4. There used to be an elevated railway next to Morningside Park

9th Avenue Elevated subway line
Photo from Library of Congress

The IRT Ninth Avenue Line was the first elevated railway in Manhattan. Originally called the West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway, the cable-powered elevated railway extended from South Ferry up to the southern Bronx. A portion of this elevated rail line, which originally extended from just Battery Place to Cortlandt Street, was added in the late 1870s, extending from 104th Street and Columbus Avenue. The line traveled east on 110th Street and north up Eighth Avenue to 125th Street.

At 110th Street, next to Morningside Park, was a notable curve that was the highest ever built, standing at 100 feet above street level. It curved 90 degrees from Ninth Avenue onto 110th Street. Despite its architectural feat, it was nicknamed “Suicide Curve” because many people would jump to their deaths from there. The line ceased operations on June 11, 1940.