Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-06-16

longest, greatest and most celebrat-
ed street in the world, rose like
| quicksilver in a thermometer, slowly
at first, then spurted off Manhattan
Island all the way UP to Albany.
Topsylike it Just grew" as indicat-
ed by it's drunken course. cts
course is characteristic Of the
Schnapps-loving Dutch, bibulous
| English, and pre-prohibition Ameri-
cans who laid it out as a live street)
! With Broadway, too, the first hun
dred years was the hardest. 1t took
| century for it to grow from Bow
| ling Green to st. Pauls church as
| Vesey street.
| In 1909 Henry Hudson's keen eye
| picked from a wilderness the right
| spot for a city, and in 1914 the first
| habitations~ of white men were erect
| ed where the United States ship
ping board is now located, Is Broad
way. Thus the street began.
| Three hundred and seven years
have passed since then and it is hard
to imagine our teeming Broadway
canyon below st. Paul's as it was.
Ghosts of the early Dutch, Indians,
| English, pirates, statesmen Gnclud-
ing Washington, Hamilton, Adams),
| warriors of all nationalities and ce-
lebrities Of fashion and finance
haunt lower Broadway.
English Change Street Name
The Dutch christened the street
| Here STRAIT. The English changed
! it to Broadway when Peter Stuy-
vesant surrendered the city in 1854
| to Colonel Nicolls.
| Every trace of the Dutch has dis
appeared here except Bowling Green
| and some of the names of streets
along Broadway.
The only Extraordinary relics
| standing are the iron fence around
| in church
| The fence was put up to keep out
| the "neighborhood filth" when the
| statue of George III was erected on
! the green by grateful colonists at
1t is interesting to examine the
tops of the pillars of the fence to-
day and wonder what grateful col
I onists' rudely broke off the royal
crowns and leaden balls that orna-
pulled from his high horse by the
| populace, July, 1776. 80
| st. Paul's was erected in 1865, and
was saved from the great fire OF
| 1875 only because it's fiat roof per-
mitted people to stay on it and .eX-
tinguish the burning brands. Next
to st. Paul's, Trinity church, erect
ed in 1889, is the oldest building
! standing in this section Of Broad
way. OF all the buildings that stood
on both sides, of the street, from the
|
seven remain today.
Of these. on the west side OF
Broadway is No. So, American For
eign Banking corporation; Vessels
building, southwest corner of Cort-
landt street, nesting under the City
Investment skyscraper; No. 172, Ger
mania building, and No. 1873.
| On the east side are Nos. 1S2 and
and 15S (Haight building, north of
Liberty and the building on the
southeast corner of John street.
Dutch Block House
On the site of the Custom House
stood the first Dutch block house
G612), Fort Amsterdam. Here, in
1885, Van Twiller built a more pre-.
tentious fort costing ,s1.6ss. In 1877
lstones used for the foundations OF
1.-THE new government house. In
TENDED as President Washington
residence. it was not completed be
delphia., Governors Clinton and Jay
used it till the state capital was re-
moved to Albany in 1888. It ther
became the custom house till de-
stroyed by fire in 1915.
(Heere Straat) only extended up tc
Wall street, which got it's name from
a wooden palisade or wall put VI
across the island for defense By
Peter stuyvesant. De Laudt Poo Poor
was opposite Trinity church site
Foundations of the wall (torn dowr
in 1899 were found here by work
men in 1893, when laying water pipes
on Broadway.
In 1857 best lots here were priced
at fifty dollars. The southeast cor.
liner of Wall street, il our day, sole
flor $500 square foot. -.
! Bowling Green was the hrst city
Ipark, established in 1882.
| not n9VPd
l1707, and then only between Trinity
and Bowling Green. The middle o.
the street was drainage ditch ant
Iup to 1920 it was estimated 10000
Sidewalks came in around 1890.
Broadway wells and Collect Pone
furnished the first drinking water.
but in 1879 every seventh house wa.
obliged to hang out pole with
lantern and lighted candle on moon
Hess nights. The expense was di
vided BY the seven houses.
ployed. Gas came in 1928.
The first market was in Bowling
Green, also used for celebrations
bonfires, Maypole dances and bowl
ling. In 1889 market forty-two b1
twenty-six feet was placed in TIT
middle of Broadway, opposite Nader
Lane. Called "Oswego Market" !
Twas abolished as a nuisance in It'll
giving way to Washington Market
in 1912.
Where the new International Mer
camille Marine building now stands
at No. / Broadway was the famous
Kennedy House. This was used BY
Washington in 1875. also Gems
Charles Lee and Israel Putnam. Il
escaped the fire of 1875 and was usec
by Sir William Howe, Sir Henry
lCiinton, Sir Guy Carlton and from
here Major Andre corresponded witt
benedict Arnold. Later as Washing
ton Hotel it housed Talleyrand, Ma
poleon's exiled minister.
On the site of the present Bowling
lGreen building stood the kings arms
tavern from 1865 to 1856. Here Ar.
mold, the traitor, was nearly captured
Iby daring Sergeant Champe. AT NO
80 stood the Brinker mansion house
! occupied for while by Washington
as presidential mansion.
At No. 10 was boarding house
frequented by Daniel Webster. No
is once housed Washington Irving.
Rector street was named after the
first rector of Trinity church, the
Rev. William Vesey. who lived on the
street. His name also is found II
IVesey street.
Trinity church came into being in
1856. enlarged in 1897, destroyed by
fire in 1875. rebuilt in 1871, present
structure erected in 1889.
Captain James Lawrence (of "Don't