Sniffen Court, the Murray Hill Mews

Sniffen Court is a gated mews of brick carriage houses on East 36th Street, between Third Avenue and Lexington. It is a New York City landmark. It is two blocks from 222 East 34th Street. It is not an amenity of The Anthem. It is a reason the side streets north of the building are worth walking on a tour, instead of only doing 34th Street and calling the neighborhood done.

What you are looking at

The court is a short, private-looking row set back from 36th. You can see it from the sidewalk. You cannot treat it as a park, a playground, or a place to bring a moving van. Residents live there. Photograph from the street and move on.

Murray Hill still has these leftover nineteenth-century pockets. They do not make 34th Street quiet. They do mean the numbered streets between Lexington and Third are a different walk than the avenue you used to arrive.

How to use it on a tour

If you have time after seeing an apartment, walk north on Third or Lexington to 36th and look at the court, then come back down. You will have a better sense of whether this is a neighborhood you walk for pleasure or only a corridor to Grand Central.

Do not pick a residence because of Sniffen Court. Pick a residence because the plan, the date, and the rent (when one is listed) work. Then decide whether you like the ten-minute walk around the block.

Start at the building

Tour 222 East 34th first so the walk has a center. Filter listings or schedule a tour. Call (212) 684-3222.