Duffy's Hill facts for kids
Duffy's Hill is a steep hill in New York City. You can find it on Lexington Avenue in the East Harlem area of Manhattan. It's located between 102nd and 103rd Streets.
The hill is named after Michael James Duffy. He was an important local politician, an Alderman, connected to a group called Tammany Hall. In 1894, he spent a lot of money to build 26 rowhouses. These homes were on the south side of 101st Street. He kept building more homes up to 104th Street. This part of the city was even called "Duffyville" for a while!
What Makes Duffy's Hill Special?
Duffy's Hill has always been a challenging spot for transportation. By 1897, cable cars had trouble here. They had to speed up and slow down very quickly because of the steep slope.
A Steep Challenge for Vehicles
Later, in 1937, the New York Railways Corporation had to place a guard at the bottom of the hill. This guard was there 24 hours a day! Their job was to watch for any problems with streetcars on the hill. The hill was so steep that Lexington Avenue buses would sometimes take a different route. They would go onto Park Avenue just to avoid the hill.
How Steep Is It?
The National Board of Fire Underwriters once measured the slope of Lexington Avenue. They found it had a grade of 12.6%. This made it the steepest street in any "important locality" in Manhattan. At the very bottom of Duffy's Hill, you can find the entrances to the 103rd Street subway station. This station is served by the 6 <6> trains trains.
