The Manhattan address algorithm is a series of formulas used to estimate the closest east–west cross street for building numbers on north–south avenues in the New York City borough of Manhattan.
Algorithm To find the approximate number of the closest cross street, divide the building number by a divisor (generally 20) and add (or subtract) the "tricky number" from the table below: Street/Avenue Building Divisor Tricky (unrounded result) Avenue A All Avenue B All Avenue C All Avenue D All 1st Avenue All 2nd Avenue All 3rd Avenue All 4th Avenue All 5th Avenue 63–108 14.15–16.4 5th Avenue 109–199 18.45–23 5th Avenue 200–399 26.05–36 5th Avenue 400–599 38.05–48 5th Avenue 600–774 50.05–58.75 5th Avenue 775–1286 59.6–110.6 5th Avenue 1287–1499 110–120 5th Avenue Above 1500 124+ 6th Avenue / Avenue of the Americas All 7th Avenue 1–1800 12.05–102 7th Avenue Above 1800 110+ 8th Avenue All 9th Avenue All 10th Avenue All 11th Avenue All Amsterdam Avenue All Audubon Avenue All Columbus Avenue All Broadway 1–754 (few numbered streets south of 8th)Broadway 756–846 8.8–13.3Broadway 847–953 17.35–22.65Broadway Above 953 16.65+Central Park West All Convent Avenue All East End Avenue All Edgecombe Avenue All Ft. Washington Avenue All Lenox Avenue All Lexington Avenue All Madison Avenue All Manhattan Avenue All Park Avenue All Park Avenue South All Pleasant Avenue All Riverside Drive 1–567 72.1–128.7Riverside Drive Above 567 134.7+St. Nicholas Avenue All Vanderbilt Avenue All Wadsworth Avenue All West End Avenue All York Avenue All For the north–south avenues, there are typically 20 address numbers between consecutive east–west streets (10 on either side of the avenue). A standard land lot on each avenue was originally 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, and there is about between each pair of east–west streets, for ten land lots between each pair of streets.Morris, Gouverneur, De Witt, Simeon, and Rutherford, John (March 1811) "Remarks Of The Commissioners For Laying Out Streets And Roads In The City Of New York, Under The Act Of April 3, 1807". Accessed May 7, 2008. The exceptions are Riverside Drive, as well as Fifth Avenue and Central Park West between 59th and 110th streets, which use a divisor of 10. These avenues all have buildings only on one side of the street, with a park on the other side.For a map of address numbers, see:
The "tricky number" often corresponds to a street near the southern end of the avenue. There are some notable exceptions:
York Avenue address numbers are continuations of Avenue A address numbers, since the avenue was originally called Avenue A. East End Avenue address numbers are continuations of Avenue B address numbers, since the avenue was originally called Avenue B. Sixth Avenue and Broadway start south of Houston Street, the southern boundary of the Manhattan street numbering system. Although Park Avenue's southern terminus is at 32nd Street, a homeowner at 34th Street wanted the address "1 Park Avenue" (this was later changed).
Examples For example, if you are at 62 Avenue B, , then add the "tricky number" to give . The nearest cross street to 62 Avenue B is East 6th Street.
If you are at 78 Riverside Drive, , then add the "tricky number" to give . The nearest cross street to 78 Riverside Drive is West 80th Street.
If you are at 501 5th Avenue, , then add the "tricky number" to give . The nearest cross street to 501 5th Avenue is actually 42nd Street, not 43rd Street, as the Manhattan address algorithm only gives approximate answers.
See also List of numbered streets in Manhattan Numbered street
References