Manhattan’s Upper East Side has long had a reputation for being home to many of New York City’s most well-heeled residents. For this, the neighborhood was known as the silk-stocking district in times past. But how and why did the UES attract so many of New York City’s gilded age elite? This series on the history of the neighborhood will give you a look back on what was before many of the prewar buildings that shape the Upper East Side we know today!