*^ /\ ^ 5 ^ ^ (Shi '"^ aOFCAIIFO%, ■^1 ^^WEUNIV!R% A^^lOSANCflfj;* <(5U3NVS01^ -^iJliAINnatf^ ■'^.; -< ^HIBRARYQr^ :>! s:^l i ^5MM)N1VER% \mi^ ^.tfOJIlVDJO^ ^.JOJITOJO^ ^Jil30NYS0# «^^EUNIVER% ^lOSMElfJ^ \^il(^ mM^'' ^OFCAIIFOB5^ ^^OFCAllFORi^ fiS* '■^^lUBRARYQ^ ^..CAllFOff^^ VoAHvaan-i^^ ^^^AavaaniJ^^ .^MEUNIVERy/A ^lOSANCnfj;^ ^MEl)NIVER5/A o ^lOSANCElfj-^ ^UIBRARYO/c. <(5l33NVSO# %a3AIN(l-3Vft^ '^OJIIVDJO'^ ^OFCAIIFOW'^ i ■%jaAiNrt-3Wv ^©Aavaani^ ^5MEUNfV!R5'/^ v>;lOSANCnfj;> -^^lUBRARYOr^ ^lUBRARYQ^ ^J^DNVsm^ "^/saaAiNfliVkV^ ^.sojiivdjo'^ ^ O ^/jaMNnawv^ ^OFCAIIFO^^ ^OFCAUFOff;!^ ^ ^^\^E•^JNIVER% _^lOS|ANCn^^ — 'J I' ^ A^lUBRAITYQc ^OFCAUF0%^ ^Sa3AINIl-3¥lV^ ^tfojnvDjo^ lis ,HSItUHIVBB/A <^\ \ni:—('<»iti until page KoniuT KrsiiU'iKv of llu- Lafe Samuel J. Tilden .93 Kormor lU-iidiiue of the Late Rev. Dr. H. W. Bellows . . 97 ForiiuT He.sidence of the Late Dr. Valentine Mott ... 99 Reilory i»f Calvary Parish 101 Former Residence of the Letting fewer in num- her all the time, and may shortly disappear altogether. He regrets that he is unahle to show a photographic ])resentment of many huildings that have disappeared in the last fifty years, or even during the life of the present generation. Some buildings that had a certain historical interest have been razed in the last twenty-five years, as, e. g., the Kennedy house,* Xo. 1 Broadway, taken down to make way for the Washington Building, overlooking the Battery Park, or the old Walton house f in Pearl Street near Franklin Square, removed in 1881, or the Tombs prison, removed in 1899. * Built some years before the Revolution by Captain Archibald Kennedy, R.X. (later Earl of Casillis), who married Miss Watts. It was the headquarters respectively of Generals Howe, Cornwallis, and Carleton. + The property of William ^^'alton, brother of Admiral Walton, built in 1752. It was one of the best, if not the best house in town. The gardens extended to the river. This house was men- tioned in the debates in Parliament to indicate the ability of the colonists to pay more taxes. What might in some respects be called the mate to this house, the Walter Franklin house, occupied by Washington during his Presidency, stood at the north end of the square. It was taken down in 1856, " and the only bit of it known to exist is the President's chair of the N. Y. Historical Society, which is made of wood taken from the old house " (" Historic New York," p. 298). 10 Introductory Among buildings that will be recalled to memory by the older citizens it would have been a satisfaction to have been able to show pictures of the Brick (Pres- byterian) Church, that stood, with its yard, on Park Row, taking in the block bounded by Spruce, Nassau, and Beekman streets; or Burton's Theater in Chambers Street ; the Irving House, later Delmonico's, on the cor- ner of Broadway and the same street; of the old New York Hospital on Broadway near Thomas Street, stand- ing far back with its beautiful lawn and grand old trees ; of the St. Nicholas Hotel near Spring Street; of the old Coster mansion (later a Chinese museum), built of granite in the style of the Astor House, near Prince Street; and Tiffany's place across the way, with the same Atlas upliolding the clock over the door; of the Metropolitan Hotel on the next block with Niblo's Gar- den ; of Bleecker Street with Depau Row ; * of Bond Street with the large Ward (later Sampson) residence on the corner; the Russell residence on the corner of Great Jones Street; the famous old New York Hotel; the Lorillard mansion at Tenth Street; the large brownstone residence of Judge James Roosevelt, near Thirteenth Street, famous for the hospitality of its owners, and the red brick residence of Cornelius V. S, Roosevelt, grandfather of the President, on the cor- * Depau Row was an attempt to introduce the Parisian dwelling or hotel. The houses were entered by driveways, running through them to large interior courtyards. They were taken down to make -wixy for tlie Mills Hotel for iiuri. 11 old Iiiiil(liii<:s of Xi':i' Vorh- Ciii/ iH-v ol' riiioii Sciuart'. lia\iiin' tlic tiilrance on Hi'oad- w ay. 'VUc older irsidt'iit can recall Union Scjiiare when the huildiniis were nearly all ])rivate residences, conspicuous aniony- which were the Parish house on the north side and till' Penninian (later the Maison Doree) on the south, lie can recall the stately appearance of Four- teenth Street westward of Union Stjuare: the Haight residence on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifteenth Street, with its large winter garden;* the brownstone house of Colonel Herman Thorn in Sixteenth Street^ west of the avenue, standing in its wide grounds (now nearly filled hy the New \'ork Hospital) ; the residence of Mr. and Mrs. August Ikdniont (so long leaders in .society), on the avenue, at the corner of Eighteenth Street, extending with its picture gallery a long distance on the street; the Stuart residence, which shared the l)lock above Twentieth Street with a church; and then the Union Club house at Twenty-first Street. Perhaps of all the landmarks taken down during the time of the ])resent generation, none was so well known as the Goe- let house at Broadway and Nineteenth Street, with the grounds extending eastward toward Fourth Avenue. Thousands of people passed every day in the short stretch between the two squares. jNIr. Peter Goelet's penchant for rare and beautiful birds was a never- ending delight to every passing child and adult, and * It is a little remarkable that none of our multimillionaires have added this feature to their new houses u))to\vn. 12 Introductory a number were always standing gazing past the iron railing. Peacocks white and blue, Chinese golden pheasants, and many other varieties found a comfort- able home in the grounds. The appearance of the entire city now gives the impression of life and bustle. With the exception of Gramercy Square and Irving Place, there is hardly a spot in the lower part of the city that now has any appearance of repose. Thirty years ago the city pre- sented a wholly different aspect. Fifth Avenue, from Washington to JNIadison Square, was, in the opinion of the writer, one of the finest residence streets anywhere. At most hours of the day the people on the sidewalks were comparatively few and there was a very small pro- portion of business wagons and trucks that used the roadway as compared with the numbers that do so to- day. University Place was a street of nearly the same character, as was also Second Avenue from Seventh Street to Stuyvesant Square. This street had a charm of its own. Lined as it was on either side with spacious residences, it gave the impression of a street of homes. The facades of the largest houses were simple and un- pretentious, forming a marked contrast to some of the houses uptown to-day. As regards the matter of repose, it may be said that twenty-five years ago the palm would clearly have been given to Lafayette Place. This short street also had a character of its own. From the Langdon house on the east side near Astor Place to old St. Bartholomew's 13 Old liniJdiiiiis of \r:c York Cifi/ C'liuicli ;it (iiint Jones Street, niul from tlie Lano^don (Wilks) liDiisf on the west side to the Sehermerhorn lioiise opposite the eliureli, ahiiost every buildin(>" liad its iiidivi(hiahty. Tlie street was marred by three or four aneient hiiil(hii*i\s, wliieli for some reason were not removed, siieh as the stable between the Langdon house and the Astor Library, once the favorite Riding Acad- emy. The r.ibrary still (1906) stands, as does a part of the old C'olonnatie, but an earthquake could hardly liave wrought greater changes than has the march of trade. The large mansion of the first John Jacob Astor stood separated from the Library by a gateway and broad alley reaching to the stables in the rear. Adjoin- ing was a group of houses of the style of those in Washington Square, broad and " high-stooped." Op- posite, on the corner of Fourth Street, stood a church whose portico of granite Ionic columns (each a monolith brought with great trouble from Elaine) was one of the wonders of the town. Almost adjoining was the Swan residence, since converted into the Church House of the diocese, and then the Colonnade with its long row of granite Corinthian columns, considered a marvel in its day. Xext to these was the " English basement " house of the late Charles Astor Bristed, with arch and drive- way leading to the rear, and on the corner the Langdon (Wilks) house, when it was built, the finest in town. Being a short street, blocked at one end and leading only to Astor Place at the other, the drivers of very 14 Introductory few vehicles ever took the trouble to turn into it, ex- cept the driver of a private carriage, perhaps a closed coach drawn by heavy horses ( for the cobble stones were rough) ; the coachman on a vast haniniercloth embel- lished with fringes and tassels, as was frequently seen forty years ago, the footman sometimes standing behind, his hands grasping two leather loops to hold himself in place. So quiet was the street that on a pleasant after- noon the youngsters who dwelt in the neighborhood car- ried on their game of ball undisturbed. Perhaps it was this feature of quiet repose which suggested the suita- bility of establishing there the Library, the churches, the Columbia College Law School, and the Church House. The writer might go on and refer extensively to other ancient streets and the changed aspect of other places throughout the city, but that is not his present purpose. There are a few old landmarks that are likely to stand, for example the City Hall, in the opinion of some the most successful building, as to architectural design, in the country. Abandoned to materialism as the city is and lacking sentiment, nevertheless any proposal to take down the City Hall, or even to alter it ever so slightly, meets with vigorous protests.* * It seems ratlier strange that some architect has not taken this fa9ade or some portion of it (as, e. g., the east or west end) as a design for the front of one of the palaces tliat are now springing u)) throughout the land. 15 Old liiiildifiiis of \nc Vorh' C/f// Possibly |)(.()|)k' iniiiiit ohjtc-l if it were proposed to diNti()\ St. Pniirs Clia})el, the oldest eluirch edifice in the I'ity. and so with a few other huildini^s: liiit the majority of the landmarks must *»() and hideous sky- scrapers arise. " monuments to g-reed " as they have been tirnud. iiair ruining- adjacent properties. it was with a view of preservin«»' the appearance of some of these landmarks that may be torn down any Iknjamin ^Voolsey Rogers w'as Uving in the next house, Number Five State Street, but after his father's death he moved to Number Seven and Hved there until 1830.t William P. Van Rensselaer, grandson of Gen- eral Stephen Xan Rensselaer, married successively two of the daughters of JNIr. Rogers. The house during the ownership of the Rogers family was the scene of many notable entertainments. These entertainments wxre fre- quently referred to by older members of society who have now passed away. In 1830 the house was occu- pied by Gardiner G. Howland. The queerly shaped front was to a certain extent a necessity. State Street takes a sharp turn and the house was built at the apex of an angle. The interior was doubtless an improvement on other houses. The ceil- one hundred and fifty prisoners. It is said that they were allowed only bread and water by the State and depended largely on the kindness of benevolent people to relieve their wants. * " Lamb's History of the City of New York," II, p. 735. t " The Old Merchants of New York," vol. II, p. 319. 20 Number Seven State Street ings were high, and the staircase, instead of being in the hall as in older houses, is at the side. It is winding, of an oval design, with mahogany balustrade. The sky- light was of stained glass, made in England, showing the coat of arms. During the Civil War, the house was taken by the Government for military uses, and afterwards became the office of the Pilot Commissioners. It is now the house of the mission of Our Lady of the Rosary. 21 II I I -.»R?5V- Fraunces's Tavern X:^ the year 1671 Col. Stephen Van Cortlandt built a cottage on the corner of Broad and Pearl (then Queen) streets, to which he brought his bride, Gertrude Schuyler. The house overlooked the waters of the river and bay. In the year 1700 he deeded this property to his son-in-law, Etienne de Lancey, prob- ably wishing to retire to his manor on the Hudson. De Lancey was a French Huguenot of rank who had left his native country on the revocation of the edict of Nantes. He came to New York where he established himself as a merchant. On these premises he built a hip-roofed mansion several stories in height, of small yellow bricks imported from Holland. In dimensions and arrangement it ranked among the best in the col- ony. The property descended through his son James to his grandson Oliver. This part of the town having by that time become the business quarter in 1757, the house was abandoned as a residence and became the warehouse of De Lancey, Robinson & Co. On Janu- ary 17, 1762, the building was transferred to Samuel Fraunces, who converted it into a tavern under the name of the " Queen's Head," and announced that dinner would be served daily at half -past one. In April, 1768, 23 Old liiiildiniis of Xt'w York ("it// in tlu' loiii^- room, tlu- C'liaiiihii- of Commerce was in- auiiiirntid with .loliii CVrii*>er as president. On November 2.), 17H8, tlie day of the evacnation of the Hritisli, a grand ban(|uet was given by Cxovernor Clinton to General Washington and the French minis- ter. Ln/.erne. and in tlie evening tiie "Queen's Head" and tlie wliole town were ilhiminated. ]More than a liundred generals, ofticers, and distinguished personages attended the banquet and thirteen toasts were drunk commemorative of tlie occasion. Ten days later Wash- inaion here met his o'enerals for the last time. After a .slight repast Washington filled his glass and addressed his officers as follows: "With a heart full of love and gratitude, I must now take my leaA'c of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosper- ous and happy as your former ones ha\'e been glorious and honorable." * In silence his former companions then took a final farewell of their chief. This is one of the oldest buildings in the city, as the great fire of 1776 doubtless swept away most of those of earlier date. During the last century the building has gone through various vicissitudes, mostly on the de- scending scale. A year or two ago the ground floor was occupied by a saloon. Lately the building has been completely restored by the Sons of the Revolution and now jiresents very nearly its original appearance. * New York Herald, May 6, 1906. 24 Sub-Treasury and Assay Office "V^ -'HE Sub-Treasury is built on the site of the orig- f ^ inal City Hall. In 1789 this was altered and ^^^ repaired for tlie use of the first Congress and named the Federal Hall. The balcony of the Hall was the scene of Washington's inauguration as President, in commemoration of which the statue was erected. In 1834 the building was demolished and the pres- ent structure erected for the Custom House and was used as such until 1862. The Assay Office is the oldest building in Wall Street, having been built in 1823, for the Xew York branch of the Bank of the United States. It became the Assay Office in 1853. 27 Bank of New York ^^^;:^IIE oldest bank in the country is the Bank of € J Xorth America in Philadelphia, incorporated ^^^ by act of Congress, December, 1781, and by the State of Pennsylvania a few months afterwards. Very great losses had occurred from the repudiation of the Continental bills of credit. All the States had issued bills of their own and kept on " making experi- ments in finance which did not depend on specie as a basis." Currency was expressed in pounds, shillings, and pence and the currency in circulation was a motley conglomeration of guineas, doubloons, pistoles, Johan- nes pieces, moidores, and sequins. Thus arose the ne- cessity of a bank that should both assist the Government and benefit the people at large. On February 26, 1784, a meeting of the principal merchants and citizens was held at the INIerchants' Coffee House. General Alexander JNIcDougal was chosen chairman, and it was unanimously decided to establish a bank. Subscription books were opened at the offices of John Alsop, Broadway, Robert Bowne, Queen Street, and Nicholas Low, Water Street, and the shares were rapidly taken. On March 15, 1784, the following officers were chosen: General Alexander McDougal, president; Sam- uel Franklin, Robert Bowne, Comfort Sands, Alexan- Old liiiildiniis of \nc York Citfi (III- I laiiiiltoiK .losliiKi Waddiiiotoii, Thomas Kandall, William Maxwell. Xidiolas Low, Daniel JNIcCormick, Isaac l{oosc'\c'lt, John \'an(k'i-hilt, and Thomas B. Stonnhton, dircrtors; and William Scton. cashier. 'I'hc hank commenced husiness at what was formerly the old AValton house in St. George's (now Franklin) S(niai-e. It stood on the east side of Queen (now Pearl) Street, almost opposite the present esta])lishment of IIar])er Brothers, the ])u})lishers. The huilding (erected IT.J-) will he rememhered l)y many people to-day as it was only taken down in 1881, hut its appearance during its declining years gave a faint idea of its original dignity. In 1787 the husiness of the hank was moved to Hanover Square, Isaac Roosevelt having been chosen president in 1786. In 1796 a lot was bought at the corner of Wall and AVilliam streets from William Constable for eleven thou- sand pounds (New York currency). Strange to say, there is no record of the dimensions of the lot, but the present building doubtless stands on part of it. Early in 1797 steps were taken to remove the house then standing and to put up a new building, and the corner stone was laid by Gulian Verplanck, then presi- dent, on June 27th. Mr. Verplanck died in 1799 and Nicholas Gouverneur was chosen president. The cor- ner stone of the present building was laid on September 10, 1856, and the building completed in 1858.* * " Domett's History of the Bank of New York." 30 St. Paul's Chapel '^^^*-^HIS chapel built in 1764-66 is the oldest church M J edifice in the city. The first rector was the ^^^ Rev. Dr. Barclay, who was succeeded by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Auchmuty. The steeple is in the style of one of Wren's designs. After the burning of Trin- ity in 1776, it was used as the parish church. The pews that during the war held Howe, Andre, the officers of the army of occu2)ation, and the young midshipman who later became King William IV were, when peace was concluded, occupied by the former " rebels " Washing- ton, Clinton, and their followers. After his inaugin'a- tion, in the Federal Hall in Wall Street, Washington and the members of both houses came in solemn proces- sion to St. Paul's, where services were conducted by Bishop Provost, Chaplain of the Senate, and a Tc Deum was sung. The square pew on the left with the national arms on the wall was the one used by Washington as long as New York remained the capital. The corresponding pew on the right, designated })y the arms of tlie State, was that of Governor Clinton. On the chancel wall are marble tablets to Sir John Temple, the first British consul general, and to Colonel Thomas Barclay, the eminent loyalist, son of the Rev. Dr. Barclay, rector 33 Old liuil(liii<:s of Xc-ic York' ('it if of Ti-iiiity Parisli. C'oIoirI Harclay succeeded Teiuple as consul ocneral of " His Hrittanick Majesty." Tliere is also a tablet in memory of the wii'e of \Villiam Frank- lin, Tory (lovernor of New Jersey, and several others. 'I'he only other I'eniinder of ))i-e-l{evoluti()nai-v days is the oilded crest of the Prince of AVales over the pulpit canopy. As everyone knows, at the east end of the yard facing- Broadway are monuments to three eminent Irishmen who rose to distinction in this country — Em- met, Montg-omery, and ]MacXeven, one at the bar, an- other in the army, and the third in medicine. Emmet was tlie brother of the Irish martyr, Robert Emmet;* Montgomery settled in New York before the Revolu- tion, married a daughter of Chancellor Livingston and fell at Quebec; t ]MacNeveii, like Emmet, had taken * Robert Emmet, member of an old English family that settled in Ireland during Cromwell's time, was one of the purest and most disinterested of rebels. He is now believed by his family, and with very good reason, to have been instigated to rebellion by a secret emissary of Pitt in Paris, where he had resided since leaving col- lege, as part of an evil scheme to withdraw attention from the disordered condition of English politics at the time. {Vide " Ire- land under English Rule, or A Plea for the Plaintiff," by Thomas Addis Emmet, 1903.) f Richard Montgomery, son of Thomas Montgomerj^ of Convoy House, Donegal, had been a captain in the British army in the French and Indian War. " On his return to England he is said to have formed friendships with Fox. Burke, and Barre, and became strongly imbued with their ideas about the rights of the colonies, and when he was superseded and disappointed in the purchase of a majority, he left England forever." When in America it had 34 St. Paul's Chapel part in the Irish rebelhon of '98, acting with him as one of the Directory of Three. Both were imprisoned happened that on their way to a distant post, he had come on shore with all the officers of his company at Clermont, the Livingston place on the North River, and there met Janet Livingston for the first time, and on his return, with the full approbation of her parents, he married her in July, 1773. Soon after his arrival he bought a farm at Kingsbridge, near New York, but after his marriage he arranged to build a house at Barrytown-on-the-Hudson on the Liv- ingston property. The house, known as " Montgomery Place," was built from de- signs of his nephew, an architect, son of his sister, the Viscountess Ranelagh. Some relics of the general, including his sword, etc., are still preserved there. When war broke out, Congress appointed him a brigadier general, and such was the confidence in him that he was given carte hlanche as to all the officers under him. He fell at the head of his troops in the assault on Quebec, December 31, 1775, at the age of thirty-seven. The estimation in which he was held by his wife's family continued to the time of his death. In July, 1818, when the State of New York had his remains brought from Quebec, they were interred under the monument now seen at the east end of St. Paul's Chapel. Forty-three years had elapsed since Mrs. Montgomery had parted with her husband at Saratoga. She was notified by Governor Clinton of the day on which the steamer Richviond, carrying the remains, would pass down the river. She was left alone upon the piazza of the house. The emotions with which she saw the pageant were told in a letter written to her niece : " At length they came by with all that remained of a beloved husband who left me in the bloom of manhood, a perfect being. Alas ! how did he return ? However gratifying to my lieart, yet to my feelings every pang I felt was renewed. The pomp with which it was conducted added to my woe; when the steamboat 35 Old liiiildifiiis of Xnv York Citif at Fort (k'or^c in Scotland. He later served in Napo- leon's army as surgeon. (ieoro'c ^V. P. Custis, who was one of Washington's I'aniily. spoke of St. Paul's as being" " quite out of town. ' No doubt the great fire of 177(>, which stopped when it got to the Chapel yard, left the Chapel stand- ing isolated from buildings below it; but Custis, to get there from St. (xcorge's (Franklin) Square, must have had to go some distance " down town." It tends to show that the water front of the city was covered with build- ings before the central ])art. The fact that the com- missioners for making a \Asa\ of the future city early in the last century arranged for so many streets running to the water and for so few running north and south would also seem to indicate that they thought easy access to the rivers was of prime importance. ]Mr. Astor, with his wonderful foresight, was the first man to realize that the " backbone " of the island was, in after years, to show the greatest advance in the value of real estate. passed with slow and solemn movement, stopping before my house, the troops under arms, the Dead March from the muffled drums, the mournful music, the splendid coffin canopied with crepe and crowned with plumes, you may conceive my anguish ! " After the vessel had gone by it was found she had fainted. 36 The City Hall 'S^^^HE plans of the architect who designed the ■ ^ j City Hall, John ]McComb, were accepted in ^^^ the year 1803, but the building was not com- pleted until nine years later. It is not always 'an agreeable business to devote one's time to destroying a myth A\hich has become lodged in the affections of the people, but sometimes it rests on so slight a foundation that there is nothing gained in keeping it alive. We have lately seen how the tradi- tion that Washington Irving used to live in the house on the corner of Irving Place and Seventeenth Street had no foundation in fact, except that he had a nephew who lived next door. And so the story so often repeated in newspapers and guide books that the City Hall was finished in brownstone at the back because the city fa- thers thought that nobody of any importance would ever live to the north of it might, it seems, be set at rest, although the attempt is not made for the first time. The story reflects on the intelligence of the people of the day. The reason was economy, but not joined to deficiency of foresight. The Common Council of that day, instead of being obtuse on the subject were (luite the other way, and show by their records that tliey took a highly optimistic 39 Old liiiildiiiiis of A'rti" Vork Cit/i view of wliat llity call the city's " unrivaled " situation and opulence. They state their hehef that in a very few years the hall that they were ahout to huild would be the cciittr ol' the wealth and ])0))ulation of the city. It was at first arran^-ed to huild entirely of hrownstone, and tlie contractors t>'ot their work done ixs far as the basement, as can readily he seen to-day. Then the views of the Common Council underwent a change. A lialt wa*» made and McComb was requested to make an esti- mate of the cost in marble. From an interesting article appearing in the Century Magazine for April, 1884. written by ]\Ir. Edward S. Wilde, it seems that the committee's report states: " It appears from this (the architect's) estimate that the difference of expense between marble and brownstone will not exceed the sum of $43,750, including every contingent charge. When it is considered that the City of New York from its inviting situation and increasing opulence, stands unrivaled . . . we certainly ought, in this pleasing state of things, to possess at least one pub- lic edifice which shall vie with the many now erected in Philadelphia and elsewhere ... in the course of a very few years it is destined to be the center of the wealth and population of the city. Under these impressions the Building Committee strongly recommend that the front and two end views of the new hall be built of marble." The corporation then authorized the use of marble on three fronts. The brownstone of the rear received 40 The Citif Hall its first coat of white paint only a few years ago, as nearly anyone who reads this can testify. In 1858 the cupola was destroyed by fire and was restored in a poor manner, but ]Mr. Wilde says: "Notwithstanding this change and the damage done less by time than by stu- pidity, the hall stands to-day unsurpassed by any struc- ture of the kind in the country." 41 , ^« '»-'»-« *- 1 Astor Library "^^^-^HE Astor Library was founded in accordance € J with the terms of a codicil to the will of the ^^^ first John Jacob Astor. It was opened in 1854. His son William B. Astor added a wing to the original building (the present central portion) and pre- sented five hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the library fund. In 1881 another wing was added by his grandson, John Jacob Astor. 43 The Langdon House '^^^:;^HIS house was usually called the Langdon ■ ^ J house, although it was never occupied by the ^^^ family of that name. ]Mr. Walter Langdon's house, directly oi^nosite, was built much later. About 1845 the first John Jacob Astor wished to j) resent his daughter, INIrs. Walter Langdon, with a city residence and built this house for her during her absence abroad. He built merely the shell of the house, and on his daugh- ter's return gave her the sum of thirty thousand dollars for the 2^urpose of decorating it. Carte blanche was given to a famous decorator of that day, and he pro- ceeded to finish it in a style hitherto unknown in the city. The result was that in the end the cost of the interior had risen to sixty thousand dollars, considered a very large sum at that time. A great deal of attention was paid to plaster and stucco ornamentation and woodwork. The most attractive feature of the liouse was the main staircase, which was made in England especially for the house. This staircase was rectangular and of a dai'k rich colored wood, was beautifully carved and of a very graceful design. It was lighted by a large stained- glass window overlooking Astor Place. The reception rooms were on the left of the main hall witli a conserva- tory in the rear. At the I'ight were tlie library, stair- 45 Old Ji nil (lilies of Xc'cc York Cit// case, diniii*'' room, and offices. JNIrs. Lan^don, however, returned to Kurope and continued to reside there until lier death. Meanwliile it was arran<>['ed that tlie house slioultl he occupied hy her (huighter. wlio had married an Kn<»lisli ^^'cntleman, INlr. ^Matthew Wilks. ^Ir. and ^Irs. AVilks continued to live there until the house was taken down in 1875. The i)roperty had a frontage of ahout two hundred and fifty feet on both Astor Place and Lafayette Place (now Lafayette Street), from which it was shut off by a high wall. The enclosed courtyard was laid out as a garden, M'ith large trees, and the rear was occupied by the stables. The garden contained a ring large enough for riding purposes. Of course during the Forrest-]Macready riot in 1849 the house was almost in what might be called the storm center. In the midst of it one of the servants, who thought he had secured a perfectly safe point of observa- tion on the roof, was killed. 46 St. Mark's in the Bowery '^TT^HEN Stiiyvesant retired from office, after the I I ^ British occupation, he withdrew to his " Bow- VM>^ erie " or farm near the site of the present church, then two miles out of town. In 1660 he built a small chapel near his house for the people of the little village that sprang up about the farm, as well as for his own family and the slaves, of whom there were about forty in the vicinity. This chapel was torn down in 1793, and the Petrus Stuyvesant of that day offered to present the ground and eight hundred pounds in money to Trinity parish if it would l)uild a church there. This offer was accepted. In INIay, 1799, the church was finished and the body of it has remained intact to the present time, but there w^as no steeple before 1828. One pew was reserved for the gov- ernor of the State, and the corresponding pew on the other side for " JNIr. Stuyvesant and family forever," * •each pew being surmounted by a canopy. f The ne- ^ro servants (slaves) sat in the rear of the congre- gation. In a vault under the cha])el the governor's body had teen placed after his death, in 1672, and in 1691 the * By resolution of the Vestry, August 26, 1803. f Removed in 1835. 49 Old liiiildin^^s of X('7c York' ('it// luxly of the l\iinlisli noNcriior ( Sl()u«iliter) was also plju'i'd tluri'. Ill Imildiiii^- tlu' c'liiirc'li Stuyvesaiit's remains were remoxtd and i)hK'e(l in a vault beneath the walls of the new I'dificr. The stone whieh may be seen fastened to the outer wall bears the following inseription: '' In this \ault lies buried Petrus Stuyvesant, late Captain Gen- eral and (Governor in Chief of Amsterdam in Xew Netherlands, now ealled New York, and the Dutch A\'est India Islands, died A.i). 1071-2, aged 80 years." In July. 1804, the church was draped in mourning for the deatii of Hamilton, and was so kept for six weeks. 50 Second Avenue Fanner Residence of the Late Lewis M. Butherfurd HEWIS M. RUTHERFURD was one of the most noted astronomers that this country has produced. As a young man, he began the study of the law with Wilham H. Seward, and was admitted to the bar in 1837 and became associated with John Jay and afterwards with Hamilton Fish. But his tastes were entirely in the direction of science, and he decided to abandon the law and apply his attention to scientific research. With ample means, he had full opportunity to devote his life to the pursuit of his favor- ite study, astronomical photograj^hy. He spent several years of study in Europe and, on his return, he built an observatory in New York, the best equipped private astronomical observatory in the country. He made with his own hands an equatorial telescope and devised a means of adapting it for photographic use by means of a third lens placed outside of the ordinary object glass. He was the first to devise and construct micrometer ap- paratus for measuring impressions on the plate. It is said that he took such pains in the construction of the threads of the screws of his micrometer that he was engaged three years upon a single screw. He worked for many years at the photograjjhic method of observa- 53 Old liiiildiiiiis of A'ctt' Vorli Cili/ tioii iK't'oiv [\\v \ii\uc and importance of his labors were reeoiinized, hut in 18(>.> tliese were fully aeknowledfj^ed hy the National Aeademy of Sciences. The remarkable resuHs that he obtained were all secured before the discoveiy of the dry-plate ])rocess. His ])hotographs of the moon sur])assed all others that had been made. AVhen oM-i-taken by ill health he ])resented his instru- ment and photo^Ta])hs to Columbia College, and his telescope is now mounted in the observatory of that university. lie was an associate of the Royal Astronomical So- ciety, ])i'esident of the American Photographical Soci- ety, and was the American delegate to the International ^leridian Conference at Washington in 1885, preparing the resolutions embodying the results of the labors of the conference. He received many decorations and honors from the learned societies of the w^orld, but his dislike of o.stentation was such that he was never known to wear one of the decorations, emblems, etc., that were conferred upon him.* The ]\Iansard roof has been added to the house since its occupation by the Rutherfurd family and the en- trance removed from the avenue to the side street. ^Vhen the house and grounds of the late Hon. Hamilton Fish, on Stuyvesant Square, were sold a few years ago, it was said that there had been no trans- fer of the site except by devise or descent since the time of the old Governor. The same might be said of this * " Nat. Cyclop, of Am. Biog.," vol. VI, p. 360. 54 Former Residence of the Late Lewis M. Rutherfurd property. Stuyvesaiit's house, in wliich, it is said, the papers were signed transferring the province to the British Crown, stood close to this spot. The house is the property of Rutherfurd Stuyvesant, a son of Lewis ]M. Rutherfurd. 55 The Keteltas House X example of an old Second Avenue dwelling, the residence of the Keteltas family on the corner of St. Mark's Place. 57 Washington Square Residence of Eugene Delano >^^^-^HIS house was formed by uniting two of the £ J fine old residences on the north side of Wash- ^^^ ington Square. The interior has been admira- bly reconstructed. The house was formerly occupied by Edward Cooper (son of the late Peter Cooper), who was, at one time, JNIayor of the City. 59 First Presbyterian Church, Fifth Avenue O HIS church, representing the oldest Presbj^te- rian organization in the city, was formed in 1716. The building was erected in 1845. 61 An Old Fifth Avenue House Former Besideuce of the Late James Lenox a AMES LENOX was born in New York in 1800, and was the son of Robert Lenox, a wealthy Scotch merchant. He graduated from Columbia College in 1820 and entered upon a business life, but on the death of his father in 1839 he retired and devoted the rest of his life to study and works of benevolence. The collection of books and works of art became his absorbing passion, and even- tually he gathered about him the largest and most valu- able private collection of books and paintings in Amer- ica. In 1870 he built the present Lenox Library. The collection of bibles is believed to be unequaled even by those in the British INIuseum, and that of Americana and Shakespeareana greater than that of any other American library, in some respects surpassing those in Europe. He conveyed the whole property to the City of New York. He was the founder and the benefactor of the Presbyterian Hospital. 63 'M:Wj .1 111 Another Old Fifth Avenue House Former Residence of the Late Robert B. Minturn QRIOR to the Civil AVar, the principal merchants and bankers were among the most prominent men in the city. The multimillionaire had not then appeared. The ships of Howland & Aspinwall, N. L. & G. Griswold, A. A. Low & Brother, and Grinnell, ^Minturn & Co. carried the flag to the farthest quarters of the globe, where their owners' credit stood second to none. For speed the American clipper was unsurpassed. These " vessels performed wonderful feats — as when the Flying Cloud ran from New York to San Francisco, making 43314 statute miles in a single day; or the Sovereign of the Seas sailed for ten thou- sand miles without tacking or wearing; or the Dread- nought made the passage from Sandy Hook to Queens- town in nine days and seventeen hours." * Mr. iVIinturn was a philanthropist and one of the best citizens the town ever had. The house is now the residence of Thomas F. Ryan. * " King's Handbook of Xew York," p. 88. G.J Grace Church, Broadway 67 The Society Library XN the year 1700 the Pubhc Library of New- York was founded under the administration of the Earl of Bellomont, and seems to have progressed as the city grew% being aided from time to time by gifts from interested persons on the other side, several folio volumes now in the Society Library having been presented by friends in London in 1712, and in 1729 the Rev. Dr. jNIillington, rector of Newington, England, having bequeathed his library to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, it was presented to the New York Public Library. The library, being in charge of the corporation of the city, was evidently not managed in a manner satisfactory to the people in general. In the year 1754 it was deter- mined that a more efficient library was a necessity. In that year the present Society Library had its origin, and what Iiad been the Public I^ibrary of the city was incorporated w^ith it. Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer * states that it had its source in a movement started by Mrs. Alexander, who suggested to some of her friends that a circulating library should be established, the sub- scribers to collect sufficient money to send to England for the newest and best books. A list was made lieaded * Goede Vrouw of Man-.u-liata. 69 Old Jiuil(liii