UPTOWNflavor

Museum of the City of New York, top; Konrad Fiedler for The New York Times

Back in March the blogger behind Harlem: Bespoke wrote a post about the history of Saint Nicholas Avenue that was then known as Harlem Lane. The New York Times has expanded on his post and written a full article about the history of the former carriage road in the Streetscapes section. Writer Christopher Gray says:

THE carriage trade made St. Nicholas Avenue one of the best addresses in Upper Manhattan. Its broad boulevard, administered by the Department of Parks, was a natural resort for the gentry and their fine horses and rigs. But after the automobile pushed aside the fast trotters, St. Nicholas was just an internal combustion highway, and two peculiar sets of houses at 146th Street demonstrate the highs and lows of this unusual street. 

Coincidentally, one of the real gems of the bustling boulevard is up for sale. The Bailey House (of Barnum & Bailey Circus) has been on the market since last year and has even dropped the price from $10 million to $6.5 milliion to try to lure billionaires into buying the historic and stately mansion that still retains many of its original details.  You can view photos of the interior views from the Bailey House on the Harlem Hybrid blog.