Cool Streets

Asylum Lane

Another relic from Morningside’s asylum days is a road colloquially called Asylum Lane — built by original Dutch owner Harmon Vandewater — that cut diagonally across the city. The road stretched roughly from today’s West 111th street, up through West 113rd.

A closer look reveals that the road still influences Morningside’s architecture. For example, as shown in the picture above, the doorway to the Heights Bar and Grill at 111th street is slanted, pointing towards the place where the road would have cut through it. Several other buildings have walls built at angles because of the old street.