New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-10

and Il seems he appropriated about forty Feet
within the ramparts for his own use, Captain
Knight one Of his subordinates, purchasing
from the Damen heirs nearly one thousand feet
frontage. with depth of 12S feet This land
soon after 1855 became the property Of the Gov
ernor. and was sold by him IN 1859 to Abraham
De Pevster and Nicholas Bayard. Prelim-
mary to this SALE the survey Of the line pro-
posed to be established on the north side OF
Wall-st. leaving the street thirty-six feet wide.
was ordered in 1885.
In I6SS Dongan determined 20 enlarge tho
city, and ordered an examination of the wall Tor
the purpose Of placing 1t further out II was
reported TO him that the Water Gate was COM
pletely decayed and had fallen down, that the
Artillery Mount (on what is now the northwest
corner Of Wall and William sts) was in q state
Of decay. that the curtain palisades between the
Artillery and the Land Gate Mount (between
the present william-st. and Broadway were in
ruins and the gate across Broadway was ready
TO fall down" II was not until 1893, however,
after a petition Of the Common Council was
presented 10 the provincial authorities stating
that the former line Of Notifications In WALL
St from the North River TO the East River, had
fallen to decay. and the encrOachments or build
ings which have been made adjacent thereto
will render the same useless for the future"
that action was taken for its demolition An
petition should be granted was that they pro-
posed with all speed TO build new City Han
al the end Of one Of the principal streets 'front.'
ing to the aforesaid line of fortiacations'; and
the stones OF the bastions zone on the corner OK
the present wiulam-st. and the other IN Broad
way) added to the Notifications in 1692, on the
occasion Of the French War, they asked for to
use IN building the said City Hall
1t was the erection OF the City Hail. opposite
Broad-st in 100, during the Governorship Of
the Earl of Bellomont, and its use afterward. IN
1885, as the Capitol Of the United States. which
settled the character of the street as the centre
Of interest Of the city. A description Of the
building as the Capitol was given In another
part Of the chronology.
In 1916 the site Of the old City Hall was
divided into lots. and brought. on average.
5000 a lot Plain brick buildings were erected
on the site one Of which, the corner Of Mas
sau-st. was occupied for some years as book
store and reading room. and afterward was used
as the Custom House. The old Treasury build
Ing originally erected for a custom house. at
one time occupied the site.
Tho first sale by De Peyster and Bayard Of
any part Of their property was in 1IOl when
lot IN the northwesterIy corner Of WaIl-st. and
the present WiIIiam-st was conveyed TO Gabriel
Thompson, innkeeper. for f120. In Ills they
sold to trustees Of the Presbyterian Church AL
that piece OF land TO the westward OF the City
Hall on the north side Of Wall-st-. IS feet In
breadth by 124 feet In depth" for 1850. On this
ground. in 49, the First Presbyterian Church
was erected. history OF which was given In the
series OF articles on the beginning OF the
churches Of the old city. II was enlarged in
174S. and IN 1910 was entirely rebuilt In 1S44
Il was sold to a Presbyterian congregation in
Jersey City. and was taken down, the material
~
erection OF substantially the same building
the corner Of Washington and Sussex sts, IN
that city.
The site OF the ancient half-moon fortihca-
ton and blockhouse Of the Dutch times. at the
foot Of wall-st.. served the first established
slave market in 1909. While IN after years it
used a meal market. and was commonly
known as such, II continued to be known par
ticularly as the place where slaves stood for
hire" Twelve years after the middle of the
eighteenth century the agreeable prospect Of
the East River, which those that live in Wall-st
would otherwise enjoy" was greatly INSTRUCTED
by the slave mart. which occasioned dirty
street. offensive to the Inhabitants and disa-
greeable to those that pass to and from the
Coffee House." and its removal was asked for
and granted.
Another disagreeable feature Of the street, ac-
cording TO the records. was a sugar house which
occupied the whole front the north side OF
wall-st., between the present Nassau and Will
lam sts- II had been erected by Samuel Bay
ard in the early part OF the seventeenth CEN
fury. and was used until after his death. in
1745. It was an unsightly structure, standing
back from the street, in the centre OF the block
inclosed by q high fence. Its existence marred
the neighborhood and precluded the possibility
OF improving its architecture Protests were
made against IT, and the authorities ordered its
demolition Fine dwelling houses were erected
on its site at about the time OF the War of the
Revolution. and the street became famous for
its elegant and fashionable houses.
noted building which adjoined the old City
Hall was the verplanck Mansion, which, after
its use as q dwelling house, became the home OF
different financial institutions. 1t stood on one
Of three lots which were sold by the trustees OF
the De Peyster estate to Samuel Verplanck for
EGO IN 1773. II was earlier than this, however.
when the erection Of fine dwellings took place
on the north side Of the street. between William
and Pearl sts
The centre OF mercantile affairs in the city
prior TO the Revolution was the lower part OF
WsI-st-, which had been built up with stores
as far as Front-st-s In this section the
Coffee House. or Merchants Exchange. which IN
Colonial times seethed with politics In Il the
most important commercial and public affairs
had their origin II stood on the southeast
corner OF Wall and Water SITS. and after the
birth Of the new Tontine Coffee House, told OF
further back in the chronology. was known as
the Old Coffee House. The new one was located
on the northwest corner Of Wall and Water SITS,
and cost $4,000 At the Junction OF Wall and
william SITS. stood the Pitt statue, which was
unveiled on September z ITO, "as a public
testimony OF the grateful sense the colony Of
New-York retains Of the many eminent ser
vices he rendered America, particularly In pro-
noting the repeal OF the Stamp Act" The