News & Updates in Murray Hill

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.

Celebrate Murray Hill at the Street Festival on June 2!

This year, The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association Street Festival will take place on Saturday, June 2, from 11am to 6pm, on the west side of Park Avenue between 34th and 40th Streets. Live entertainment begins at noon and continues until the fair closes. Our street festivals have always been exceptional occasions for fun, meeting your neighbors and local businesses, learning about Murray Hill, shopping, eating and enjoying the fantastic entertainment and activities.

You can volunteer to help us at the street festival by calling 212-886-5867 or email info@murrayhillnyc.org. You can also donate baked items to the bake table, books and flea market items. Book and flea market donation pickups will take place on May 14 and May 21 starting at 7pm. Register online for pickup: May 14 pickup, May 21 pickup.

We are also seeking Street Festival Sponsors and donors to the Silent Auction and Raffle.

Guidelines for Book Donations
Guidelines for Flea Market Donations
Street Festival Vendor Form
Silent Auction Form
Street Festival Sponsor Letter
Street Festival Flier

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.