The sun., 1894-01-28
NEW roRK,s Po1YsEor REGION
The Once Good Residsncs auarter, BIesehs sr
street, west OF Rroadyvar.

Bleecker street is a thoroughfare that most
New Workers know not at all, and some only
for few blocks on ono side or the other Of
Broadway. Blocker street. between the Bow
cry and Broadway Is an odd combination Of
shabbiness. vice. and active business. Blesck-
er street. between Broadway and MacdouRal,
includes all these elements. and has besides
the Interest that belongs to the most cosmo-
poltan region In all New York Everybody
has heard Of Blocker street as the heart OF
the French quarter. Some thousands have
known it at ono time or another; a few have
come to know that the lapse OF years has
transformed It from purely French quarter
to polyRot region. numbering more races
and togues than any other Ike area in the
United states
The everyday New Workers. knowledge OF
Bleecker street was at It's intersection with
Macdougsl. and he knows naught OF its fur
ther westward Night though by far the greater
length OF the thoroughfsre lies beyond that
point The half mile or more OF Bleeoker
street between MacdouRal street and Abingdon
square Is tho busiest retail east and west
thoroughfnre between Grand and Fourteenth
streets. As Grand street is the retail Broad
way OF the east side SO Bleecker is the Bowery
Of tho west side
Every Rround-no1r front OF that western half
mile Is occupied by a shop That part OF the
thorouRhiare runs through the very heart
of the old west side 1t Is crossed by Clarkson
Leroy. Morton Barrow. Grove, Christopher.
Charles. Perry and Bank streets each redolent
OF old west-side respectability. each still re-
tanning many Of Its old-fashioned houses and
some Of its old-fashloDed residents Bleecker
street on leaving MacdouRal leaves behind It's
more than doubtful reputation. its half foreign
air. its polyRlot business signs. and In it's fur
ther westward flight is gradually transformed
from the most cosmopolitan thorouGhiare OF
New York into one OF the most purely Ameri-
can. French and Italian names have almost
disappeared block beyond Macdougal street,
and any one accustomed to read the character
OF a New York thoroughfare in its shops and
houses begins to realize that the street has
settled down into something yastly different
from its eastern self
No great building rears its head among the
plaln threo-story red brick structures. There
double n!e OF small shops. Block after block
repeats the same story OF butcher baker.
grocer grocer stntioner, halter: tailor, glover. Res.
nre not fteluent but all the ordinary needs OF
lie are brought almost to the doors OF the
peaceful cross street one sees the long rows OF
dwellings, that maintain the retail activity OF
the main IN tho,oaghfare. The hubbub OF the
elevated station is left far behind and even
me passers by no longer bear the stamp Of
1t happens that the thoroughfare so runs
that by day one side or the other lies always
IN sunshine. and In the busy shopping hours
respectable folks from the half score Of old
iashloned cross streets. BY night electric
ghts Sd make axe the street glaringly brilliant from
pandemontum that reiGns about the elevated
railway station; but they, bring discord to the
place Of the old retail district. by 10 o'clock
almost deserted OF passers by.