File:The city of New York (1917) (14745481936).jpg

Identifier: cityofnewyork00brow (find matches)
Title: The city of New York
Year: 1917 (1910s)
Authors: Brown, Henry Collins, 1862-1961
Subjects: New York (N.Y.) -- Description and travel
Publisher: New York : J. M. Ruston
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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ed by old New Yorkers as the sceneof Jenny Linds great triumph under themanagement of P. T. Barnuni in 1855, andlater the emigrant station until 1891. To-day it is known as the Aquarium. Other centres of social life were lowerBroadway from No. i up to Rector Street,on the corner of which stood Grace Churchbefore it moved up town. Greenwich Streetfor two or three blocks north of the Batterywas known as Millionaires Row, wherewere the town residences of BrockholstLivingston, John Johnston, Robert Lenox,Adam Norrie and other distinguished mer-chants of that day. On the east side of the city, along Wall,Pine, Hanover Square, Pearl and Cherrystreets, were the honies of many well-knownfamilies of the richer class. The WaltonHouse, which stood on Pearl Street,is stillrecalled as the most luxurious and hand-some residence in this or any other city atthat time. It was torn down to make wayfor the Brooklyn Bridge. The geographical formation of the islandremained practically what it was at the67
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time of Hudsons first discovery, with theexception of a few roads leading to the in-terior, but as a matter of fact, the wholeeastern seaboard of the colonies had littlemore conveniences in 1800 than were avail-able two hundred years earlier. The inven-tion of steam had not been introduced, andcommunication with the interior was slowand burdensome. Mail coaches left regu-larly two or three times each week—Albanyand Philadelphia being three-day trips andBoston six days. The site now in the course of developmentof New Yorks civic centre, and of which thenew court house will be the main building,embraces a section that was formerly a hugepond, in some places possessing a depth ofover 90 feet. It was on this pond that JohnFitch gave the first demonstration of asteamboat. An attempt was made to drainthe pond; part of the work was undertaken.A canal was cut through the swampy landof Lispenard meadows to the west, drain-ing into the Hudson. This, however, madeit more of a menace to health

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