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Park Row (Manhattan)
Encyclopedia
Financial District, Manhattan
The Financial District of New York City is a neighborhood on the southernmost section of the borough of Manhattan which comprises the offices and headquarters of many of the city's major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York...
of the 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...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. It was previously called Chatham Street
Chatham Square, Manhattan
Chatham Square is a major intersection in Manhattan's Chinatown. The square lies at the confluence of seven streets: Bowery, East Broadway, St. James Place, Mott Street, Oliver Street, Worth Street and Park Row. The postal ZIP Code is 10038.-History:...
and during the late 19th century it was nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d Newspaper Row, as most of New York City's newspapers located on the street to be close to the action at New York City Hall
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as...
.
The image is of Park Row around the turn of the 20th century. The buildings from left to right include; Bottom-Left is New York City Hall; the New York World Building
New York World Building
The New York World Building was a skyscraper in New York City designed by early skyscraper specialist George Browne Post and built in 1890 to house the now-defunct newspaper, The New York World. It was razed in 1955.-History:...
, also known as the Pulitzer Building (with the spherical top) which housed the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
newspaper (now the site of one of the Brooklyn Bridge entrance ramps); The New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
building with the spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
top (today the site of the Pace Plaza complex of Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
); The New York Times Building
41 Park Row
41 Park Row, often called the New York Times Building is located near New York City Hall in the New York City borough of Manhattan, was the longtime home of The New York Times, until it moved to Longacre Square, now known as Times Square...
(the 19th Century home of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, today one of the buildings of Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
); and to the far right - cut off from the picture - the Potter Building.
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
was originally located at 113 Nassau Street
Nassau Street (Manhattan)
Nassau Street is a street in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan, located near Pace University and New York City Hall. It starts at Wall Street and runs north to Frankfort Street at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, lying one block east of Broadway and east of Park Row...
in 1851. In 1854, it moved to 138 Nassau Street, and in 1858 it moved a little more than one block away to 41 Park Row
41 Park Row
41 Park Row, often called the New York Times Building is located near New York City Hall in the New York City borough of Manhattan, was the longtime home of The New York Times, until it moved to Longacre Square, now known as Times Square...
, making it the first newspaper in New York City housed in a building built specifically for its use.
This section of the street was known as 'Printing House Square'. Today, a statue of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
stands there, in front of the One Pace Plaza
One Pace Plaza
1 Pace Plaza, completed in 1969, is the flagship building complex of Pace University in New York City, specifically designed for Pace. It is located directly across from City Hall and adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge, and houses most of the classrooms, administrative offices, a student union, the...
and 41 Park Row buildings of Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
, holding a copy of his Pennsylvania Gazette
Pennsylvania Gazette (newspaper)
The Pennsylvania Gazette was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728, before the time period of the American Revolution, until 1815...
, a reminder of what Park Row once was.
In the late 18th century Eastern Post Road
Boston Post Road
The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts that evolved into the first major highways in the United States.The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York...
became the more important road connecting New York to Albany and New England. Early in the 19th century most of the Manhattan portion of this road was suppressed, the Commons became City Hall Park, and the stub then known as Chatham Street was renamed Park Row.
One of the first structures to be called a skyscraper, the Park Row Building
Park Row Building
The Park Row Building is a building on Park Row in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan also known as 15 Park Row...
(also known as '15 Park Row') is located at the southern end of Park Row, opposite City Hall Park. At 391 ft (119.2m) tall it was the tallest office building in the world from 1899 until 1908, when it was surpassed by the Singer Building
Singer Building
The Singer Building or Singer Tower at Liberty Street and Broadway in Manhattan, was a 47-story office building completed in 1908 as the headquarters of the Singer Manufacturing Company. It was demolished in 1968 and is now the site of 1 Liberty Plaza....
. The building is 29 stories tall, with 26 full floors and two, three-story cupolas. It has a frontage of 103 ft (31.4 m) on Park Row, 23 on Ann Street and 48 feet (14.6 m) on Theater Alley. The base of the building covers a land area of approximately 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²).
The New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
is headquartered at 1 Police Plaza located on Park Row, across the street from the Manhattan Municipal Building
Manhattan Municipal Building
The Manhattan Municipal Building, at 1 Centre Street in New York City, is a 40-story building built to accommodate increased governmental space demands after the 1898 consolidation of the city's five boroughs. Construction began in 1907 and ended in 1914, marking the end of the City Beautiful...
.
External links
- Park Row: A New York Songline - virtual walking tour