 On September 4, 1839, a residential square, on land which was formerly a race track for horses, out of of a land grant farm owned by the Benson family, was set aside.The square was relocated from the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, which had planned for a square in the neighborhood, in order to take advantage of the rugged topography that stood squarely in the path of Fifth Avenue, which was being extended north of Central Park.