From the World’s First Christmas Tree Lights to Public Menorahs: A History of Murray Hill’s Holiday Lights

Walk past Park Avenue in December and it’s easy to take the glow for granted. Trees sparkle, menorahs shine, and the whole neighborhood feels wrapped in light. But Murray Hill’s connection to holiday lights isn’t just festive—it’s historic. Our streets have helped shape how New Yorkers, and Americans, celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah in public.

1882: Edward Johnson’s “Miracle” Tree in Murray Hill

In 1882, Murray Hill became the stage for a quiet revolution.

Edward Hibberd Johnson, a close associate and business partner of Thomas Edison and vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, decided to replace the dangerous wax candles on his Christmas tree with something entirely new: tiny electric bulbs. He hand-wired dozens of red, white, and blue lights around a Christmas tree in his Murray Hill home and invited the press to see this marvel.

What he created is widely regarded as the world’s first electrically illuminated Christmas tree with that pioneering tree shone right here in Murray Hill.

At the time, electric lighting was still a novelty; most New Yorkers had never seen a light bulb, let alone a glowing, revolving Christmas tree. Reports described the scene as “a superb exhibition” and “hardly anything prettier” than the shimmering spheres of colored light.

From that moment, Murray Hill wasn’t just a residential neighborhood—it was a laboratory for how light could transform the holidays. The idea spread slowly at first (electric trees were a luxury for the wealthy), but Johnson’s experiment became the template for the illuminated Christmas trees we see everywhere today, from living rooms to public plazas.

Image of Edward Johnson’s 1882 tree as depicted in the NY Times.

Our replica of Edward Johnson’s 6-ft tall tree featuring 80 walnut-sized colored globes with classic Edison-style bulbs lit up 38th Street & Park Avenue

1978: Metropolitan Synagogue Brings the Menorah Outside

Nearly a century later, another kind of light took its place in the Murray Hill story.

In 1978, Metropolitan Synagogue of Murray Hill began lighting a public Hanukkah menorah in the neighborhood—at a time when outdoor menorahs were still relatively rare in the United States. Most Hanukkah observances took place in homes or synagogues; the idea of placing a menorah in a prominent outdoor location, for all to see, was far from common practice.

Since that first lighting in 1978, Metropolitan Synagogue has held what is described as the first and longest-standing public Hanukkah menorah lighting in New York City—a tradition that continues to this day on Park Avenue.

This simple act was quietly bold. Just as Johnson’s tree demonstrated that holiday light could move from fragile candles to safe electric bulbs, Metropolitan Synagogue showed that the menorah could move from the private window to the public square. At a time when public Jewish symbols were less visible, their menorah turned Park Avenue into a place of shared light, pride, and inclusion.

2020: Chabad of Midtown’s Menorah During Covid

In 2020, during one of the darkest winters in recent memory, the power of public light took on new meaning.

Amid lockdowns, distancing, and uncertainty, Chabad of Midtown Manhattan continued to bring Hanukkah light by introducing another public menorah in Murray Hill. The outdoor celebration was adapted for spacing with an open-air gathering, yet the message remained the same: even in the hardest times, the light of Hanukkah must be seen.

This menorah, glowing against a backdrop of largely empty avenues, echoed both Johnson’s 19th-century experiment and Metropolitan Synagogue’s 1978 milestone. Once again, Midtown and Murray Hill showed that visibility, community, and tradition could coexist—even in a crisis.

One Neighborhood, Many Holiday Milestones

Taken together, these three moments form a remarkable timeline:

• 1882 – Edward H. Johnson illuminates the world’s first electric Christmas tree in Murray Hill, redefining how we decorate for the holiday season.
• 1978 – Metropolitan Synagogue lights what is recognized as New York City’s first and longest-running public Hanukkah menorah, bringing Jewish ritual out into the heart of the neighborhood.
• 2020 – Chabad of Midtown’s menorah shines through the challenges of Covid, reminding New Yorkers that light and hope belong in the streets, even in the most difficult times.

Each of these acts used light in a new way—technologically, culturally, or emotionally—and each was rooted in our corner of New York.

Today, when we gather around a Christmas tree at 38th & Park, stand beneath a Hannukah menorah on Park Avenue & 35th or 38th Streets, or pass by another holiday display in the neighborhood, we’re participating in a long local tradition of innovation and courage. In Murray Hill, light is more than decoration. It’s history, identity, and a promise that—season after season—we will continue to shine together.