Kips Bay, Manhattan - New York Neighborhoods

Kips Bay is a quiet, understated neighborhood in New York, situated between Murray Hill and Gramercy Park on Manhattan's Eastside.  One of the most notable residential properties is the I.M. Pei designed "Kips Bay Towers."  Built in 1961, the complex surrounds a beautiful three-acre garden. Kips Bay is a diverse area, with several medical facilities (including Bellevue Hospital and the Rusk Institute), many ethnic restaurants; and is close to the Midtown Manhattan business district. 

Kips Bay was named for a Dutch settler named Jacobus Henderson Kip, whose farm ran north of 30^th Street to the East River, and around a bay in the river. Kip built a brick and stone home in 1655 near what is now East 35^th Street and Second Avenue, which stood until 1851. As a matter of fact, the only surviving home from the late 18^th/ early 19^th century is a white clapboard house built around 1790. 203 East 29^th Street is one of only a handful of wooden houses that still exist in Manhattan, and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The home is privately owned, and is not open to the public.

Kips Bay, as well as most of Manhattan, played a role in the Revolutionary War.  It was the site of the "Landing at Kips Bay" in October of 1776, which was part of the New York and New Jersey campaign. General William Howe landed at Kips Bay with approximately 4000 British troops near what is now 34^th Street. His forces defeated about 500 militiamen commanded by Colonel William Douglas, which forced the American forces to retreat and allowed the British to take control of New York City.

The neighborhood has developed into a patchwork of residential and commercial construction, with many buildings set back from the street, allowing the raw walls of adjoining properties to show. The most recognizable structure in Kips Bay is the commercial strip mall on Second Avenue between 30^th and 33^rd Streets. This group of stores is referred to as "Kips Bay Plaza," and consists of an AMC/Loews multiplex movie theatre, a Borders bookstore, a Rite-Aid pharmacy, and a Fitness Center.

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