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Park Row (Manhattan)

For the former elevated train station, seePark Row Terminal.
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Park Rowis a street located in theFinancial District,Civic Center,andChinatownneighborhoods of theNew York CityboroughofManhattan.The street runs east–west, sometimes called north–south because the western end bends to the south. At the north end of Park Row is the confluence ofBowery,East Broadway,St. James Place, Oliver Street,Mott Street,andWorth StreetatChatham Square.At the street's south end,Broadway,Vesey Street,Barclay Street, andAnn Streetintersect. The intersection includes a bus turnaround loop designated asMillennium Park.

Park Row
R. H. Robertson'sPark Row Building
at 15 Park Row, is aNew York City landmark
Coordinates40°42′40″N74°0′30″W/ 40.71111°N 74.00833°W/40.71111; -74.00833
West endBroadway/Vesey Street/Ann Street
East endChatham Square

Park Row was once known as Chatham Street; it was renamed Park Row in 1886, a reference to the fact that it facesCity Hall Park,the former New York Common.

History

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18th century

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Printing House Square, 1866
Printing House Square, 1868
Park Row buildings in the early 20th century (from bottom left clockwise) are:New York City Hall;theNew York World Building,also known as the Pulitzer Building (with spherical top) which housed theNew York Worldnewspaper and is now the site of one of theBrooklyn Bridgeentrance ramps; theNew Yorker Staats-Zeitung(later demolished); theNew York Tribune Buildingwith thespiretop, the present-day site of the Pace Plaza complex ofPace University); theNew York Times Building,the 19th century headquarters ofThe New York Timesand currently Pace University building; theAmerican Tract Society Building,visible behind theTimesBuilding; and, cut off from the picture, thePotter Building.

In the late 18th centuryEastern Post Roadbecame the more important road connectingNew York CitytoAlbanyandNew Englandto its north. This section of the road which became Park Row was called Chatham Street,[1]a name that enters into the city's history on numerous occasions.

Thetobacco industryin New York City got its start in 1760, whenPierre Lorillardopened asnufffactory on Chatham Street,[2]and in 1795, the Long Room of Abraham Martling's Tavern on Chatham Street was one of the first headquarters used by theTammany Societyand theDemocratic-Republican Party,founded byThomas Jefferson,on election days. Those who gathered there became known as "Martling Men", "Tammanyites" or "Bucktails", especially during the time that Tammany was attempting to wrest control of the party away from governorDe Witt Clinton.[3]In the 1780s, Chatham Street was the site of the Tea Water Pump, a privately owned company which took water from Fresh Water Pond, the city's only supply of fresh water, and which remained purer longer than some of the other sources which drew from the pond.[4]

Chatham Street was also a center for entertainment. In 1798,Marc Isambard Bruneldesigned the 2,000-seat Park Theater on Chatham Street, intended to attract the upper classes of the city. The theater cost $130,000 to build, and tickets were 25 cents for seats in the gallery, and 50 cents in the orchestra. In the early 1800s, more taverns, theaters and small hotels on the street started to offer free entertain to attract customers to drink. These were called "free and easies", "varieties" or "vaudeville" and offered numerous different kinds of performances: comedy, dance, dramatic skits, magic, music, ventriloquism, and tellers of tall tales. New theaters such as the Chatham Theater sprang up as well to attract the overflow from the entertainment strip on the Bowery.[5]Bo xingwas also a popular entertainment. The Arena on Park Row packed in fans with its nightly presentation of "the manly art".[6]

19th century

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Ernst Plassman's statue ofBenjamin Franklin,built in 1872

In the early 19th century, most of the Manhattan portion of the street was suppressed, the Commons becameCity Hall Park,and the stub of a street was renamed Park Row.[7]By the mid-19th century, the street had a bazaar-like atmosphere from the many used clothing shops andpawnbrokeragesopen by recently immigrated Jews from Germany and central Europe. This gave rise toanti-Semiticcaricatures, although many New Yorkers could not distinguishGerman Jewsfrom otherGermans.[8]Chatham Street was also the site of several anti-African American incidents, as in the 1863New York City draft riots,during which rioters were repulsed in their attempt to attack black waiters at Crook's Restaurant on the street.[9]Poverty was also commonplace; in 1890,Jacob Riisrevealed inHow the Other Half Livesthat over 9,000 homeless men lodged nightly on Chatham Street and the Bowery, between City Hall andCooper Union.[10]

Newspaper era

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During the late 19th century, Park Row was nicknamedNewspaper Row,as most of New York City's newspapers located on the street to be close toCity Hall.[11]Among the earlier newspapers in the area wereThe New York Times,[12]: 3 which in 1857 became the first New York City newspaper to be housed in a structure built specially for its use.[13]Part of the southern section of the street, centered on the intersection with Spruce Street, was known asPrinting House Square.The newspapers housed on Newspaper Row, combined, printed more than 250,000 copies per day at their peak, leading the area to be considered "America's preeminent press center".[14]Other papers, such as theNew York HeraldandThe Sun,were near Newspaper Row but not actually housed on Park Row itself.[14]

The newspapers on Chatham Street were among the first to constructearly skyscrapersfor their headquarters, reflecting their newfound wealth.[14][15]: 27 The first of these major newspaper buildings, theNew York Tribune Building,opened in 1875 as a nine-story, 260-foot (79 m) structure; the headquarters of theNew-York Tribunewas then the city's second-tallest building afterTrinity Church.[16][17]

After the construction of theBrooklyn Bridgein 1883, Park Row was the site of the largePark Row Terminalfor the elevated trains and cable-hauled shuttle cars which crossed the bridge. Service was gradually reduced from 1913 to 1940, and the terminal was demolished in 1944.[18]

The next major structure to open was a new headquarters forThe New York Timesat 41 Park Row, which was completed in 1889 and stood 13 stories tall.[19][12]: 4 The third early skyscraper on Newspaper Row was the 20-storyNew York World Building,theNew York World'sheadquarters, which at a height of 309 feet (94 m) was the first building in the city to be taller than Trinity Church.[20]The Times and Tribune Buildings were both expanded in the first decade of the 20th century.[12]: 6 [21]

Two other buildings on Park Row were also part of Newspaper Row but not built specifically for newspapers' use. ThePotter Building,at 38 Park Row, contained tenants such asThe Press,aRepublican Party–affiliatedpenny paper,as well asThe New York Observer.[22]ThePark Row Building,at 15 Park Row, housed the early headquarters of theAssociated Press,founded byMoses Yale Beach.[23][24]

The Revolution,a newspaper established by women's rights activistsSusan B. AnthonyandElizabeth Cady Stanton,was also headquartered on Park Row, at 27 Chatham Street.[25]

The decline of Park Row as a newspaper hub began in 1895, when theHeraldmoved toHerald Square.[14]

20th century

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Ten years later, in 1905, theTimesmoved to its new headquarters atOne Times Square.[26]TheTribunemoved uptown in 1923,[27]while theWorldshuttered in 1931.[20]The Journal of Commerce,the last remaining newspaper to publish from Park Row, moved from its headquarters in the World Building in 1953.[28]

Until 1971, Park Row continued in a relatively straight path, except for a curved portion around the Brooklyn Bridge's ramps.[29]Between 1971 and 1973, a pedestrian plaza was built as part of1 Police Plaza,after which Park Row was rerouted underneath the plaza and its intersection withNew Chambers Streetand Duane Street was eliminated.[30]

Today, a statue ofBenjamin FranklinbyErnst Plassmanstands in Printing House Square, in front of theOne Pace Plazaand41 Park Rowbuildings ofPace University,holding a copy of hisPennsylvania Gazette,a reminder of what Park Row once was.[31][32]

Structures

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The New York Timeswas originally located at 113Nassau Streetin 1851. It moved to 138 Nassau Street in 1854, and in 1858 it moved a little more than one block away to 41 Park Row, possibly making it the first newspaper in New York City housed in a building built specifically for its use.[13]The New York Times Building, which was designed byGeorge B. Post,was designated a New York City landmark in 1999.[33]The building is now used by Pace University.[34]

TheNew Yorker Staats-Zeitungmoved to its own building at17 Chatham Streetat almost the same time as theTimesmoved into its new building.[35][36]

ThePark Row Building(also known as 15 Park Row) is located at the western end of Park Row, oppositeCity Hall Park.Designed by noted architectR. H. Robertson,and built in 1896-99, It was designated a city landmark in 1999.[33]At 391 feet (119 m) tall it was thetallest building in the worldfrom 1899 until 1908, when it was surpassed by theSinger Building.[37]

ThePotter Buildingat 38 Park Row (145 Nassau Street) was built in 1882-86 and designated a New York City landmark in 1996. It was built after the owner's previous building on the site burned down. The Potter Building was converted into apartments between 1979 and 1981.[33]

TheNew York City Police Departmentis headquartered at1 Police Plazalocated on Park Row, across the street from theManhattan Municipal Building[38]andMetropolitan Correctional Center.

Two apartment buildings of significance on Park Row are the Chatham Towers at no. 170, built in 1965 and designed by Kelly & Gruzen, which, according to theAIA Guide to New York City,makes a "strong architectural statement...[which] rouses great admiration and great criticism," and Chatham Green at 185 Park Row, built in 1961 and also designed by Kelly & Gruzen.[39]


City Hall and Park Row (1911); the Brooklyn BridgePark Row terminalcan be seen at the right

Police Plaza closure

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The segment of Park Row between Frankfort Street andChatham Squareis open only toMTA busesand government and emergency vehicles and has been closed to civilian traffic since theSeptember 11, 2001, attacks.[38]The NYPD asserts that this is necessary to protect its headquarters from a truck bomb attack. Nearby Chinatown residents were increasingly frustrated at the disruption caused by the closure of the thoroughfare, arguing that the police department has placed a chokehold on an entire neighborhood and suggesting that One Police Plaza be moved from a residential area.[40]Members of the Civic Center Residents Coalition fought the security perimeter around One Police Plaza for years. Park Row reopened for foot traffic andMTA busesin 2005,[41]although only 200 buses per day were allowed on the street, and they had to pass through security checkpoints.[42]

In 2007, the NYPD stated that it would not be moving despite the numerous complaints from residents, explaining that they had tried to alleviate the impact of the security measures by forbidding officers from parking in nearby public spaces and by reopening a stairway that skirts the headquarters' south side and leads down to street level near theBrooklyn Bridge.The department also planned to redesign its guard booths and security barriers to make them more attractive, and was involved in efforts to convert two lanes of Park Row into acycling and pedestrian greenway,[38]which opened in June 2018.[43]In the 2020s, the section of Park Row north of Chatham Square remained closed to most traffic, and residents of Chinatown were advocating for it to be reopened. Because of the security barriers, ambulances tended to avoid traveling along the Police Plaza section of Park Row.[44]

Transportation

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Park Row is served in its entirety by theM9andM103bus routes, while the eastboundM22runs until Frankfort Street.

References

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Notes

  1. ^Staff (June 22, 1893)."Outrages by 'Pullers in'"(PDF).The New York Times.p. 2.About forty years ago the original Harris Cohen established a second-hand clothing store at the corner of Baxter Street and Park Row (then Chatham Street).
  2. ^Burrows & Wallace (1999), p. 1046
  3. ^Burrows & Wallace (1999), pp. 322, 424
  4. ^Burrows & Wallace (1999), p. 360
  5. ^Burrows & Wallace (1999), pp. 375, 404, 642
  6. ^Burrows & Wallace (1999), p.755
  7. ^Feirstein, Sanna (2001).Naming New York: Manhattan Places & How They Got Their Names.New York:New York University Press.p. 39.ISBN978-0-8147-2712-6.
  8. ^Burrows & Wallace (1999), pp. 740, 749
  9. ^Burrows & Wallace (1999), p. 890
  10. ^Burrows & Wallace (1999), p. 1182
  11. ^Shepard, Richard F. (March 20, 1987)."Seeing the Evolution of New York City Through Artists' Eyes".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedSeptember 27,2020.
  12. ^abc"(Former) New York Times Building"(PDF).New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.March 16, 1999.RetrievedSeptember 27,2020.
  13. ^abDunlap, David W. (November 14, 2001)."150th Anniversary: 1851–2001; Six Buildings That Share One Story".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJuly 14,2020.
  14. ^abcd"Excelsior Steam Power Company Building"(PDF).New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.December 13, 2016. p. 4.RetrievedSeptember 27,2020.
  15. ^"Fulton–Nassau Historic District"(PDF).National Register of Historic Places,National Park Service.September 7, 2005.RetrievedSeptember 27,2020.
  16. ^"The Tribune's New Home".New-York Tribune.April 10, 1875. pp.9,12– via newspapers.
  17. ^Gray, Christopher (May 3, 2012)."Black and White and Red All Over".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedSeptember 22,2020.
  18. ^Sparberg, Andrew "Park Row" inJackson, Kenneth T.,ed. (2010).The Encyclopedia of New York City(2nd ed.). New Haven:Yale University Press.p. 977.ISBN978-0-300-11465-2.
  19. ^"A Newspaper at Home;" the Times "at Last in Its New Quarters. the Rooms Where Its Business Is to Be Conducted and Editorial and Mechanical Work Performed".The New York Times.April 8, 1889.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJuly 15,2020.
  20. ^abFederal Writers' Project(1939).New York City Guide.New York: Random House. p. 99.ISBN978-1-60354-055-1.(Reprinted by Scholarly Press, 1976; often referred to asWPA Guide to New York City.)
  21. ^"The Tribune Buildings".New-York Tribune.February 3, 1907. pp.60,61,62,63– via newspapers.
  22. ^King, M. (1892).King's Handbook of New York City: An Outline History and Description of the American Metropolis.Moses King. p. 778.RetrievedMarch 24,2020.
  23. ^Beach, Stanley,Archives at Yale, Stanley Yale Beach papers,Number: GEN MSS 802, 1911-1948
  24. ^"Park Row Building"(PDF).New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.June 15, 1999. p. 5.RetrievedSeptember 27,2020.
  25. ^"The Revolution"Lewis & Clark Digital Collections, Aubrey R. Watzek Library,Lewis & Clark College
  26. ^"A Year in the Times Building".The New York Times.December 31, 1905.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  27. ^"Tribune Goes Uptown".Brooklyn Times Union.April 15, 1923. p. 14.RetrievedSeptember 27,2020– via newspapers.
  28. ^"Last Newspaper Is Moving Out Of Parle Row: The Journal of Commerce' Leaves 'World' Building for Varick St. Quarters".New York Herald Tribune.February 20, 1953. p. 17.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020– via ProQuest.
  29. ^"New Brooklyn Bridge Car Routes".The New York Times.July 6, 1971.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedMay 18,2020.
  30. ^Goldberger, Paul (October 27, 1973)."New Police Building".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedMay 18,2020.
  31. ^"Historical Sign Listings".New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.RetrievedJuly 14,2020.
  32. ^Gayle, Margot (1988).The Art Commission and the Municipal Art Society guide to Manhattan's outdoor sculpture.Prentice Hall Press. p. 45.ISBN978-0-13-620253-0.OCLC17508421.
  33. ^abcNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission;Dolkart, Andrew S.;Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.).Guide to New York City Landmarks(4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 27.ISBN978-0-470-28963-1.
  34. ^White, Norval;Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010).AIA Guide to New York City(5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 41.ISBN978-0-19538-386-7.
  35. ^An Epitome of the New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung's Sixty-Five Years of Progress.1899. Complimentary pamphlet prepared and distributed by theStaats-Zeitungto describe its history and new press capacity. This source indicates that theStaats-Zeitungwas publishing from its building on Chatham Street no later than April 1858, and possibly as early as a year prior to that.
  36. ^Burrows & Wallace (1999), p. 943
  37. ^Gray, Christopher (March 12, 2000)."Streetscapes/The Park Row Building, 15 Park Row; An 1899 'Monster' That Reigned High Over the City".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJuly 27,2020.
  38. ^abcBuckley, Cara (September 24, 2007)."Chinatown Residents Frustrated Over Street Closed Since 9/11".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedSeptember 24,2022.The Police Department says that most of Park Row has to be blocked off to protect its headquarters, called One Police Plaza, against terrorist threats, particularly truck bombs.
  39. ^White, Norval;Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010).AIA Guide to New York City(5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 87.ISBN978-0-19538-386-7.
  40. ^Hogarty, Dave (September 24, 2007)."Park Row Paralysis".Gothamist.Archived fromthe originalon May 21, 2011.RetrievedMarch 16,2011.
  41. ^Rutenberg, Jim (April 15, 2005)."Park Row Is to Be Reopened To Pedestrian and Bus Traffic".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedSeptember 24,2022.
  42. ^Wilson, Michael (May 16, 2005)."Metro Briefing | New York: Manhattan: Park Row Reopened To Buses".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedSeptember 24,2022.
  43. ^Spivack, Carol (June 22, 2018)."park-row-bike-pedestrian-paths-reopens-after-9-11-closure".patch.RetrievedJuly 3,2018.
  44. ^Burkett, N.J. (September 11, 2024)."Chinatown community demands reopening of Park Row in Lower Manhattan, 23 years after Sept. 11th attacks closed it off to traffic".ABC7 New York.RetrievedSeptember 12,2024.

Bibliography

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