Lexington Avenue & East 56th Street

Lexington Avenue and East 56th Street meet at a four-way crossing in East Midtown-Turtle Bay, Manhattan. Between 2021 and 2025, 13 police-reported crashes were recorded here, against a median of ten crashes for a Manhattan corner. Mary Hale Cunningham House, one of five Individual Landmarks within 820 feet, stands 380 feet away. The nearest subway, Lexington Av/51-53 Sts, is about three minutes on foot, and ten subway lines stop within a ten-minute walk. Within a five-minute walk are 33 public places, four of them listed historic places, and 153 places to eat.

Safety record
8 hurt
13 police-reported crashes, 2021–2025
Nearest subway
Lexington Av/51-53 Sts
850 feet · 3 min on foot · 6, E, F
Nearest bus stop
40 feet
Lexington Av/E 56 St · M101, M102, M103, BxM1
Within a walk
33 places
18 public spaces, 4 listed historic places and 7 more kinds, within five minutes

Map

Layers
Lexington Avenue & East 56th Street Nearby corners, linked

Getting there

How walks are measured

Subway

The nearest subway station is Lexington Av/51-53 Sts, 850 feet from this corner, about three minutes on foot.

  • 3 lines at the nearest station
  • 10 lines within a ten-minute walk
  1. Lexington Av/51-53 Sts 6, E, F
    850 feet
    6 E F

Next trains at this station

Uptown
1 line
  1. 6 …
Downtown
3 lines
  1. 6 …
  2. E …
  3. F …
Queens
2 lines
  1. E …
  2. F …

Also within a walk

  1. Lexington Av/59 St 4, 5, 6, N, R, W
    860 feet
    4 5 6 N R W
  2. 5 Av/53 St E, F
    0.3 miles
    E F

The MTA's permanent art catalog lists “Passing Through” (2004) by Al Held at the Lexington Av/51-53 Sts station.

Bus

The nearest bus stop is Lexington Av/E 56 St, 40 feet away, for the M101, M102, M103 and BxM1.

  • 74 routes within a ten-minute walk
  1. Lexington Av/E 56 St M101, M102, M103, BxM1 · Countdown sign
    40 feet
    M101 M102 M103 BxM1
    Countdown sign

Next buses at this stop

  1. M101 …
  2. M102 …
  3. M103 …
  4. BxM1 …

Live arrivals

Lexington Avenue carries a lane DOT records as a shared lane, not a bus-only lane, 7am to 7pm on weekdays.

Cycling

  • 50 bicycle racks within 820 feet, 2 of them on-street corrals
  • 4 more bike-share stations within a five-minute walk

Nearest bike-share station

  1. E 56 St & 3 Ave 79 docks in all
    670 feet

By car

The nearest highway entrance is the ramp to the Queensboro Bridge at Queensboro Bridge & 2nd Avenue at East 59th Street, 0.4 miles by car along the streets.

  1. 720 11th Avenue Gas station
    1.6 miles
  2. 131 East 55th Street Charging for electric cars, ten Level 2 chargers
    180 feet
  3. 401-471 West 42nd Street Fast charging for electric cars
    1.7 miles

Safety record

How crashes are counted

Between 2021 and 2025, police reported 13 crashes at this corner, more than the median of ten crashes for a Manhattan corner.

  • 8 people injured
  • 0 people killed
  • 3 of those hurt, on foot
  • 1 of those hurt, on a bike

The most recent crash recorded here was in March 2026.

About this corner

Where facts come from
ZIP code
10022
Community board
Manhattan Community Board 5
City Council district
4
Police precinct
17 and 18 (the boundary runs through this corner)
Neighborhood (City Planning area)
East Midtown-Turtle Bay
Elevation
39 feet above sea level

The streets

  • Up to three travel lanes
  • A designated truck route
  • Two of the streets are one-way

Homes

About 3,600 homes stand within 820 feet of this corner, most of them in buildings of ten homes or more. The buildings holding them mostly went up between 1956 and 1977.

Trees

NYC Parks records 29 trees within 330 feet; the most common is the thornless honeylocust.

Parking on the streets meeting here

How signs are read
  • 50 signs on these blocks
  • 15 different rules
  • 7 active meters
  • 3 pay-by-cell zones

The sign wording is DOT's, as recorded between February 2024 and July 2026; the 12 rules shown are the first by street and side, and the sign on the street decides.

North side of East 56th Street

  • Metered, commercial vehicles only 7 signs 3 HOUR METERED PARKING COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ONLY MONDAY-FRIDAY 7AM-6PM
  • Metered parking 8 signs 6 HOUR METERED PARKING MONDAY-FRIDAY 6PM-MIDNIGHT SATURDAY 8AM-MIDNIGHT
  • No parking 2 signs NO PARKING ANYTIME
  • No standing 2 signs NO STANDING 7AM-9PM ALL DAYS
  • No standing 2 signs NO STANDING HOTEL LOADING ZONE
  • No standing 1 sign NO STANDING MONDAY-FRIDAY 7AM-6PM

South side of East 56th Street

  • Metered, commercial vehicles only 7 signs 3 HOUR METERED PARKING COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ONLY MONDAY-FRIDAY 7AM-6PM
  • Metered parking 7 signs 6 HOUR METERED PARKING MONDAY-FRIDAY 6PM-MIDNIGHT SATURDAY 8AM-MIDNIGHT
  • No standing 2 signs NO STANDING ANYTIME

East side of Lexington Avenue

  • Metered, commercial vehicles only 3 signs 3 HOUR METERED PARKING COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ONLY 7AM-7PM EXCEPT SUNDAY
  • Metered parking 3 signs 5 HOUR METERED PARKING 7PM-MIDNIGHT EXCEPT SUNDAY
  • No standing 1 sign NO STANDING ANYTIME

ParkNYC pay-by-cell zones: 104377, 104617 and 106079.

Landmarks and historic districts

Within 820 feet are five Individual Landmarks, and six buildings in all are designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. They were built between 1871 and 1978.

  1. Central Synagogue Designated landmark
    360 feet
  2. Mary Hale Cunningham House Designated landmark
    380 feet
  3. Ritz Tower Designated landmark
    540 feet

Schools and places within a walk

How places are listed

Within a five-minute walk there are 33 public places.

  • 18 public spaces
  • 4 listed historic places
  • 3 day care or pre-K sites
  • 2 religious buildings
  • 2 schools
  • 4 other places

Schools and child care

  1. May Family Nursery School at Central Synagogue Preschool, ages 2 to 5
    440 feet
  2. Art and Design High School
    1,100 feet
  3. P.S. 059 Beekman Hill International School
    1,100 feet
Show all 5
  1. Super Stars Tennis Preschool, ages 2 to 5
    1,170 feet
  2. District 2 Pre-K Center at 252 East 57 Street Pre-K center
    1,250 feet

Plazas and public spaces

  1. Public space at 135 East 57th Street Public space
    480 feet
  2. Public space at Galleria Public space
    740 feet
  3. Public space at Park Avenue Tower Public space
    750 feet
Show all 18
  1. Public space at Architects and Designers Public space
    750 feet
  2. Public space at 950 Third Avenue Public space
    750 feet
  3. Public space at 450 Park Avenue Public space
    780 feet
  4. Public space at 432 Park Avenue Public space
    780 feet
  5. Public space at 900 Third Avenue Public space
    810 feet
  6. Public space at 919 Third Avenue Public space
    890 feet
  7. Public space at Citigroup Center Public space
    890 feet
  8. Public space at 110 East 59th Street Public space
    950 feet
  9. Public space at International Plaza Public space
    1,060 feet
  10. Public space at 599 Lexington Avenue Public space
    1,080 feet
  11. Public space at Plaza Tower Public space
    1,150 feet
  12. Public space at 909 Third Avenue Public space
    1,150 feet
  13. Public space at 885 Third Avenue Public space
    1,180 feet
  14. Public space at Sony Public space
    1,210 feet
  15. Public space at 590 Madison Avenue Public space
    1,220 feet

Libraries, museums and history

  1. Substation #42 (Dual System IRT) Listed historic place
    460 feet
  2. St. Peter's Church Listed historic place
    670 feet
  3. NY Genealogical & Biographical Soc Research library
    690 feet
Show all 6
  1. 58th Street Library
    950 feet
  2. Seagram Building Listed historic place
    1,200 feet
  3. Lever House Listed historic place
    1,240 feet

Community centers and public services

  1. Older adult center at 619 Lexington Avenue Older adult center
    890 feet
  2. FDR Post Office
    930 feet

Bank branches

  1. Flagstar Bank Bank branch
    520 feet
  2. Santander Bank Bank branch
    550 feet
  3. Chase Bank branch
    610 feet

Supermarkets

  1. Whole Foods Market Supermarket
    1,300 feet
  2. Morton Williams Supermarket
    0.4 miles

Pharmacies

  1. CVS Pharmacy
    740 feet
  2. Duane Reade Pharmacy
    1,280 feet

Food stores and places to eat

Within a five-minute walk there are 153 places to eat and 14 food stores.

Not on record for this corner: a signal or safety change.

Nearby corners

The eight nearest of the 11 corners within a three-minute walk:

See every intersection along East 56th Street or Lexington Avenue.

Sources: NYC Technology and Innovation, NYPD, MTA, NYC DOT, NYC City Planning, New York City's bike-share system, NYS Environmental Conservation, US Department of Energy, Landmarks Preservation Commission, NYC Parks, NYC Health, FDIC, NYS Agriculture and Markets and USDA, retrieved September 18 – October 6, 2026.