In 2019, Northwell Health announced plans to renovate and expand Lenox Hill Hospital by
building the tallest hospital in New York City on the existing site. To fund this multibillion-dollar project, Northwell planned to sell the corner lot on Park Avenue and 76th Street to a residential developer to build a 45-story condominium tower.
This proposal came as a shock to our community which promptly organized to oppose it. The Committee to Protect Our Lenox Hill Neighborhood (CPOLHN) was founded by neighbors outraged at the scale of these plans and at Northwell’s disregard for the historic character of our neighborhood. We recruited coops and condos, private buildings, local stores and dedicated individuals to lend their support and donations to the fight. We hired health care advisors, zoning experts, urban planners, attorneys, and PR professionals to build our opposition. We reached out to external civic groups including landmarks preservation
organizations, health equity proponents and many others. We engaged with local officials at
Community Board 8, our Council Member Keith Powers, then Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and many others at the City and State level to build a wall of opposition. We
participated in the Lenox Hill Task Force convened by Borough President Brewer and Council Member Powers to debate the plan, which after several meetings adjourned due to the emergence of Covid-19.
As a result of our efforts and press coverage, Northwell withdrew their plans to build a
residential tower and submitted revised plans for the hospital.
Unfortunately, the updated plan still involves a height and zoning density comparable to the
largest midtown Manhattan office buildings—unheard of in any residential neighborhood. Our voices were heard in 2020 and will be heard again now with your support.
Our board of directors includes representatives from the following residential buildings:
- 151 East 79th Street
- 885 Park Avenue
- 875 Park Avenue
- 860 Park Avenue
- 850 Park Avenue
- 840 Park Avenue
- 830 Park Avenue
- 136 East 76th Street
- 812 Park Avenue
- 136 East 79th Street
Our history
Who We Are
We are a group of neighbors in Lenox Hill, Manhattan who are deeply concerned about the adverse impact of the proposed Lenox Hill Hospital redevelopment plan. We have joined
together to publicly oppose the proposed project and to ask Northwell Hospital to redesign it by fully considering the impact of the redevelopment on our community.
Our Mission Statement
We are neighbors in Lenox Hill who have come together to protect and promote the unique residential nature and historical character of our neighborhood. We will work together to
ensure that necessary improvements and proposed developments are planned in a harmonious way, respecting the special character of Lenox Hill, and safeguarding the safety, health, and well-being of our families, all residents of the neighborhood, and the public.
For information to become a member, please contact sreckler@savelenoxhill.org.
lenox hill
About Us
of land reaching from Fifth to Fourth (now Park) Avenues and from East 74 th to 68 th Streets which became known as Lenox Farm. Robert’s son James Lenox divided most of the farm into lots and sold them during the 1860s and 70s, donating several lots to the Union Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian Hospital. He built the Lenox Library on a full block-front of Fifth Avenue, now the site of the Frick Collection. (Source: Wikipedia)
The Encyclopedia of New York City defines the Lenox Hill neighborhood as the area between 60th Street and 77th Street, from Fifth Avenue on the west to Lexington Avenue on the east. Today, residents see the boundaries differently, as the Lenox Hill post office and the neighborhood's service-oriented retail shops are located east of Lexington Avenue.
About the Historic Lenox Hill Neighborhood
Lenox Hill is a residential neighborhood on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that sits within the Upper East Side Historic District, as designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The neighborhood is named for the hill that once stood at present-day 70 th Street and Park Avenue. Scottish immigrant and merchant Robert Lenox (1759-1839) owned about 30 acres of land reaching from Fifth to Fourth (now Park) Avenues and from East 74 th to 68 th Streets which became known as Lenox Farm. Robert’s son James Lenox divided most of the farm into lots and sold them during the 1860s and 70s, donating several lots to the Union Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian Hospital. He built the Lenox Library on a full block-front of Fifth Avenue, now the site of the Frick Collection. (Source: Wikipedia)
The Encyclopedia of New York City defines the Lenox Hill neighborhood as the area between 60th Street and 77th Street, from Fifth Avenue on the west to Lexington Avenue on the east. Today, residents see the boundaries differently, as the Lenox Hill post office and the neighborhood's service-oriented retail shops are located east of Lexington Avenue.
Lenox Hill is a residential neighborhood on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that sits within the Upper East Side Historic District, as designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The neighborhood is named for the hill that once stood at present-day 70 th Street and Park Avenue. Scottish immigrant and merchant Robert Lenox (1759-1839) owned about 30 acres
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