The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-11
of Broadway
Block From Farm
Lands to Skyscraper
Site Told in Faded Vel.
low Papers Dating Back
TOE arly Colonial Times

low Papers Dating Back
toE arly Colonial Times
- MpLoYEEs of the Registers Of
~ flee are compiling history of |
- the city that extends back to the
very earliest times. Under the
.tdance OF Walter Fairchild and Judge |
lanes p. Davenport score of men
have been inaugurating system BY
which 1t will be possible to trace back
10 the times when Broadway blocks and
acres went for a few pounds sterling.
The work has been under way for some
time. Indeyers started with the pres
ant and worked backward. Just now
they are delving in the ron,ances OF
New York real estate. Times when the
city was little seaport town full of
Vans and Jams, queer looking houses,
narrow streets. windm!ils and gardens.
and when every step was by favor or
The Governor or his gracious Majesty
the King. Abstracts OF deeds are being
put in loose leaf binders. Each binder
covers a block and contains every doc.
ument that pertains to the realty in III.
block from the earliest days down to
the present.
Ask Judge Davenport about early New
York and he will glow with interest.
His ewes deep SCI ana protected by
shaggy eyebrows. will light mp. He
knows the history % this teem!ng city
when it sa- little known outside of the
Dutch West India Company and the
avs OF Holland Referring OCCASION
ally To notes OF to j Scph =. GIN. chief
survey or. 10 MAKE sure of dates. he will
trace in mos, interesting way the
evolution, for instance. ~. the block on
which the City Investing Building and
the Singer Tower stand hack three CEN
turtles to the days when the redmen
hull, tepees where these giant struc-
lures now stand.
The block between Broadwsy. church
. street. Liberty aad Gorilla ndt streets has
been owned by hundred persons since
Jan Jansen Damen got II in 1867 from
Governor Iiiefs, the Dutch ruler of New
York at the time. IL VAS DIlt Of Il large
tract Of land that the Governor gave
Jan for some special at OF favor. Just
Ike the bosses now. kieit WAS good 10
his friends. There Was nothing within
do walls Of the city that he could give
Ian. so he gave a tract just outside tho
north boundary. which was at Wall
street. This tract ran along the west
SIDE o. Ero?J wS5 north propably Ia Full.
ton street and west in some parts to
The river. As the owe: eni OF the tract
was the north gate to New York. Gov.
-rnor Kieft's grant MAS not in the
wilderness entirely. ~ tae line the in.
trinsic value OF TIE tract was not very
oA,Ich. There was not any likelihood al
taA u1ae that Us value would ever bs
much greater either HarNssed by In.
dams to the north, D0men VAS not the
happiest man in the coloay over which
his friend Governor Kirf, presided. His
property bordered the Hclson River
which was extra cause Tor fear, as II
brought him In DANCE" should British
vessels attack the colony. which was eX-
pected at any time. 1t wasn't long be.
fore Damen rid himself OF his fear b!
selling The property.
The lower part. or that from the
Singer Building down to the clty gate
ha NJ, a n
not long after. and his heirs sod ths
north end Of the grant along broadway
and extending west some distance tow
ard Greenwich street to Olon Stevenson
Van Cortland The sale Of the property
10 byre and Van Cortland was the first
step toward the subdivision Of the large
tract on this block. The properties OF
Dyre and Van Cortla nd were divided
ny lane that reached from Broadway
west TO the windmill Of Peter Jansen
Mes'er, which stood on the river banl
- Greenwich street. This lane wa.
sixteen fee, wide and If In existence
Today would come out on Broadway a.
lSl. The north end OF the Singer Build
lng covers il on Broadway and She City
Investing Building extends over par
OF 1t further back in the FLOCK, as |
paraileled Cortlandt street about lO'
fee
MANY Of the $4,000 persons who dali!
pass through ;ne wide corridor OF tn
WY Investing Building are on the oil
F. hne that led 10 the land and mill o
feer y, Mesier." When Mesier owne'
me lane II was a traffic centre 70
housewives Of the colony To the south
ana many to the north brought thei
gram 10 Mesier to be ground into flour
Along the river for miles and miles tn
Dutch housewife had to send her grail
10 New York. for 1t was against tn,
rules OF the Boss OF the colony, tn
1" Governor, TO grind outside OF Manhat
van, That is how the windmill and tn
Two barrels OF -four came to be on tn
sne|d Of the City Of New York. Mos
of this trade came to Mcsier, so tina
me lane was well travelled one
Mesleis ownership of the lane put tn
DOCK IN the hands Of three owners
Ninteen years after Danen got tn
Grant the lower half had changed hand