The Lost 1826 Masonic Hall - 316 Broadway

 

from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York

On April 18, 1826, the Masonic Hall Association announced in the New-York Evening Post its intention "to commence building a Masonic Hall, for the accommodation of all the lodges and other masonic bodies in this city, in the ensuing month."  The article offered "subscriptions to the stock of said association" for $10 each--about $330 in 2026 terms. 

The cornerstone was laid on June 24, 1826.  The Evening Post remarked that New Yorkers had witnessed, "for the first time, we believe, in twenty years, the novel and interesting spectacle of a Masonic Procession."  The article mentioned that inscribed on the stone, along with names of the trustees and builders, was, "Brother Hugh Reinagle, Architect."  The New York Times added, "Many thousands of our citizens were present to witness the ceremony."

The $10 stock certificates depicted Reinagle's rendering.  from the collection of the New York Masonic Library.

Reinagle was not an architect, but a well-known landscape painter.  Nonetheless, his Masonic Hall was one of the first Gothic Revival structures in America.  The New York Times would recall in 1856, "At the time of its erection, it was looked upon as a prodigy of American architecture." 

Sitting on Broadway between Duane and Worth Streets, the building was completed in 1827 at a cost of $50,000, or about $1.7 million today.  It was faced in "eastern gray granite," according to The New York Times.  Two triple Gothic-arched arcades flanked the main entrance, which was ornamented with Gothic crockets.  A row of stone quatrefoils introduced the second floor, which was dominated by a central arched window 22 feet high and 10 feet wide.  The New York Times described it as being, "divided into small diamond-shaped window panes in leaden frames."  The third floor sat between an intermediate cornice and slightly projecting band course.  A rose window distinguished the fourth floor and the crenelated roofline sprouted crocketed pinnacles.

Geo. P. Hall & Son depicted the residential neighborhood around Masonic Hall in 1830.  from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York.

Historian Rufus Rockwell Wilson would recall in his 1903 New York: Old & New, "A costly Gothic structure, its first floor was given up to a single spacious apartment, intended for public meetings, concerts, and balls, while its third story was arranged for the meetings of the fraternity from which it borrowed its name."  Visitors entered a long hall that extended through the length of the building.  The Grand Saloon--95 feet long, 20 feet high and 47 feet wide--on the second floor was described by The New York Times as "the most splendid apartment of the kind in the United States."  According to the newspaper, Reinagle had based its design on the Chapel of Henry VII in Westminster Abbey, saying:

The ceiling was beautifully ornamented, and fancifully divided into light arches with numerous decorations...Open-work columns supported arches which projected from the side walls, between which were false windows wreathed with flowers cut in stone, and carved corbels, and other architectural adornments.

There were historic-themed spaces.  The New-York Tribune (which described the Grand Saloon as a "splendid memorial of feudal age, and venerated relic of the early arts,") said that the Great Doric Hall was "equally distinguished for its simplicity, its beauty, and commanding size."  Another of the semi-public spaces, according to the article, was the Reading-Room Library.

New Yorkers had an opportunity to see selected spaces on November 30, 1827.  An announcement in the New-York Evening Post said:  

The public is informed that the Gothic Saloon in that splendid edifice, the Masonic Hall, will be opened for inspection on Wednesday...at which time the whole of the decorations, Grand Lodge furniture, hangings, &c., used at the dedication, can be seen.  The Chapter Lodge and Banqueting rooms can be viewed at the same time.

Tickets to tour the three areas cost 25 cents, or about $8 today.

Certain meeting rooms were available for rent.  On October 30, 1828, for instance, the Republican Electors of the Sixth Ward held a meeting for promoting the nomination of "the election of General Andrew Jackson" for President.  The following year, a meeting of the Friends of the American System backed Henry Clay for the U.S. Senate here.

The Grand Saloon was the scene of the Scottish themed Thistle Ball on March  18, 1829.  The New-York Evening Post reported, "Two Bag Pipers, and a number of Gentlemen in Highland Costume, will promenade the room before the commencement of the Ball."  This was a benefit event for John Graham, "as a mark of respect for his genius, the emanations of which have so frequently enlivened of public festivals; and also, an alleviation of his affliction, he being entire deprived of sight."

from the collection of the New York Masonic Library

Later that year, in October, a less expected function took place.  The New-York Evening Post reported that a boa constrictor was on exhibition.  "Although but about five years of age, it already measures some seventeen or eighteen feet in length," said the article.  Another snake, an anaconda, had been removed from the exhibition because, "it is now torpid from the process which it is undergoing of changing its skin."  The article proposed, however, "When the shedding shall be completed, an opportunity will probably be afforded to the public of seeing this animal destroy and swallow its quarterly meal."

In 1827, the body of anti-Mason William Morgan washed up on the shore of Lake Ontario.  Shortly after, David Cade Miller published a book that strongly suggested that he had been murdered by Masons.  The book eventually affected Masonic Hall.  Rufus Rockwell Wilson recalled in 1903, "But following the blow given to Masonry by the disappearance of William Morgan, its name was changed to Gothic Hall."

Gothic Hall continued to be the venue of political rallies, temperance meetings, and exhibitions.  On July 26, 1841, for instance, the New-York Tribune reported on the "grand opening fete" of the temperance movement.  Among the activities, said the article, was "an elegant supper, upon Temperance principles, served up in the Doric Hall with the same splendor and magnificent that was displayed in London at the Great Temperance Festival at the Coloseum [sic]."

from the collection of the New York Public Library

On November 29, 1854, an advertisement in the New-York Tribune read: "On Friday, Dec. 1., the marvelous Hybrid, or Bear-Woman, will be exhibited--pronounced by naturalists as a mysterious link combining the Human Species with the Brute Creation."

At the time of the Bear-Woman's appearance here, the end of the magnificent structure was near.  On May 26, 1856, The New York Times reported, "They are tearing down Gothic Hall, in Broadway."  After reminiscing about the building's history and mentioning that it had held the "largest bowling alley in the world," the article said, "The workmen are busily engaged in tearing down the walls of the edifice, and in a few days nothing will remain on the spot but dust and ruins."

Today the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building sits on the site.

image by Ajay Suresh

The Lost Julius W. Tiemann House - 2648 Broadway

 

When Herman Newell Tiemann (son of Julius) took this photograph in 1901, the end of venerable house was near.  from the collection of the New York Public Library.

Sprawling summer estates dotted the upper portion of Manhattan Island in the 18th century.  Others were established following the Revolution, like that of Archibald Gracie on the East Side, begun in 1798.  Around the same time, a dignified, two-story frame country house was erected on the Bloomingdale Road far north of the city.  Its Federal style architecture included a raised basement, columned veranda, and an octagonal cupula atop the slightly hipped roof.

An advertisement in the New York Herald on September 19, 1854 read:

To Let--A large house and four acres of land, on Bloomingdale road, between 100th and 101st streets, and possession given immediately.

The tenant filled the house with elegant furnishings.  When the family moved out in April 1868, an auction was held of "all the magnificent household furniture in the mansion," as worded by the announcement.  Among the items were "rich rosewood and walnut Chamber [i.e. bedroom] and Parlor suits; Velvet and Brussels Carpets, Pier Mirrors, rosewood Piano," and such.

At the time of the ad, Julius William Tiemann was a partner in in D. F. Tiemann & Co., founded by his father Johan Anton (known as Anthony) Tiemann in 1807.  The firm operated the Manhattan Paint & Color Works near the Hudson River around 120th Street.  Born in 1817, Tiemann grew up in the family's town house at 40 East 23rd Street and in their summer home in Manhattanville, which was not far from the plant.

The Illustrated American Biograph, 1852 (copyright expired)

Julius W. Tiemann married Marie Antoinette Megie on March 28, 1860.  The couple would have 12 children.  Tiemann purchased the Bloomingdale Road estate while retaining their town home at 125 West 43rd Street.

Outside of the paint business, Tiemann was highly involved in civic affairs.  He was, for instance, the president of the Twenty-second Ward Council of Political Reform in 1871.  In August 1881, he co-founded The Drug, Paint and Chemical Exchange, described by New Remedies as "a new organization in this city to facilitate the business of these allied industries."

By the mid-1890s, the Tiemann's residence that once sat upon four acres was surrounded by business and residential buildings.  Around 1896, Tiemann sold the property to N. Reynal, who lived in White Plains, New York.  He converted the house to The Arbor, an inn and meeting place. 

The Arbor was the gathering spot for political dinners and meetings.  On October 30, 1899, for instance, the New-York Tribune reported that the Independent Club of the 21st District would hold a dinner that night.  The New York Times noted, "The Rev. Dr. John P. Peters, pastor of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, and Acting President of the Club, presided."  The location was highly convenient to Reverend Peters, since he listed his address here, apparently renting rooms upstairs.  (The same year that that dinner was held, the former Bloomingdale Road was renamed Broadway and The Arbor received the address of 2648 Broadway.)

Decades after the Tiemann house was demolished, filmmaker Stanley Kubrick painted a romanticized conception.  This black-and-white depiction was published in Look magazine's article "Art by Celebrities."  via the Museum of the City of New York.

Other organizations that used The Arbor as their headquarters were The Speakers' Club and The Citizens' Union.  When the latter held its convention on October 1, 1901, The New York Times remarked that it "was held at 'The Arbor,' 2,648 Broadway.  There were about sixty delegates present, and reporters were barred."

The end of the line for the venerable house came in 1907.  On January 9, The New York Times reported that the Franklin Building Company had leased the blockfront on the "east side of Broadway, between 100th and 101st Streets" for 21 years.  The newly formed company "will erect stores and offices on the Broadway front and a garage on the remainder of the plot" on the site, said the article.

Those resultant structures were apparently what were known as "taxpayers"--most often low rise, temporary buildings erected to garner enough rental income to pay the property taxes.  They were demolished in 1925 and replaced with a 15-story and penthouse apartment building.

The Lost Manhattan Congregational Church -- 2168 Broadway

A vintage postcard shows the church on an otherwise vacant Broadway block.  The parish house is seen on West 76th street.  (copyright expired)

The feverish development of the Upper West Side in the last quarter of the 19th century necessitated schools, police stations, churches and other supporting infrastructure.  A meeting in Leslie Hall on 83rd Street and Broadway in June 1896 resulted in the formation of the Manhattan Congregational Church, headed by Reverend Dr. Henry A. Stimson.  (Stimson had been pastor of the Broadway Tabernacle since 1893.)  The congregation grew as rapidly as the district's population and in January 1900 it purchased an L-shaped lot on Broadway and West 76th Street.  (The 20-foot-wide corner lot was not included in the sale).

The Broadway portion of the vacant plot was 80 feet wide.  The church purchased the parcel for $80,000 (just over $3 million in 2026).  The Treasury noted in its April 1902 issue, "This property has proved to be very valuable.  It is in the centre of a dense population and on a main artery."

Brothers Arthur A. and Charles W. Stoughton formed the architectural firm of Stoughton & Stoughton.  When the church purchased the Broadway plot, the Stoughtons had just put the finishing touches on their design for the Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Riverside Park.  They now were given the commission for the church building. 

Stoughton & Stoughton's plans, filed on May 4, 1900, called for a 76-foot-wide "stone church" at a cost of $70,000.  It would bring the total cost, including land, to $5.7 million today.  The architects called the style "Louis XII Gothic."  The New York Times architectural columnist Christopher Gray would deem it a century later, "a broad, lacy Parisian-style house of worship."  

Stoughton & Stoughton released this water colored rendering.  American Architect & Building News, August 8, 1903 (copyright expired)

On June 24, 1900, the New-York Tribune addressed the oddly shaped plot:

The problem has been to erect an adequate, modern church building on inside lots.  The church owns four lots, with a small L in the rear opening in Seventy-sixth-st.  Members say that the building will be a return to the original idea of a house of God, as being something more than merely a place for formal public worship.

The article predicted, "The main front will be a somewhat elaborate facade."  The New York Times, on November 10, remarked, "Many architectural novelties are to be introduced in the Manhattan Congregational Church, about to be erected at Broadway and Seventy-sixth Street," adding, "The material will be of red brick, and the face, with its deeply recessed windows, will be richly ornamented in stone and terra cotta."

The main entrance "will open directly upon the social rooms of the church, which will open freely into one another, and together will constitute a large and hospitable foyer for the church property, which will be in the rear," said the New-York Tribune.  On the second floor were a hall, meeting rooms for Sunday school and similar uses, and a library.  The New-York Tribune predicted they would be "a rallying place for the neighborhood for all sorts of meetings."

The church auditorium would be 72-by-72 feet and could accommodate as many as 900 worshipers.  Decades before air conditioning, the article said the church would have "ample provision for air from from large wells in the four corners and from the west front through the secular hall as well as through its own roof."  The parish house on 76th Street would hold a choir room, a "sunny kindergarten," and committee rooms.  

The cornerstone was laid on April 19, 1901 with "appropriate ceremonies," according to The New York Times.  In reporting on the event, the newspaper said, "The Manhattan Church promises to be one of the most notable buildings of the upper west side, as it differs radically from the usual church edifice, particular in interior arrangements."  The article was referring to the church proper in the rear.

The single Broadway entrance sat within a projecting pavilion decorated with Gothic crockets.  Three double-height stained-glass windows sat below a parapet, which was interrupted by an acute gable holding a small rose window.  The building's hipped roof was pierced by two diminutive dormers and frosted with lacy iron cresting and pinnacles.  From its center rose a stone, Gothic fleche that sprouted gargoyles.  It prompted comment from The New York Times.  "A bronze spire towering above the structure to a height nearly equal to that of the roof line from the street will make the church a notable feature of that part of the city."  (The fleche was, in fact, not merely decorative, but part of the ventilation system and provided a release of hot air in the summer months.)

As the dedication neared, the New-York Tribune published a photo of the church and Rev. Henry Stimson on January 6, 1902 (copyright expired)

With construction completed, on January 6, 1902, the New-York Tribune reported that "the building had cost $139,000, of which $132,000 had already been subscribed."  Rev. Stimson was asking the congregation to make up the difference before the next Sunday "so that the church might be dedicated...free from debt."

Born in New York City in 1844, Reverend Dr. Henry A. Stimson had a fascinating background.  The New York Sun said, "in his early career [he] was a frontiersman and Indian fighter with Col. William F. Cody.  He carried the Christian religion into the Indian camps."  Stimson served in the Civil War and "after the close of hostilities" in the West, resumed his missionary work with Native American tribes.

Rev. Stimson was outspoken in his views, not only from the pulpit but in his letters to the editors of local newspapers.  On November 5, 1906, for instance, he wrote to The New York Times to rail against concerts, like those of the Philharmonic on Sunday nights.  He said in part, "'Sunday Concert' has long been the Mother Hubbard garment which is made to cover all kinds of naked uncleanness."

And he used the Titanic tragedy to attempt to derail women's demands for equal rights.  He wrote in a letter to the editor of The New York Times on April 22, 1912, "If some of the women who are seeking to lead public opinion had a little broader view they would talk very differently about 'the women first.'"  He said if women had equal rights and were not given first access to life boats, "What a cry of shame and horror would have gone up everywhere!"  

P. L. Sperr shot this photograph on December 21, 1927.  from the collection of the New York Public Library

World War I changed attitudes and traditions throughout the world.  On January 19, 1917, The New York Sun reported that Stimson had resigned after 21 years in the pulpit of the Manhattan Congregational Church.  The article said, "Dr. Stimson said the ending of the war would bring new and vital problems to the churches of America and that the churches must have men of strength and health to lead them in that critical time."

Stimson was replaced by the Rev. William T. McElveen, who came from Evanston, Illinois.  His would be a short pastorship.  On September 29, 1919, the New-York Tribune reported that he had resigned.  Disgruntled with the metropolitan lifestyle of New Yorkers, he complained, "New York is the most difficult field for a church in all America, I believe.  Members are here today and gone tomorrow...What will be done with Manhattan Church?  I am almost too discouraged with New York to care."

The electric lighting fixtures were as novel as was the building's exterior architecture.  catalog of Lyon & Healy, edition II. (copyright expired)

Taking McElveen's place was Reverend Edward H. Emmett, whose forward thinking views were in stark contrast to those of his predecessor.  On November 29, 1919, for instance, the New-York Tribune reported, "An unusual union service will take place at Manhattan Congregational Church...at 11 a.m., when the congregation of that church and of the New Synagogue will join in worship."

And in response to the ebb and flow of membership that had so troubled Rev. McElveen, Emmett took a very modern approach.  On October 6, 1921, The Evening World reported, "It pays to advertise even the church, figures from the Manhattan Congregational at Broadway and 76th Street show."  During a four-month period of public advertisement, said the article, the church "got 10,000 lines of publicity and received 189 new regular attendants."  The newspaper said, "Advertising sells religion, is the verdict of the Manhattan Congregational Church."

from the collection of the New York Public Library

Rev. Emmett's modern thinking soon turned to real estate.  So-called "skyscraper churches" were appearing throughout American's largest cities.  Vintage church buildings were being demolished to be replaced by hotels or apartment buildings which retained space for the church.  The congregations therefore reaped rental income from the residential and commercial spaces.  

In 1927, Emmett announced that the Manhattan Congregational Church would be replaced by a hotel and church structure.  Demolition of Stoughton & Stoughton's unique and masterful building began in May 1928.  It was replaced by the 24-story Manhattan Towers Hotel designed by Tillion & Tillion.

The replacement building follows the original L-shape plot.  photograph by the author

The Lost Chamberlin Building - 603 Broadway

 

The awning frame at the curb reads, "India Rubber Goods."  from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York 

In 1829 a grocery store occupied the ground floor of 603 Broadway, just south of Houston Street.  As the city inched northward, commerce engulfed the block and around 1848 the vintage grocery store was replaced with a three-story, Italianate-style, marble-faced business building.  The segmentally arched openings of the upper floors wore handsome molded cornices supported by scrolled brackets.  Four large corbels upheld the pressed metal terminal cornice, which sprouted an arched pediment that announced the street address.

R. Webber's stationery store occupied the ground floor in 1848.  The area was still somewhat remote from Manhattan's bustling business center, and on November 1, 1848, J. W. Hawkhurst announced his opening of his "artists' repository" on Fulton Street.  He sold artists' supplies like brushes, colored pencils and canvasses.  The ad noted, "For the accommodation of our customers in the upper part of the city, a box for orders will be placed at the store of R. Webber, 603 Broadway."

Also in the building by 1850 were Joseph Rosset's "looking glasses" store, and Mary Cleaveland's menswear shop.  The following year, The Evening Post reported that Mary Cleaveland, "manufactures and constantly keeps for sale a large stock of superior and fashionably made linen for gentlemen; also dressing gowns, bosoms, collars, cravats, gloves, hosiery, &c."  A "custom-tailor," she created gentlemen's furnishings to order.

Mary Cleaveland entered an example of her shirts into the American Institute's Fair in 1851.  On July 17, The Evening Post reported that she "has obtained the highest medal...for her exquisite specimens of needle work."

In May 1851, the ground floor store was offered for rent.  The ad was answered by A. Bassford, Jr., who ran several varied businesses.  Bassford was a manufacturer and inventor of sports equipment--specifically skates.  He opened his piano showroom here, and simultaneously operated two billiard table stores, at 149 Fulton Street and 8 Ann Street.  Of the latter, The Merchants' Guide said his was "the oldest Billiard Establishment in the United States.  Every article in the line at the lower market price."

In 1860, the Broadway Rubber Emporium moved into the building.  On April 21, The New York Times said that the firm's relocation reflected the "up-town movement" among merchants.  Around 1863, Henry W. Shiffler acquired the business, renaming it Shiffler & Co.  Among the items he manufactured was vulcanite jewelry.  

This sitter is wearing an elaborate vulcanite necklace.  (original source unknown)

Sometimes called "ebonite," vulcanite jewelry was invented in 1843 and was created by combining the sap of Malaysian Ficus trees with sulphur and heating it.  The substance was then molded into jewelry.  Its ebony color made it popular for mourning.

Sharing the building with Shiffler & Co. in 1863 were Annie M. Stewart's bonnet shop, and Charles K. Bill's photography studio.  Photography studios first appeared in New York in the 1840s.  Patrons of the Charles K. Bill studio would stand or sit before painted scenery and beside props like small, fancy tables upon Oriental carpets.

This teenaged Union soldier posed in Charles K. Bill's studio here before marching off to war.  from the collection of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

By 1867, Shiffler & Co. had been taken over by Hungerbuhler & Linherr.  They expanded their mourning jewelry to include hair jewelry.  Considered morbid by some today, the jewelry incorporated hair from a deceased loved one.  

At the same time, Henry Chamberlin's photography studio replaced Charles K. Bill's.  An aggressive marketer, he applied large signage to the front of the building.

The Metropolitan Guide, 1868 (copyright Expired)

In 1868, Charles Knox, known best as Knox the Hatter, "bought No. 603 Broadway, a marble edifice," according to The Evening Post.  Born in Ireland, Knox opened his first hat shop in 1838 and was now the premier hatter in America, having provided Abraham Lincoln's famous stovepipe hat.  By now, he was highly involved in real estate, as well.

Founder of the New-York Tribune, Horace Greeley, died on November 29, 1872, sparking an outpouring of sympathy from New Yorkers.  A Memorial of Horace Greeley noted, "In Broadway, it seemed as if almost every building had a flag at half-mast...Chamberlin's photographic studio, No. 603 [was] draped heavily."

Henry Chamberlin moved his studio to 1273 Broadway in 1874.  The upper portion of the building was home to Sigmond Gage & Co., furs, in 1876, and Joseph Goulding's flower business was in the ground floor.

By the late 1880s, the city's fashionable shopping district had moved northward.  The upper floors were converted to a men's apparel factory, and M. Herzberg operated a saloon from the ground floor until 1889.  It was replaced by Julia Hatchwell's cigar store.  

On May 4, 1894, the entire stock of the apparel factory was auctioned.  It anticipated the demolition of the building.  Two weeks later, the Record & Guide reported that Cleverdon & Putzel had filed plans for an eight-story, "iron and brick warehouse" on the site.  That building was demolished in 1932 when Houston Street was widened.

The Lost American Hotel - Broadway and Barclay Street

 

Lithograph by Antonio Canova, around 1831, from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York

In the first decades after the Revolution, three refined, Federal style mansions sat at the northwest corner of Broadway and Barclay Street.  Three stories tall with dormered attics, they enjoyed views of City Hall Park.  The corner house was home to Abijah Hammond, who was prominent in the new government, and two doors away at 231 Broadway was the Philip Hone mansion.  Hone was mayor of New York City from 1826 to 1827.

The three houses, 229 through 231 Broadway, can be seen behind the second tree from the right.  from the collection of the New York Public Library.

In 1824, renovations to convert the Hammond house to a hotel began.  The attic was raised to a full fourth floor, crowned with a stone balustrade.  The American Hotel opened on May, 2, 1825.

Close inspection of this watercolor, executed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1826, reveals the change to the former Hammond mansion. from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The hotel included a store in the basement.  An advertisement in the New-York Evening Post on May 20, 1828 offered,

To rent for one or more years, the store No. 2 Barclay street, corner of Broadway, situated under that large building kept by Boardman & Blake, and known as the American Hotel...The above would no doubt prove one of the most lucrative shaving and hair cutting establishments in the city, having a communication with the above hotel in the rear.

A traveler from London was shocked by the egalitarian dining practices here in 1829.  The anonymous writer's reflections were printed in the New-York Evening Post in December that year.  He said in part, 

In the American hotel, a vast table-d'hote was spread every day at 3 o'clock, not only for the guests of the house, but for others who lodged elsewhere; probably not fewer than a hundred persons dine at this daily.  There was also a smaller dinner serve up a little later, at which the guests in the house, who were disposed to make themselves more select, usually assembled.  But this was as they themselves fancy; for parties are free to live in their own rooms as they please, and may be served as in the hotels of England.

By saying "free to live in their own rooms," the writer referred to the English practice of being served meals in their suites.  He considered, "This boarding-house way of life [is] ever too public to be quite comfortable."

The year following the Englishman's visit, the hotel expanded into the house next door.  Its attic was raised and the facade renovated to match.  

The renovations doubled the size of the hotel.  The Philip Hone mansion (right) remained intact.  New-York And Its Environments, 1831 (copyright expired) 

In January 1838, William B. Cozzens purchased the American Hotel.  He would soon host a high-level guest.  During the Presidential campaign of 1840, Vice President Richard Menton Johnson visited New York City.  On June 10, The Evening Post reported that after a diplomatic welcome by the mayor and common council, "The Vice President then retired amidst the deafening plaudits of the people, to partake refreshments at the American Hotel."  Later that night, he was guest of honor at a dinner at the hotel, "which we understand was a rich repast, the proceedings [of which] were conducted with great harmony and spirit," said the article.

At the time of Johnson's visit, however, Cozzens faced stiff competition.  Elegant hostelries like the Astor House and the United States Hotel lured well-heeled travelers.  In 1842 Cozzens began a year-long renovation-redecoration of the hotel.  According to The New York Times, the new furnishings alone cost $50,000--more than $1 million in 2025 terms.  Cozzens's announcement in the New York Herald on June 20, 1843 read:

Having completed the repairs and alterations of the American Hotel, and the adjoining house (which I have annexed to it) I respectfully solicit from my friends and the public a continuation of their patronage.  The situation is as good as that of any similar establishment in the city.  It fronts on the Park, and the Fountain is immediately opposite.  The house has been newly completed, and everything thoroughly repaired.

The Mexican-American War began in April 1846.  The following year, on May 7, 1847, the city turned out to celebrate 16 victories, including those at "Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, Buena Vista and Vera Cruz," as reported by the New York Herald.  The newspaper said there were "two hundred thousand human beings in the streets."  The buildings along Broadway were "illuminated," or decorated with flags and banners.   The American Hotel was "splendidly illuminated," said the article and "an excellent band of music played several enlivening airs during the evening, and added much to the festivities of the occasion."

from the collection of the New York Public Library

On June 17, 1853, The New York Times reported on the "extensive conflagration at the American Hotel."  The fire broke out at around 4:00 in the afternoon.  "In the Hotel, where the fire was raging, the utmost confusion prevailed."  Guests attempted to remove their trunks and other baggage, clogging the stairways and halls.

In the chaos, at least two waiters were caught "plundering the rooms," said the article.  Some guests took advantage of the unmanned barroom, taking, "liberal draughts upon the liquor without asking the aid of the barman."  The Times said they "were wandering about the house, singing, dancing, proposing the proprietor's health in maudlin speeches, and otherwise indecently misconducting themselves."  

Their cavalier attitude was highly foolhardy.  The article said that by 5:30, the two top floors "were completely gutted," adding, "Of the amount of damage done to the building by fire and water we cannot form an estimate."  The New York Times dismally opined, "It is not likely, therefore, that, as a hotel, it will ever be opened again."

The hotel was repaired, but it was no longer fashionable.  The more upscale hotels were located farther north by now.  The American Hotel staggered along, helped financially by stores and offices renting portions of the building.  Then, on April 6, 1866, another fire broke out.  This time the entire building was gutted.  On April 12, the Evening Post reported, "A part of the Barclay street wall of the old American Hotel, at the corner of Broadway and Barclay street, which building was burned a few days ago, fell shortly before three o'clock this afternoon."  

The replacement building and the other structures on the block were demolished in 1910 to make way for the Woolworth Building, completed in 1913.

The Lost 1872 Van Rensselaer Building - 476 Broadway

from the collection of the Library of Congress

When the two identical Federal-style houses at 474 and 476 Broadway were erected around 1825, the block between Grand and Broome Streets was genteel.  But by the end of the Civil War, commerce had invaded the formerly residential district and both houses had been converted to businesses.

A variety of businesses operated from the former homes in the 1860s.  from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In 1871, Alexander Van Rensselaer purchased the properties and hired 44-year-old architect Richard Morris Hunt to design a store and loft building on the site.  

Nineteen years earlier, Jacob Wrey Mould had arrived in New York City from England.  Having studied with influential architect Owen Jones, Mould brought with him a passion for Moorish architecture and the use of bold, primary colors.  It is tempting to assume that it was Mould's conspicuous work that influenced Hunt's exotic design for the Van Rensselaer building.

Completed in 1872, the five-story structure was faced in cast iron.  Its polychromed facade included Moorish-style horseshoe arches, multifoil arches and pencil-like columns.  Hunt embellished the cast iron with decorative, additional materials.  American Architect & Building described it on June 10, 1876 saying, "The panels are filled with porcelain decorated with arabesques, the shafts of the columns are incased in brass and nickel-plated drums; and the mouldings, etc., are painted with various colors."

 

Signed "R. M. Hunt," the architect's rendering is in the collection of the Library of Congress.

The major tenant of the new building was the newly-founded silk goods and dry goods jobbers, Rice, Goodwin, Walker & Co.  The company started out well, The New York Times remarking on December 24, 1874 that it, "transacted during the first year and a half of its existence a considerable amount of business."  

Then came the Financial Panic of 1893.  Like the stock market crash in 1929, the economic depression resulted in the closure of the  New York Stock Exchange and the ruination of a multitude of businesses and banks.  On December 24, 1874, The New York Times reported that the failure of Rice, Goodwin, Walker & Co. "created no little excitement."  The news traveled throughout the nation and on the same day, the Wyoming newspaper The Cheyenne Daily Leader noted, "The firm intended to go out of business at the close of the year."  

American Architect and Building News, July 15, 1876 (copyright expired)

The "fancy goods and notions" firm, Butler, Pitkin & Co. occupied space by 1880.  Interviewed by the New-York Tribune in August that year, a member painted an optimistic view of the economic recovery.  "The amount of business done by us promises to be greater than for any season for fifteen years," he said.

The store was targeted by petty thieves that same month.  On August 14, the New-York Tribune reported, "Annie Connors and Johannah Regan, at the Tombs Police Court yesterday, were charged with stealing pearl buttons from the store of Butler, Pitkin & Co."  

Early in 1890, an unusual strike crippled the garment industry when "workmen on cloaks" walked off the job "for an advance in wages," according to the New York Herald.  The strike was somewhat surprising because it was "independent of any union, and includes over 600 men and women," explained the newspaper. By June 17, according to The Evening World, the number of strikers had risen to 10,000, now joined with union members throughout the city. 

Affected by the walkout was 476 Broadway tenant Popkin & Marks, a cloak manufacturer.  On June 17, the New York Herald reported on a possible break in the negotiations.  "Mr. Abraham Popkin visited the cutters at Pythagoras Hall, said that he was sorry he had joined the Manufacturers' Association, and wanted his hands all back at the highest wages."  A corrupt union leader would complicate the negotiations.

The following year, on March 23, 1891, a grand jury indicted union official Joseph Bardoness for extortion.  The Sun reported that Popkin & Marks asserted that Bardoness "compelled each firm to pay $100 before he would permit their striking employees to go back to work."

Herman, Sternbach & Co., importers, was in the building as early as 1886.  Composed of Daniel W. and Abraham Herman, Daniel McKeever, and Charles Sternbach, the firm garnered fortunes for its executives.

McKeever and his family lived in "one of the newest homes in Orange [New Jersey] and is a striking one," said the New-York Tribune on November 30, 1886.  Among their neighbors was the family of Henry Loveridge, president of the Maryland Coal Company.  His 18-year-old daughter, Marion, went to school and grew up with McKeever's son, William.

At the time of the article, William D. McKeever was 18 years old and worked as a clerk for Lazarus & Rosenfeld, chinaware merchants.  On November 22, 1886, Mrs. Loveridge took Marion to Dr. Joseph W. Howe in Manhattan.  The New-York Tribune reported, "After the visit to New-York, it was decided that it was best that Mr. McKeever and Marion should be married."  A note was sent to William telling him to meet at Marion's grand-aunt's house at 33 West 16th Street that night.  When he arrived, a minister was there and the wedding took place.  Marion went home with her parents and William went to his own home, never mentioning the marriage to his parents.

The secret came out when the Loveridges contacted the McKeevers about announcing the marriage.  On November 30, 1886, the New-York Tribune titled an article, "McKeever's Father Angry / Wanting His Son's Marriage Annulled."  Daniel McKeever told the reporter, "it is simply ridiculous that a mere lad of eighteen years, only an errand boy in a shop and unable to maintain a wife, should get married."  He also accused Loveridge of threats and coercion.

The rift prompted back-and-forth public announcements in the newspapers.  McKeever said his son was "entrapped into this marriage," while Loveridge insisted that William was "a competent and responsible person," capable of starting a family.  On December 2, the New-York Tribune reported that an attorney had been appointed guardian of William and he "seeks an annulment of the contract on the allegations that he was forced to wed against his will."

The annulment case failed.  Daniel McKeever, however, would not be daunted.  On September 16, 1892, he had his son arrested "alleging that the young man was insane," as reported by the New York Herald.  The physicians at Bellevue Hospital deemed William sane.  "It is further alleged that the father tried to bribe certain physicians to certify to young McKeever's insanity," reported the newspaper.

Other tenants in the building in the 1890s were real estate agent T. S. Atwalter; Eureka Trading Co., dealers of bicycles; auctioneer Louis Ullman; and the Mosler Safe Company.  All of them would soon have to find alternative accommodations.  

Only 29 years after the remarkable structure was completed, developer Henry Corn purchased 476 Broadway in November 1901.  The Record & Guide reported that he "will erect thereon a 12-story store and loft building from the plans of R[obert]. Maynicke."  That building, completed in 1903, survives.

photograph by the author

many thanks to reader Matthew Halls for suggesting this post

The Lost Howard's Hotel - 176 Broadway

 

Print around 1845 by Charles Parsons, from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York.

In 1839, a year after John Jacob Astor I opened his luxurious Astor House hotel, brothers Daniel D. Howard and John P. Howard broke ground for another upscale hotel, just three blocks to the south at Broadway and Maiden Lane.  Detractors quickly anticipated doom.  The New-York Tribune noted six years later:

When that spacious hotel was in progress of erection, a general doubt was expressed of its being adequately supported, as no hotel on that side of Broadway had ever succeeded.  And the immense outlay to build up the establishment, (it costing, we believe, more than a quarter of a million of dollars), also had its weight in casting doubt of its success.

Now, on October 1, 1844, the editors of the New-York Tribune smugly reported, "But knowing the men, their origin, education, &c., we never doubted."

Known as Howard's Hotel (it would be more commonly referred to as Howard Hotel), it opened in March 1840.  The construction costs (exclusive of the furnishings, carpeting, and such) reported by the New-York Tribune would translate to a staggering $8.7 million in 2025.  The Howards' architect drew greatly from the Greek Revival designs of the commercial buildings in the district, with heavy granite piers along the ground floor.  The upper stories were faced in red brick.  The squat sixth (or attic) floor, typical of the Greek Revival style, would have been reserved for servants.

Among the first guests was the Reverend Dr. Henry Scadding of Canada.  He wrote in his diary on May 28, 1840, "The city very imposing.  Broadway thronged and full of omnibuses.  One might easily fancy himself in the heart of London.  Walked to the Post Office.  Put up at Howard's Hotel, Broadway--a clean, new, elegant house."

Reminisces of a Hotel Man, 1912 (copyright expired)

The Evening Post agreed with Rev. Scadding's appraisal.  On July 15, 1840, it described Howard's Hotel as being, "amply provided with every means for accommodating a large number of guests.  The house is well arranged, well furnished, and well kept--the proprietor having had long experience in the business, with a strong disposition to contribute to the comfort of all who have put themselves under his care."

In his 1912 Reminiscences of a Hotel Man, Henry S. Mower wrote, "The hotel was a success from the start and divided the honors with The Astor."

Like all hotels, Howard's included commercial spaces for the convenience of both the guests and the public.  On August 5, 1840, William M. Decamp announced that he had opened his men's hat store.  Speaking of himself in the third person, Decamp boasted, "Gentlemen can be furnished with a most splendid article of either Beaver, Silk, Moleskin, or Leghorn...he hesitates not to compare with any to be had in the city.  Also on hand, fine Panama Hats."  Nine months later, on June 22, 1841, George Welsell announced his "new and splendid hair dressing saloon."  His "American, English and French assistants" were on hand to "make it a superior resort for gentlemen of all nations, as well as citizens, who may require their hair cut or dressed."

The Howard's Hotel vied with the Astor House for esteemed guests.  On March 18, 1841, for instance, The Evening Post reported, "John J. Crittenden, Attorney General of the United States, has arrived in this city, and stops at the Howard Hotel."

Crittenden would be among the last of the eminent guests under the Howard brothers' care.  On October 1, 1841, the New York Express reported, "This house, it is said, will change hands after the 1st of January next, Messrs. D. & J. Howard having disposed of their interest in the establishment and all the furniture to Capt. Stephen Roe, of the steamboat Empire, and Mr. Thomas, formerly of the firm of Thomas & Marvin, United States Hotel, Saratoga."  The article said, "The price we have heard named is somewhere in the neighborhood of $50,600." 

As a term of the sale, the Howards were not allowed to open a new hotel in New York City for three years.  The editors of the New-York Tribune "were surprised" to hear of the news, saying, "They have been most popular and successful hosts, and will carry into their retirement the respect and good wishes of thousands."

Thomas and Roe hosted U.S. President John Tyler in June 1843.  On June 15, the Troy Daily Whig reported, "A crowd of people assembled this morning in front of Howard's Hotel to get sight of the President and his Cabinet on their route to the ships of war in the harbor."  

The President's visit a year later would be cloaked in secrecy.  John Tyler had been widowed for two years and he and his staff had taken every precaution to keep this visit confidential.  The hotel staff had been ordered not to talk and "all the servants locked up" to keep them quiet.  On the morning of June 26, 1844, Tyler left the hotel for his wedding to Julia Gardiner in the Church of the Ascension on Fifth Avenue.   

The secrecy had nothing to do with security.  The fact that Julia was 30 years younger than the 54-year-old President had already caused a minor scandal in Washington social circles.

Although they had purchased the furnishings, Thomas and Roe redecorated, advertising in March 4, 1845, "It has been put in the most thorough and complete repair, painted and refitted."  The 1846 Great Metropolis said the furniture cost $35,000 (about $1.48 million today) and described Howard's Hotel as having 140 rooms with a dining room "35 by 65 feet."  

Henry S. Mower was hired "to have charge of the office" here in June 1857.  He recalled in 1912:

No doubt the table in its abundant and perfect school of cooking, the best material the country offered, was a kindly solace to its patrons, and in the long after years when its doors were closed, in meeting anyone of them the same exclamation followed, "we have never found such a home as the old Howard.

No doubt, the co-ownership of the steamboat captain Stephen Roe influenced many naval and private sailing figures to stay here.  On December 10, 1860, for instance, The New York Times reported, "Capt. Lewis Parish and lady, and Purser J. N. Smith, of the steamship Yorktown, also Purser J. H. Woodcock, of the steamship Jamestown, are at the Howard Hotel."  And 12 days later, the newspaper reported, "Capt. E. A. Hussy, of the ship Escort, and C. W. Abbott, of the United States Navy, are at the Howard Hotel."

Henry S. Mower recalled, "At the breaking out of the Civil War in 1861, all the hotels experienced a change in the character of their business."  Several Union officers stayed at Howard's Hotel as they passed through the city.  On July 25, 1862, for instance, The New York Times reported, "Brig. Gen. D. E. Sickles arrived in town last evening from the seat of war.  The General was met at the ferry by a few friends.  He is stopping at the Howard Hotel."

Because of the war, said Mower, the price rose from $2 to $3 per day.  He added, "All provisions rose rapidly in price, as well as the wages of hotel employes [sic], colored waiters that had been receiving $12 per month now got $20, and later $25."

Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, December 17, 1864 (copyright expired)

Among those Black employees was waiter Charles Jackson.  On July 12, 1863, he left the hotel heading to Pier No. 3 on the Hudson River.  It was a dangerous time for Black citizens to be on the streets.  The previous day, the nation's first attempt at a military draft was held as a lottery.  But the wealthy had purchased exemptions to circumvent the draft.  The result was the Draft Riots—a three-day reign of terror and carnage unlike anything seen in the country before.  Innocent people--mostly Black--were murdered.  Draft offices, newspaper buildings, and the homes of Blacks were burned. 

The New York Times reported that Jackson "was attacked in one of the streets leading from Broadway to the North River [i.e., the Hudson], by a crowd of roughs."  Jackson was "knocked senseless by some one, he knew not whom, and he recollected nothing further until he found himself crawling out of the water under Pier No. 4."  Jackson, although injured, was fortunate.  After being beaten and robbed, he had been thrown off the pier "where he was supposed to be drowned," said the newspaper.

On November 22, 1864, S. M. Harner checked into Howard's Hotel.  He was given a room on the fourth floor.  Three days later, at 3:30 a.m., according to The New York Times, "the night watchman discovered that an attempt had been made to set fire to the room occupied by Harner.  The bed-clothing had been saturated with inflammable material, phosphorus had been used, and the furniture was all piled upon the bed."  The ruse had been foiled here, but that was not the case in some hotels throughout the city.  

Harner was a member of the Confederate Army of Manhattan, a group of eight Southerners intent to burn New York City.  They started fires in 19 hotels, a theater and P. T. Barnum's American Museum.  Happily, most of the fires were quickly extinguished by hotel employees and guests, or, like the Howard's Hotel attempt, failed.

By the end of the war, Howard's Hotel was being replaced with more modern and fashionable hotels further uptown.  A two-day auction, on April 24 and 25, 1868, liquidated everything from the "furniture, wines, liquors," to the "steam boiler and pipes."  Among the items listed by auctioneer Henry H. Leeds were "Brussels and Axminister carpets" and "pier and mantel French plate mirrors."

The hotel was converted to an office building, home mostly to real estate agents like W. A. Corbiere & Co., J. A. Kenyon & Son, and E. A. Cruikshank & Co.  The building survived until 1898. It was replaced by the Howells & Stokes-designed Title Guarantee & Trust Building at 176 and 178, and the ten-story Cushman Building next door at 174 Broadway.

The Cushman Building sits to the right of the Title Guarantee & Trust Building.  image by Irving Underhill from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York.