Hudson Square
Encyclopedia
What was Hudson Square is now St. John's Park and is in TriBeCa
(Triangle Below Canal), not in the Printing District or South Village
. This Manhattan neighborhood, less known as West SoHo is generally bounded by West Houston Street to the north, Canal Street
to the south, 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) to the east and the Hudson River
to the west and is bound by Greenwich Village
, TriBeCa
, and SoHo
.
The South Village
differs architecturally from the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District but does share the low-rise residential character of SoHo
west of West Broadway and nearby Greenwich Village
. Perhaps the most significant district within this quadrant is the landmarked Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District
, which contains the largest concentration of Federalist and Greek Revival style row houses built during the first half of the 19th Century. The most prominent feature within the neighborhood is the Manhattan entrance to the Holland Tunnel
. The tallest structure in the neighborhood is Trump Soho
hotel.
Building upon the neighborhood’s past as New York City
’s Printing District, this neighborhood remains a creative center and is home to over 30,000 people working in advertising, design, media, communications, and the arts.
; it was edited by John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish
from March 16, 1827 to March 28, 1829. The newspaper provided international, national, and regional information on current events and contained editorials declaiming against slavery, lynching, and other injustices.
George Washington
When George Washington lead the defense of the city against the British in 1776, his headquarters were located at the Mortier House at what are now Charlton and Varick Streets. He also penned the term 'New Yorker' at that time - the earliest known use of the term in a published work is found in a letter that he wrote from Lower Manhattan.
The Ear Inn One of the oldest bars in NYC,(est. 1817) This pub was built by George Washington’s aide and was a speakeasy
during prohibition. After the liberation from Prohibition, the bar had no name. It was known as “The Green Door" to sailors and longshoremen. Then in 1977, new resident-owners christened the place the Ear Inn. The new name was chosen to avoid the Landmark Commission’s lengthy review of any new sign. The neon BAR sign was painted to read EAR, after the musical Ear Magazine published upstairs.
SoHo Playhouse The SoHo Playhouse stands on land that was once Richmond Hill
, a colonial mansion that served as headquarters for General George Washington and later home to Aaron Burr. Purchased from Burr in 1817, the land was then developed into federalist-style row houses by fur magnate John Jacob Astor
. 15 Van Dam Street was designated at the Huron Club, a popular meeting house and night club for the Democratic Party. The turn of the century brought the Tammany Hall machine to the Huron Club. Prominent regulars included "Battery" Dan Finn and the infamous Jimmy "Beau James" Walker, known as "The night Mayor" due to his predilection for jazz clubs and chorus girls. The main floor was transformed into a theater in the 1920s, and in the 60's operated as the Village South, home to Playwrights Unit Workshop under the direction of Edward Albee. The playhouse now acts as a 199 seat off-Broadway venue.
The Holland Tunnel
was once the longest underwater tunnel in the world. After nearly seven years of construction, and the (unrelated) deaths of two of the tunnel's chief engineers, the Holland Tunnel officially opened at midnight on November 13, 1927. On its first day of operation 51,694 vehicles passed through the tunnel, the first of which was a truck making a shipment to Bloomingdale's
Department Store in Manhattan.
Steinway & Sons
was founded in 1853 by German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway in a Manhattan loft on Varick Street.
TriBeCa
Tribeca is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York in the United States. Its name is an acronym based on the words "Triangle below Canal Street", and is properly bounded by Canal Street, West Street, Broadway, and Vesey Street...
(Triangle Below Canal), not in the Printing District or South Village
South Village
The South Village is a largely residential area in Lower Manhattan in New York City, directly below Washington Square Park. Known for its immigrant heritage and Bohemian history, the South Village overlaps areas of Greenwich Village and SoHo...
. This Manhattan neighborhood, less known as West SoHo is generally bounded by West Houston Street to the north, Canal Street
Canal Street
Canal Street may refer to:* Canal Street , England, UK* Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA* Canal Street , New York City, New York, USA...
to the south, 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) to the east and the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
to the west and is bound by Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, TriBeCa
TriBeCa
Tribeca is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York in the United States. Its name is an acronym based on the words "Triangle below Canal Street", and is properly bounded by Canal Street, West Street, Broadway, and Vesey Street...
, and SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
.
The South Village
South Village
The South Village is a largely residential area in Lower Manhattan in New York City, directly below Washington Square Park. Known for its immigrant heritage and Bohemian history, the South Village overlaps areas of Greenwich Village and SoHo...
differs architecturally from the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District but does share the low-rise residential character of SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
west of West Broadway and nearby Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
. Perhaps the most significant district within this quadrant is the landmarked Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District
Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District
The Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District is a small historic district located in the South Village area of the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
, which contains the largest concentration of Federalist and Greek Revival style row houses built during the first half of the 19th Century. The most prominent feature within the neighborhood is the Manhattan entrance to the Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel
The Holland Tunnel is a highway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan in New York City with Jersey City, New Jersey at Interstate 78 on the mainland. Unusual for an American public works project, it is not named for a government official, politician, or local hero or...
. The tallest structure in the neighborhood is Trump Soho
Trump SoHo
Trump SoHo New York or just Trump SoHo, announced in 2006,, is a $450 million, 46 story, 391 unit hotel condominium being constructed in SoHo, New York City.-Overview:...
hotel.
Building upon the neighborhood’s past as New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
’s Printing District, this neighborhood remains a creative center and is home to over 30,000 people working in advertising, design, media, communications, and the arts.
Printing District or South Village History
The neighborhood was home to the first African American newspaper in the United States, called Freedom's JournalFreedom's Journal
Freedom's Journal was the first African American owned and operated newspaper published in the United States. Published weekly in New York City from 16 March 1827 to 28 March 1829, the journal was edited by John Russwurm and co-editor, Samuel Cornish who contributed only through 14 September 1827...
; it was edited by John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish
Samuel Cornish
Samuel Eli Cornish was an American abolitionist, journalist, and Presbyterian minister.-Early years:Cornish was born in Sussex County, Delaware, to free parents. In 1815, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
from March 16, 1827 to March 28, 1829. The newspaper provided international, national, and regional information on current events and contained editorials declaiming against slavery, lynching, and other injustices.
George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
When George Washington lead the defense of the city against the British in 1776, his headquarters were located at the Mortier House at what are now Charlton and Varick Streets. He also penned the term 'New Yorker' at that time - the earliest known use of the term in a published work is found in a letter that he wrote from Lower Manhattan.
The Ear Inn One of the oldest bars in NYC,(est. 1817) This pub was built by George Washington’s aide and was a speakeasy
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
during prohibition. After the liberation from Prohibition, the bar had no name. It was known as “The Green Door" to sailors and longshoremen. Then in 1977, new resident-owners christened the place the Ear Inn. The new name was chosen to avoid the Landmark Commission’s lengthy review of any new sign. The neon BAR sign was painted to read EAR, after the musical Ear Magazine published upstairs.
SoHo Playhouse The SoHo Playhouse stands on land that was once Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill (Manhattan)
Richmond Hill was a colonial estate in Manhattan, New York City, that was built on a parcel of the "King's Farm" obtained on a 99-year lease in 1767 from Trinity Church by Major Abraham Mortier, paymaster of the British army in the colony...
, a colonial mansion that served as headquarters for General George Washington and later home to Aaron Burr. Purchased from Burr in 1817, the land was then developed into federalist-style row houses by fur magnate John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
. 15 Van Dam Street was designated at the Huron Club, a popular meeting house and night club for the Democratic Party. The turn of the century brought the Tammany Hall machine to the Huron Club. Prominent regulars included "Battery" Dan Finn and the infamous Jimmy "Beau James" Walker, known as "The night Mayor" due to his predilection for jazz clubs and chorus girls. The main floor was transformed into a theater in the 1920s, and in the 60's operated as the Village South, home to Playwrights Unit Workshop under the direction of Edward Albee. The playhouse now acts as a 199 seat off-Broadway venue.
The Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel
The Holland Tunnel is a highway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan in New York City with Jersey City, New Jersey at Interstate 78 on the mainland. Unusual for an American public works project, it is not named for a government official, politician, or local hero or...
was once the longest underwater tunnel in the world. After nearly seven years of construction, and the (unrelated) deaths of two of the tunnel's chief engineers, the Holland Tunnel officially opened at midnight on November 13, 1927. On its first day of operation 51,694 vehicles passed through the tunnel, the first of which was a truck making a shipment to Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
Department Store in Manhattan.
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
was founded in 1853 by German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway in a Manhattan loft on Varick Street.