420 East 54th Street, 2005

Quick Profile

Sutton Place is usually described with favorable words like charming, cozy, great neighborhood, hidden gem, sanctuary, or even small village inside a big city. Those descriptions aren’t from real estate folks either, they’re from the people that live and work there, so it must be true.

The quiet and upscale neighborhood is more like an enclave. It’s bounded by East 53rd Street to the south, East 59th Street to the North, First Avenue to the west, and the East River to the east. Most residents will tell you that everything you’ll ever need is located in the neighborhood. When it’s time to venture out into the cityscape, Sutton Place is within easy reach to Midtown and cultural attractions like the Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller Center, Central Park and other iconic sites.   

Manhattan has always had notable celebrity residents. But for unknown reasons, Sutton Place has had more than its share of superstars over the years. Some of the more iconic celebs include: Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller, Freddie Mercury, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Crawford, Michael Jackson and sister Latoya (Just for one summer).

Sutton Place is named after Effingham B. Sutton, a shipping merchant and entrepreneur. After hitting it big in the California gold rush, Sutton built brownstones along East 57th and East 58th streets with aspirations of making the section more residential. Poverty and crime dashed his dreams. The street gangs that hung out along the dead-ends and cul-de-sacs added to the neighborhood’s decay. Sutton was about to give up on his development endeavors but the Vanderbilt’s and the Morgan’s showed up in the 1920s and transformed the neighborhood. It soon became a wealthy enclave.