Pomander Walk
Pomander Walk, the little city-within-a-city, stretches from 94th to 95th street, between Broadway and West End Avenue. This pedestrian-only path is named after a play entitled “Pomander Walk”, a romantic comedy written by Thomas J. Healy. The play is set on a small street in Georgian London, in the present day 1910. Ten years later, Healy brought a 200-year lease on the stretch of land known today as Pomander Walk. Healy’s original plan was to build a hotel, but he soon experienced a change of heart, and set in motion the plans to build 27 townhouses facing each other. Healy’s goal was to make Pomander Walk resemble the London stage set in which the play was performed. In the past, there has been much debate as to whether or not this expensive, high-value land on the upper west side should be upgraded to fit modern-day style. However, the upper west side remains resistant to change, as always, and the town houses not only still stand, but have been well taken care of by the city officials: the city has worked hard to preserve the original, quaint, 1920’s style in which the buildings were designed.
