Broad Street
Broad Street, Looking toward Wall Street (1936). What would become the heart of the Financial District, Broad Street started as a small inlet that Dutch settlers enlarged into a canal running from the East River to the wall that formed the northern boundary of New Amsterdam. It was the original landing for the first ferry between Manhattan and Brooklyn, allowing for goods to be brought into the center of the village. After the British took over New Amsterdam it turned into an open sewer, and was filled in 1676. Having started life as a canal, the street is wider than the norm for the area, hence its name. From Abbott’s original vantage point, Broad Street has not changed very much.
On closer inspection, however, we see the changes brought about by the passage of time—especially the security concerns that are a part of daily life. (On the positive side, these measures afford us an unobstructed view of Trinity Church from the corner of Broad and Wall).
Archeological excavations in 1980, during construction of what would be the new headquarters of Goldman Sachs, revealed the foundations of Lovelace Tavern (aka King’s House). Built in 1670, and destroyed in a fire in 1706, it was located next to the Stadt Huys (City Hall), functioning in some ways as an annex, where city business was conducted after hours. These are among the oldest building remains found in Manhattan.
85 Broad Street
Built in 1719 as a residential townhouse, it has played a significant role in the country’s history—from a meeting place for the Sons of Liberty, and a hub of espionage during the revolutionary war, to the place where George Washington bade farewell to his officers at the end of the war, and the location of some of the first federal offices.
While it is considered to be the oldest surviving structure in Manhattan, this is not without disagreement. There were a number of fires, followed by reconstructions, during the 19th century that changed the structure of the building, and what we see today if the result of a controversial 1907 restoration that aimed at returning the building to its original form. As there were no blueprints available, the architect had to make a number of educated guesses along the way.
Faunces Tavern