New-York tribune., 1919-08-31
Adenaws Break Ownership
Reaching Back to Damen
Sale to Norman S. Riesenfeld of l52 Broadway
Ends Control of Realty Which Family Has Held
for 23O Years-President Arthur Lived There

The history Of the property at 1872
Broadway which was bought last week
by Norman S. Riesenfeld from the
Adenew estate, like that of a number
of other downtown properties, is in
teresting because the lower end of the
of provincial New York Comparisons
of values and the use to which lot of
this land was put in the days when
amusing but interesting. The sky
scraper sites of to-day were farms in
those days, and & few pounds bought
more land in the section then than
millions of dollars will day. Then
the folks who made their homes there.
many Of them, figured in local and
national history.
The property bought by Mr.. Riesen-
field once held the home of Chester
Alan Arthur, one of the best loved
Presidents of the United States. 1t
happened so because many years before
Richard Kip, a cooper, later con-
ancestor of Arthur's, bought this prop
erty, together with other land, from
Quaker named Lloyd, who died in 1894
The property has been retained by
the Dosterity of Kip down to the Ade-
new heirs, who sold it last week. The
history of this property also records a
worthy example Of American democ-
racy.
Just when Richard Kip purchased
the lot is not known, but it was GER
tainly earlier than 1741, when he lived
there, and was one of the const ables
of the West Ward, having been elected
Iox h.
Der (being the feast day of St. Michael
the ArchangeD."
A few days later he claimed, and re-
ceived, exemption from this office "be-
cause he is n6w one Of the Vestrymen
of this City" Evidently the two off,
GERS were considered incompatible. Five
years later he was "Appointed fire.
man for the West Ward" position he
held for twenty years.
On Mr.. Kip's death in 1890 his son
in law, Benjamin Haight, saddler,
purchased the property for S1,24O, CO.
lonial money. Mr.. Haight left large
family--eleven children. A daughter,
Charlotte, married John A. Arthur and
another daughter, Eliza, married Ed
ward P. Arthur. Chester Alan Arthur,
twenty first President of the United
States, was of this family.
Originally l52 Broadway formed part
of the large farm granted by the Dutch
Governor kieft to Jan Jansen Damen
on April 25, 1914. The north boundary
Of the tract was the present Maiden
Lane, then called "the road running be-
twiXt the land of Secretary Cornelis
Van Tienhoven and the said land of
Jan Damen throughout till to the start
ing point at the Common Highway"
(Broadway).
A quarter of century later Major
William Dyre, Collector of Customs in
New York and in 1880 Mayor of the
city, owned the farm. In November,
1880, when Major Dyre's term as Col
lector expired, the merchants of New
York refused to pay any customs or
duties: A pink from London hath un-
loaded her goods and carried them to
their warehouses without taking any
notice of the custom house or officers"
So vigorously did the people protest
against being taxed without their con-
sent that Major Dyre was indicted for
high treason, July 2. 1851, and sent to
London for trial. He was exonerated,
released from his bond and the follow
ing year appointed Kings Collector Of