Tribeca is a trendy place to live today, just as one little nook of it was in the 1830s and 1840s.
All that’s left of this exclusive nook, however, are a few alleys: St. John’s Lane and York Street.
They’re remnants of a genteel enclave centered around St. John’s Chapel, built in 1807 on Lispenard Meadows, then a dreary swamp.
After the chapel was built, private St. John’s Park sprang up next, attracting rich New Yorkers who built Federal-style row houses along the park.
[“View of St. John’s Chapel From the Park,” a sketch by The New-York Mirror, from the NYPL digital collection]
The St. John’s Park neighborhood was one of the city’s most fashionable, but as Manhattan grew northward, its appeal went south. The chapel, park, and the homes that surrounded it were all gone by 1920.
Tags: New York City in the 19th Century, rich neighborhoods in 19th century New York City, St. John's Chapel New York City, St. John's Lane, St. John's Park New York City, the Lower West Side, The New York Mirror, Tribeca in the 1840s, York Street
Ephemeral New York 
May 3, 2010 at 3:50 pm |
“as Manhattan grew northward, its appeal went south.”
nicely done!
May 3, 2010 at 9:28 pm |
That’s the magazine writer in me communicating in slick-ese.
February 4, 2013 at 7:19 am |
[…] All that remains today is the subway mosaic—and a small lane in Tribeca bearing the St. John’s name. […]
April 6, 2015 at 6:05 am |
[…] Street, North Moore Street, Jones Street, and St. John’s Lane are also contenders for the […]