, opposite the U.N., has been the site of many demonstrations.

Dag Hammarskjold Plaza Park serves as a promenade for the U.N. and is home to Katherine Hepburn Garden. Greenacre Park has a 25-foot waterfall.

Schools: Turtle Bay’s schools, part of District 2, include the commercial-arts-focused High School of Art and Design.

In 2009, 92.6% of students in District 2 received a proficient score on the math exam, and 85.8% of students received a proficient score on the English Language Arts exam. In 2006, the results were 78.5% for math and 73.8% for reading.

Private schools include the Lyceum Kennedy French International School, with students in pre-kindergarten through 11th grade, which specializes in bilingual French-English education. Beekman School, a college-preparatory high school, is also in Turtle Bay.

Dining: The northern end of Turtle Bay along 53rd Street is home to a variety of restaurants and bars, including Little Thai Kitchen, Cello Wine Bar, La Gioconda, Brick Lane Curry House, Mantao Chinese Sandwiches and Obao Noodles & BBQ. Also try Traffic, with bars on two levels. For a more relaxed atmosphere, try Güllüoğlu, a Turkish bakery and café.

Posted via email from Rich Bouchner – Neighborhood Real Estate Guy