Broadway, From Astor Place to a Point Above Union Square Pages: 636-655

The present Astor place, formerly known as Art street, and originally as Sandy Hill, was, as has been mentioned, the line of an old road, probably laid out as early as the times of the Dutch, and led from Governor Stuyvesant's, Bowery, to Sapokanican (afterward called Greenwich village). Some alteration of its line appears to have been made in 1768, when some improvement was made from " the old house at the Bowery to the brook called by the Indian name " Minetta water." The Sand Hills were a range extending from Richmond Hill in a semi-circular coures toward the Bowery road. In the Dutch vernacular, the locality was known ?s the " Zantberg," and is so named on some of the early maps. Along the westerly base of this range ran a branch of the brook called Minetta water, which took its rise at a point in the present Fifth avenue, between Twenty-first and Twenty-second streets, and ran a little east of that avenue as far as Eighteenth street, when it turned westward, crossed Washington square, and emptied into the North river not far north of the old Richmond Hill. The road over the Zmtberg was also sometimes called the " Obelisk road," sometimes the " Monument road," from the circumstance that it led past the obituary memorial erected in honor of General Wolfe, the hero of Quebec. This work of art was situated not far from Greenwich, and adjacent to or ón the property of Sir Peter Warren, who owned a very large estate in that vicinity. As no mention of its existence is found after the Revolutionary War, it is presumed the British officers caused its removal before they evacuated the city.

The vicinity of Sandy Hill became the site of several residences, and retained its name until a comparatively recent period, as we find as late as 1812 an advertisement of the sale of a country seat " on Sandy Hill, at the upper end of Broadway." The most notable edifice in that vicinity was that erected by Lieutenant-Governor Andrew Elliott, on his estate, which he called " Minto." Mr. Elliott was a son of Sir Gilbert Elliott, Lord Chief Justice Clerk of Scotland. In 1764 he received the appointment of Collector and Receiver-General of the province of New York, and established his residence in this city. In 1706 he purchased about thirteen acres of land fronting on the Bowery road, and afterward made further purchases so that his estate covered about twenty-one acres, lying partly along the Sandy Hill road, and extending to the Minetta water. He erected a handsome mansion, and gave his estate the name above mentioned. The diagram on the shows a ground plan of his following house, and its relative position to the streets afterward cut through the property.

In 1780 Mr. Elliott was appointed Lieutenant-Governor, and as such, in the absence of the Governor, administered the affairs of the province until the evacuation of the city by the British, when he returned to his native country. His wife was a Philadelphia lady, and his daughter was married in this city, in 1779, to Lord (afterward Earl) Cathcart, then a major in the British army on duty in this city.

This estate afterward became the property and residence of Frederick Charles Hans Bruno Poelnitz, commonly called Baron Poelnitz, who sold it in 1790 for the sum of five thousand pounds to Robert R. Randall, a merchant and shipmaster of this city. Mr. Randall resided on the property until his death, in the early part of the present century. By his will, made in 1801, he established, principally on the basin of this estate, one of the most munificent charities in the country, for the support and maintenance of aged and infirm seamen, directing that a suitable edifice be erected and denominated " The Sailors' Snug Harbor." From which circumstance arose the name by which the property was known for many years. The buildings were, however, finally erected on the north shore of Staten Island, the corner stone being laid August 1, 1833.

Pursuing the history of the original estates along the line of Broadway, we find, adjoining the estate of Minto, or the Sailors' Snug Harbor, the farm of Hendrick Brevoort, fronting also on the Bowery lane, and extending back to a point between Fifth and Sixth avenues. The old homestead stood on the line of the Bowery, and, as the plan of the city was afterward established, Eleventh street ran upon the site of the house. In after years, when the opening of the street became desirable, and efforts were made to accomplish it, Mr. Brevoort resisted with such effect as to have that improvement abandoned. Ordinances were passed for its opening in 1836 and 1849, but the venerable occupant refused to move, and they were rescinded.

The farm of Henry Spingler, extending along the west side of the Bowery road from Fourteenth to Sixteenth street, and containing about twenty-two acres, was originally a part of the large estate of Elias Brevoort, who, in 1702, conveyed this portion to John Smith, from whose executors it was purchased by Mr. Spingler, then a "shopkeeper" of New York, in 1788, for the. sum of nine hundred and fifty pounds. The original farm-house stood, it is believed, within the limits of the present Union square.

Mr. Spingler preserved his property in its original condition long after most of his neighbors had yielded to the pressure of the advancing population, and sold off portions of their original estates ; thus Mr. Brevoort had divided up and sold off portions of his farm, and when Broadwav was opened, several suburban residences had been established on the Brevoort property. More especially was this division of original farm-lines noticed on the east side of the Bowery road opposite Mr. Spingler's farm. There were a succession of rural mansions occupied by wealthy citizens. The grounds attached to these residences were sufficiently large to afford room for handsome floral displays, while the edifices were of an elegant character. These were afterward removed in consequence of the line of the Fourth avenue cutting diagonally through them.

North of Sixteenth street was land which was also originally a part of Elias Brevoort  farm, who sold it in 1762 to a butcher named Dawson. The latter, in 1773, conveyed it to John Ousterman for the sum of thirteen hundred and fifty-nine pounds. It extended in front along the west side of Bowery lane about five hundred and thirty feet, or from the present Sixteenth to Eighteenth street. The farm contained about twenty-three acres. It was through the section covered by these properties that Broadway was next proposed to be opened, the first proceedings toward which were token in 1802 by the appointment of a committee to treat with the owners of the property through which it was proposed to extend the street. The condition of the property at this time may be readily understood by reference to the map made by the Commissioners for laying out the streets on the upper part of the island, which, although not made until a few years after this period, appears to show nearly the same division of estates as existed at the opening of the street. The Bowery lane curved somewhat in passing through the present site of Union square, and at about Sixteenth street pursued a straight course toward Bloomingdale. This latter course it was proposed to continue by the new line of Broadway, and thus the direction of the latter street, which was undeviating from the Battery to Tenth street, was changed above the latter street by a slight divergence westward.

At the time when this part of Broadway was opened, the general plan of the city had not been adopted, and there were no cross
streets established on its line. The pointe of termination of this opening was therefore fixed by designating the improvement as "from Art street to the White House, or the Tulip tree."

In opening the street considerable difficulty arose from the different views of owners affected by it, and although most of them ceded their lands in 1805, yet it was found necessary to call in assessors to settle: claims for damages ; proceedings were initiated in 1806 for regulating the street, and the buildings and other incumbances standing upon its line were removed in 1807.

In 1807 Commissioners were appointed to lay out the whole of the upper part of the island (above those streets already regulated) by a uniform system of streets and avenues ; and the plan adopted by this commission has been since followed, with some modifications. The annexed diagram is copied from the commissioners' map showing the condition of the city, at the time of the conclusion of their labors (about 1820), between Art street (Astor place) and Sixteenth street.

By an act passed in 1815, Union place was appointed for public purposes. Its shape was an irregular polygon, embracing the triangle bounded by the Bowery on the west, Bloomingdale road on the east, and by Fourteenth and Seventeenth streets on the north and south. In 1831 measures were agitated for improving on this plan, the reasons for which were stated to be its shapeless and ill-looking form and its limited dimensions. It was also suggested that it would probably be required in course of time for public buildings, for which provision should be made in anticipation. Accordingly, in 1832, an act was passed establishing the Union place as now existing, which was consummated in the same year at ? cost of $116, 000. Its permanent regulation and enclosure, however, was not accomplished for some years afterward. Several of the cross streets above Union place were opened about the period of this improvement, viz. : Seventeenth street, in 1830 ; Sixteenth street, in 1831 ; Eighteenth street, in 1833 ; Nineteenth street, in the same year. Among the most active of the persons advocating the improvement of this elegant square was Mr. Samuel  Ruggles, a resident and large property-holder in the vicinity.

We shall now proceed to note the progress of individual improvements in the section referred to. For this purpose we will take the year 1832, at about which period the progressive era of that portion of the street became most animated. At that time, on the east side of Broadway, between the present Astor place and Eighth street, the street was wholly built upon. The block between Eighth and Ninth streets was vacant. That between Ninth and Tenth streets was also vacant. Between Tenth and Twelfth streets there were several small houses toward Twelfth street, belonging respectively to Ann Hamilton, J. Howell, John Morse, and Henry M. Western. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets were two large houses belonging to J. F. Delaplaine ; the rest of the block was vacant. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets were several small frame buildings. On the west side of Broadway, between Eighth and Ninth streets, all vacant lots. Between Ninth and Tenth streets, four first-class residences, belonging to W. B. Lawrence and B. McVickar ; and another, with, four lots attached, of J. F. Delaplaine. Between Tenth and Eleventh streets, all vacant lots, belonging to Henry Brevoort. Between Eleventh and Twelfth streets, one house, belonging to Richard R. Ward. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets, three small houses ; remainder of block vacant. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets, all vacant. The era of improvement bad, however, commenced, and the street became speedily occupied by elegant residences. It was about the time now spoken of that the migration of the wealthy classes of our population from the lower part of the city became most animated, and not only Broadway in the vicinity now spoken of, but all the neighboring streets, received their influx of fashionable residents, and that section became the court end of the city, a position which it remained for some years, and still to some extent
enjoys.

The most conspicuous public building in that section is Grace church, erected about the year 1840, on a very advantageous site for the display of its beautiful proportions ; its position, at the point where the course of Broadway diverges at Tenth street, presents it in the front of the spectator_looking up Broadway. Of this fashionable place of worship the Rev. Thomas H. Taylor has been pastor from the time of its erection until the present.

Above Fourteenth street the improvements have been so comparatively recent as not to justify extended notice. The church of the Puritans (Congregational), on the corner of Fifteenth street, has been built about twenty years, during which period Dr. Cheever has officiated as minister. Among the public hotels may be mentioned the Albion, No. 769 (1852). St. Denis, corner of Eleventh street (1852). Union Place Hotel, No. 860 (1850). Eolian, No. 834 (1851).