Changing Times

The first major changes came to San Juan Hill after World War II when, in 1947, all of the tenements located between 61st and 64th streets were torn down to make way for the Amsterdam Houses, a cluster of 13 public housing buildings in an unusual, natural setting. 

In the mid-1950s, the neighborhood experienced even greater change, when Lincoln Square and San Juan Hill were deemed a "blighted slum ripe for urban renewal" by the Mayor's Committee on Slum Clearance, under the direction of Robert Moses.  The residents fought against this declaration, but they were unsuccessful.  In 1958, nearly 17,000 residents of Lincoln Square and San Juan Hill were forced to leave, and the area was cleared to become the site of Lincoln Center and various high-rise buildings.