Our Silent Auction Donors helped to make the Street Festival a Success!

The Silent Auction was one of the many highlights of The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association’s Street Festival which was held on Saturday, June 2nd. We are very grateful to our donors for their continued generosity and support.  

Photo by Michael-Ann Rowe 

We Hope You Enjoyed the MHNA Street Festival!

Along Park Avenue from 34th to 40th Street, and under mostly clear skies and balmy temperatures, The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association sponsored its annual Street Festival on Saturday, June 2nd. 

Photo: Gallery35 artist John Emmet Connors paints portraits of kids, photo by Michael-Anne Rowe.

Donald Lipski’s Spot installed in front of the new Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital

As a neighbor, I’m proud to have just installed a sculpture in front of NYU’s Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital [in the new Kimmel Pavilion, but with its own driveway and lobby], on 34th Street between 1st Avenue and the FDR Drive.

The sculpture, Spot, is a 2-1/2 story tall Dalmatian dog, balancing an actual taxi on her nose. Spot will be out there for everyone to see, but it was made primarily for children coming to the hospital. Art has healing power. That’s a fact! I like to think that the parents, the doctors and nurses and staff, my neighbors, will all love this sweet young dog doing the impossible.

Young Professionals Networking Group Meet to Learn About Renting vs. Buying in Murray Hill

On April 26, The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association’s Young Professionals Networking Group met at The Lindley, a new luxury condominium building on Third Avenue between 38th and 39th Streets. There was ample time to network and meet neighbors while snacking on hors d’oeuvres and wine. During the event a presentation and discussion focused on the pros and cons of renting versus buying an apartment in New York City, as well as what questions to ask when you are making these important decisions.

For more information on future Young Professionals Networking Group events, please contact co-chairs Ashley Petrylak and Becky Flig at info@murrayhillnyc.org.

Three New Cultural Medallions Honoring Distinguished Murray Hill Residents Are Unveiled

Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, Charles Dana Gibson, and Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn were honored in April in ceremonies unveiling cultural medallions placed on the façades of each of the brownstones where they once resided in Murray Hill. 

To commemorate other illustrious residents who once lived in Murray Hill, the P&D Committee is exploring several names to add to our list of cultural medallion honorees. These include the songwriter, Cole Porter, the architect Marcel Breuer, the playwright Tennessee Williams and the actress Helen Hayes. 

Funding for the research, fabrication of the medallions and the videotaping of the ceremonies comes from individual sponsors, honored building owners and private donations. If you would like to sponsor or contribute to the Medallion Program, please visit our website at www.murrayhillnyc.org and click Donate. Email Susan Demmet at sldemmet@gmail.com when you donate so your contribution can be properly acknowledged, or if you know of a significant person who lived in Murray Hill whom you believe should be nominated for a Cultural Medallion.

MHNA volunteers clean and mulch tree beds along 3rd and 2nd Avenues

The Clean and Green Committee of The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association held its annual mulching and cleanup event on Saturday morning, April 28.

A group of more than a dozen MHNA volunteers met at 9am and were soon joined by about ten energetic individuals from the 30th Street Men’s Shelter. After some brief introductions (and breakfast supplied by Stein Berre of the MHNA) the work began. We cleaned and placed mulch in dozens of tree beds along Second and Third Avenues between 33rd and 38th Streets.

The Big Apple Chorus performed a short set of four-part harmony for the entertainment of volunteers and passers-by. A special thanks goes out to the Men’s Shelter volunteers and to Audris Abreu of New York City Department of Homeless Services for all their help in making this event such a success and to Murray Hill Neighborhood Association volunteers. 

Murray Hill Businesses Meet at the Google Digital Marketing Workshop

Despite the snowy day on March 21, Murray Hill businesses and nonprofits came together for the Google Digital Marketing Workshop. Speaker Angelina Darrisaw, Digital Coach, presented an overview of digital marketing

This event was organized by The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association Business Committee co-chairs, Lilli Seidman Davis and Michael-Ann Rowe, assisted by Business Committee volunteers who helped make this a successful event.

We are grateful to The Henry George School of Social Science for hosting this event in their beautiful space in the landmark Bowdoin Carriage House at 149 East 38th Street. We also thank Bagel Boss Murray Hill, which catered the delicious breakfast.

2017 A Great Year for the Murray Hill Malls on Park Avenue!

In 2017, we experimented with new plantings and are ready to go into 2018 with a more sustainable landscape plan. On the perimeter of each bed, new decorative grasses have been planted that will hold water so that less watering will be necessary. These grasses are perennial and will return each year. At the back of each of the beds, perennial Stella d’Oro and Stella Rubia Lilies have been planted. These lilies are bulbous and store water in their bulbs so that less water is needed to maintain them. In the center of each bed, our seasonal annuals - spring tulips, summer begonias and seasonal chrysanthemums - will be installed. 

The generosity of all who supported us in 2017 is amazing and appreciated. Next year, we hope to have even more people and organizations participating with us. 

'How do you rate Murray Hill?'  – the MHNA’s Annual Survey for 2017

The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association conducted a survey to find out which neighborhood characteristics are most important to the people on our email list and how Murray Hill is doing in these areas.

According to our respondents, the most important neighborhood characteristics are safety, convenience for walking, convenience of public transportation, preservation of its historic buildings, services such as dry cleaners, shoe repair, grocery stores, hair salons, drug stores, etc., clean and well-maintained streets and sidewalks, affordability, a quiet environment and open and green spaces with street trees and flowers.

The good news is that Murray Hill is doing well on 4 of the top 5 characteristics: safety, convenience for walking, convenience of public transportation and neighborhood services.

Do you have a complaint?

Call 311 or post a complaint on the 311 website: www1.nyc.gov/311.

Shop Amazon and support The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association at the same time!

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