As the carved stone sign on this school building on 78th Street shows, Avenue A—long associated with the East Village—used to exist on the Upper East Side as well. The uptown branch started up again at 53rd Street.
So why the name change? In 1928, most of Avenue A north of 59th Street was renamed York Avenue in honor of World War I hero Alvin York, a Tennessee native awarded the Medal of Honor in 1918.
The portion between 53rd an 59th Street had previously been recast as Sutton Place, after developer Effingham B. Sutton, in the late 19th century.
Here’s more on Alvin York and what he did to win the Medal of Honor.
Tags: Alvin York, Avenue A, Effingham B. Sutton, Sutton Place, Upper East Side, York Avenue, Yorkville
Ephemeral New York 
February 10, 2009 at 5:36 am |
So was the name “Yorkville” not used for the neighborhood until after 1928?
February 10, 2009 at 5:51 am |
Great question. Does anyone know?
February 10, 2009 at 5:59 pm |
i’ve seen ‘yorkville’ on maps from as early as the 1840s.
also, on 3rd ave between 84th and 85th streets, west side, you can see a very old ad painted on the side of an apt building for a store located on avenue A in the 70s.
February 10, 2009 at 6:33 pm |
‘The Epic on NYC’ a Narrative History by Edward Robb Ellis lists “The village of Yorkville held about 100 houses” and this in 1784.
February 10, 2009 at 6:50 pm |
Thanks for the info. According to several New York Times articles, York Avenue was named for Alvin York in 1928. I trust their reporting, though it seems strangely coincidental for York Avenue and Yorkville to have been given the same name in separate centuries. Will look into it further….
February 12, 2009 at 8:52 pm |
i checked this morning, and that ad reads:
some carpet store at “1410 Ave. A Cnr. 75th Str”
February 12, 2009 at 9:08 pm |
What a great find, thanks for checking it out.
August 11, 2014 at 4:17 am |
[…] Lots for sale on 83rd and 84th Streets at Avenues A and B? That’s not a misprint—York Avenue was Avenue A until the 1920s (and some Avenue A signage still exists, like this school address). […]
April 20, 2020 at 5:13 am |
[…] is PS 158 in Yorkville on 77th Street (above in 1920). The cross streets on the school’s facade still say “Avenue A,” the old name for York Avenue. It’s a wonderful […]