New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-17
LITTLE OLD NETWORK.
Continued from ninth page.

twenty feet wide existed for other commercial
purposes Frequent appeals were made to legls-
lative authority for it's removal, without appar-
ent effect until I'LL when resort to the courts
was had and its indictment as public null
sance was obtained, which caused Its oDnt-
Grafton. a new one to take its place was erect
ed on the southeast corner Of Broadway and
Maiden Lane. with its front on the latter thor
oughfare Though its new position removed 1t
from the centre Of the business life which had
grown around it in its old. It established for
itself new field. In 1776. when the great fire
occurred all the taverns lodging houses, small
stores and dwellings the west side or the
street were swept away among them the King
Arms Tavern, popular resort for country peo-
pie and Of notable local reputation. which stood
opposite the new market. 1t was constructed
of gray stone, with narrow arched windows
III front. and from its rear piazza view or
the river afforded. In 1t General cage
had Headquarters and from it's garden. which
extended to the river. it is said the chivalric
Champe proposed to abduct Benedict Arnold.
who resided in the house after the discovery of
his treason and carry him off to the American
lines in the Jerseys.
Broadway, from Rector-st. to the park, was
ordered surveyed in 1870 for the purpose OF re-
paving 1t. The work was begun in the middle
OF the year, and when finished the street had
brick sidewalks. (which enhanced its value as
thoroughfare" and led to the establishment on
it four years after of the first building in the
city covered with a slate roof It was known
as the City Hotel, and its erection was consid-
cred quite enterprising in the old days. as 1t
occupied the entire block between Thames and
Cedar sts and was the Hottest edihce OF the
kind in the city" 1t the of public
balls dinners. concerts and festivities; in fact
the fashionable resort Of the town. 1t stood
long into the first half of the last century. with
the result which usually follows progress. A
stage establishment. standing on the block be
tween Cedar and Liberty SITS, followed the cree
ton of the City Hotel. and on the next block
extending TO Cortlandt-st-, fine buildings and
stores were erected, among them those of John
Jacob Astor. fur merchant: James H. Kipp
merchant; Jacobus BOgart. baker and John b.
Dash r., iron merchant.
The buildings spoken of were not superior to
those standing between Cortlandt and Fulton
SITS, IL is said. and OF them were less
pretentous. During the years between 1i96 and
1915, however the character OF the locality had
changed, and some of the old gave way to the
new when the retail and shopping trade had OBJ
tanned a foothold, and the character of the
structures was made TO conform TO the business
rather than the residential idea. The valuation
of property about 1915 from No. 123 to POI
Is
for the City Hotel at No. 123 TO $4,000 for the
drygoods store which stood at No. 20I.
The fashionable shopping side OF Broadway
in the beginning Of the last century. and. In
deed well into the middle OF II. the west.
and the improvement IN architecture was also
more rapid there. on the east side the build
ings first erected were mainly two story struct-
ures but after the Revolution these gave place
10 first class buildings. which were occupied for
commercial purposes among them Barnum's
Hotel which In 1851 was named the Howard
House: the fremont Temperance House. which
stood at No. 10 Broadway: the New-York Athe-
neum on the corner Of Pine-st. and the Ma
tional Hotel. at No. 112 Broadway.
1t is only within the last sixty seventy
years that all the streets leading into
Broadway In the section written Of have been
widened and improved. In 1888 Liberty-st was
widened to Greenwich: 1884. Pine-st Originally
King-st) from Broadway TO Nassau, and Full
tOn-st from Broadway to Riders Alley; 1896.
John-st.. from Broadway 10 PeaTl-st: 1851. Dey-
St. from broadway to Greenwich; 1852, Liberty
St. from Broadway 20 Greenwich. and 1854.
Wall-st.. from Broadway TO Nassau-st.
From Vesey-st. 20 Duane-st. on Broadway was
improved but little until the Enclosure OF the
Fields and their esta blishment as a park In
lIS5. When 1t was first surveyed in 1850 from
the Spring Garden House to the ground OF
the late Widow Rutgers" II was ramed Great
George-st.. and for thirty years thereafter was
so called on its west side the church farm
and its east the Fields and the buryng
ground for negroes The church farm extend
ell from Fulton-st TO Duane and west to
the North River The Dutch West India Com
pany I'm the early days set apart this ground
to be titled for the of their public officers
ara the garrison IN the fort, and IL used
until the overturning OF the government of the
colony by the English. when it became their
property. and called the Kings Farm
.0rd nfgrgrz han fF tn
courage the Established Church. granted the
ground to the corporation of Trinity Church.
which when Broadway was opened, divided II
into streets and lots and coded the former to
the city. The names of these streets with the
exception Of Park Place originally called Rob-
inson-st., the same at the time the ces-
sion made.
the farmhouse Of the Kings Farm. Its vicissi-
tudes many. it is recorded. After its orig
inal It became a private dwelling, then
drovers' inn and then public garden. About
1894 il gave place to the home of John Jacob
Aston and in 1888 the Astor House was built
was the designation given by one of the old
farmhouse's occupants. Cornelius Vandenberg.
in his advertisement in December, 1747, noti-
flying the public that / design TO set out
Albany post, for the first time this winter, on
next Thursday. All letters to go by are to
he sent 70 the Postofice. or TO my house near
the Spring Garden"
record of 1760 shows the lease of four
lots on the southwest corner OF Murray-st. for
twenty-one years, at rental OF Is year-the
first lease of Trinity Church property along
Broadway.
COUNTRY PRODUCE MARKETS.