CHAPTEE ZVnL
 

(1738-1790.)
 

Broadway in the Beginning of the Hineteenth Century—Residence Streets

—Basinets Streets—Conntiy Seats—Brevoort Estate and Fight

of Owner—Henry Spingler^a Stnbboranesi.

Few, If any, of tbe thousanda wbo cross Broadway at Fourtoentb
street every day bavo any knowledge or give thought of tbe position
this spot held In the long ago as the extreme limit of the city. It was "far
uptown" in the beginning of the nineteenth century, and to tbe extreme
south and southwest ef It the ancestors of the preaent day Knickerbockers
carded on business and had their dwelling houses.

The "pleosantest streets for the residence of private and genteel
\ families'' In the old days were State street, fronting the Battery; Bridge
street, Bowling Green, Greenwich street, from the Battery to Cortlandt
street: Broadway, from the Battery to Rector street: Bond street, Hudson
street. Park Place. Chambers street* Liberty and Cortlandt streets, west of
Broadway; Dey atreet, Vesey street, Barclay atreet. Murray atreet, Warren
street, Bleecker street- Prince street, l^fayette Place. Broome street.
Spring street, Grand Htreei, Franklin street. White street, and Walker
street. Other streets that were more within the vortex of business, such
OS Beekman, Pearl, riirr, John and rbcrry streets, were also plessenE. but
were not considered to be In quite sn fashionable a quarter of the town.
Madison street, after Its improvement In IS24, was "built up with neat
and spacious houses, and was a very convenient and respectable street."

As to buaincsa. South street, as now, was occupied by shipping mer¬
chants, but only from the Battery lo Roosevelt atreet, and Front and
Water atreet wltb wholesale grocers and commission merchants. Pearl
street was "the peculiar and favorite resort Of wholeaule drygooda mer-
chantSt earthenware dealers, etc.," from Coentles Slip to Peck Slip- The
auction stores were alM> here, aa well as In Wall sireet, between Pearl
and AVster streets. Broadway waa the "handsomest street and tbe greatest
thoroughfare." Et ran from *'tbe Battery to Tenth street, was three miles
In length and eighty feet in breadth," and contained similar businesses to
thoae of the present day, with four Episcopal churches, a hospital, tbo
Masonic Hall, two muaeums and tbe City Hall. From the City Hall Park
to Astor Place was called St. George street, or Great George street, up to
the close of the last century, and was later commonly spoken of as the
Middle Hosd- Maiden Lane, from Broadway to William street, and William
street, from Liberty street  to Beekman »«treet, and Chatham street,  from

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