St Nicholas Avenue & West 159th Street

St Nicholas Avenue and West 159th Street meet at a four-way crossing in Washington Heights (South), Manhattan. Between 2021 and 2025, 13 police-reported crashes were recorded here, against a median of ten crashes for a Manhattan corner. AME Zion Church on the Hill is 140 feet away. The nearest subway, 163 St-Amsterdam Av, is about two minutes on foot, and two subway lines stop within a ten-minute walk. Within a five-minute walk are 32 public places, eight of them religious buildings, and 25 places to eat.

Safety record
4 hurt
13 police-reported crashes, 2021–2025
Nearest subway
163 St-Amsterdam Av
580 feet · 2 min on foot · C
Nearest bus stop
450 feet
Amsterdam Av/W 158 St · M3, M100, M101
Within a walk
32 places
8 religious buildings, 4 day care or pre-K sites and 11 more kinds, within five minutes

Map

Layers
St Nicholas Avenue & West 159th Street Nearby corners, linked

Getting there

How walks are measured

Subway

The nearest subway station is 163 St-Amsterdam Av, 580 feet from this corner, about two minutes on foot.

  • 2 lines within a ten-minute walk
  1. 163 St-Amsterdam Av C
    580 feet
    C

Next trains at this station

Uptown
1 line
  1. C …
Downtown
1 line
  1. C …

Also within a walk

  1. 155 St C
    1,050 feet
    C
  2. 157 St 1
    0.3 miles
    1

The MTA's permanent art catalog lists “Ciguapa Antellana, me llamo sueño de la madrugada (who more sci-fi than us)” (2018) by Firelei Báez at the 163 St-Amsterdam Av station.

Bus

The nearest bus stop is Amsterdam Av/W 158 St, 450 feet away, for the M3, M100 and M101.

  • 11 routes within a ten-minute walk
  1. Amsterdam Av/W 158 St M3, M100, M101
    450 feet
    M3 M100 M101

Next buses at this stop

  1. M3 …
  2. M100 …
  3. M101 …

Live arrivals

Cycling

A marked bike lane runs on St Nicholas Avenue and West 159th Street.

  • 11 bicycle racks within 820 feet
  • 5 more bike-share stations within a five-minute walk

Nearest bike-share station

  1. W 160 St & St Nicholas Ave 26 docks in all
    320 feet

By car

The nearest highway entrance is the ramp to the Harlem River Drive northbound at Frederick Douglass Boulevard, 0.7 miles by car along the streets.

  1. 89 St Nicholas Place Gas station
    0.3 miles
  2. 115 Fort Washington Avenue Charging for electric cars, two Level 2 chargers
    0.6 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.

  • 4 people injured
  • 0 people killed
  • 2 of those hurt, on foot

The most recent crash recorded here was in November 2025.

About this corner

Where facts come from
ZIP code
10032
Community board
Manhattan Community Board 12
City Council district
10
Police precinct
33
Neighborhood (City Planning area)
Washington Heights (South)
Elevation
156 feet above sea level

The streets

  • Up to two travel lanes
  • One of the streets is one-way

Homes

About 3,200 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 1909 and 1923.

Since 2014 at least 5 new affordable homes have been completed within 820 feet.

Trees

NYC Parks records 60 trees within 330 feet; the most common is the thornless honeylocust.

Parking on the streets meeting here

How signs are read
  • 20 signs on these blocks
  • 5 different rules

The sign wording is DOT's, as recorded between April 2013 and October 2025, and the sign on the street decides.

East side of St Nicholas Avenue

  • No parking 4 signs NO PARKING TUESDAY 9:30AM-11AM

West side of St Nicholas Avenue

  • No parking 2 signs NO PARKING ANYTIME
  • No parking 4 signs NO PARKING MONDAY 9:30AM-11AM

North side of West 159th Street

  • No parking 5 signs NO PARKING MONDAY 9:30AM-11AM

South side of West 159th Street

  • No parking 5 signs NO PARKING TUESDAY 9:30AM-11AM

Landmarks and historic districts

Within 820 feet are three Individual Landmarks, and 58 buildings in all are designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, recorded most often as Romanesque Revival. They were mostly built between 1882 and 1896.

  1. 555 Edgecombe Avenue Apartments Designated landmark
    360 feet

Schools, parks and places within a walk

How places are listed

Within a five-minute walk there are 32 public places.

  • 8 religious buildings
  • 4 day care or pre-K sites
  • 4 listed historic places
  • 3 parks
  • 2 gardens
  • 11 other places

Schools and child care

  1. United Federation of Black Community Organization Preschool · Pre-K
    100 feet
  2. The Jewel of Harlem Centers Preschool, ages 2 to 5 · Pre-K
    360 feet
  3. Moreau LMSW Children and Family Services P.c Preschool
    600 feet
Show all 6
  1. P.S. 004 Duke Ellington School
    770 feet
  2. Community Health Academy of the Heights School
    830 feet
  3. Broadway Housing Communities Preschool, ages 2 to 5 · Pre-K
    1,160 feet

Parks, playgrounds and gardens

  1. Highbridge Park
    450 feet
  2. Roger Morris Park
    570 feet
  3. Dorothy K. McGowan Memorial Garden
    620 feet
Show all 8
  1. John T Brush Stairway in Highbridge Park Park feature
    670 feet
  2. Bushman Steps Park
    700 feet
  3. Morris Jumel Community Garden
    830 feet
  4. Wright Brothers Playground
    860 feet
  5. Coogan's Bluff Playground
    890 feet

Libraries, museums and history

  1. Washington Heights Library
    380 feet
  2. Paul Robeson Home Listed historic place
    660 feet
  3. Ellington, Edward Kennedy Duke" Listed historic place
    670 feet
Show all 6
  1. Jumel Terrace Historic District Listed historic place
    780 feet
  2. Morris Jumel Mansion Museum · listed historic place
    790 feet
  3. Mary McLeod Bethune Gardens Listed historic place
    890 feet

Houses of worship

  1. AME Zion Church on the Hill House of worship
    140 feet
  2. Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church House of worship
    780 feet
  3. Bethel Holy Church of Mount Sinai House of worship
    830 feet
Show all 5
  1. New Covenant Holiness Church House of worship
    920 feet
  2. Greater File Chapel Baptist Church House of worship
    1,270 feet

Community centers and public services

  1. Older adult center at 2005 Amsterdam Avenue Older adult center
    240 feet
  2. Older adult center at 1970 Amsterdam Avenue Older adult center
    690 feet
  3. Fort Washington Post Office
    1,200 feet

Fire and police

  1. Engine 84/Ladder 34 Fire station · landmark
    1,040 feet

Bank branches

  1. Apple Bank Bank branch
    1,260 feet

Supermarkets

  1. CTown Supermarket
    540 feet
  2. Foodtown Supermarket
    0.3 miles
  3. Extra Jumbo by Associated Supermarket
    0.3 miles

Food stores and places to eat

Within a five-minute walk there are 25 places to eat and 19 food stores.

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

Nearby corners

The eight nearest of the 17 corners within a three-minute walk:

See every intersection along St Nicholas Avenue or West 159th Street.

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, NYC Housing Preservation and Development, Landmarks Preservation Commission, NYC Parks, NYC Health, FDIC, NYS Agriculture and Markets and USDA, retrieved September 18 – October 6, 2026.