The discovery of the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan resonates as one of the largest as well as the earliest sites of 18th century slavery in the country. The origins of the African Burial Ground extend to the beginnings of Dutch settlement on the island of Manhattan. In 1626, the Dutch West Indies Company imported its first slaves from West Africa. The Dutch viewed slavery in a more ephemeral manner than their British counterparts1
At the turn of the century, Union Square emerged as a center for entertainment, commerce, and political activism. Originally commissioned by the city to serve as a recreational respite for New Yorkers in the early 1800s, the name was derived by its 'union' of two major streets: Bloomingdale Road (now Broadway) and Bowery Road (now 4th Avenue1). In 1807, New York City Common Council appointed three commissioners to lay the grid system in Manhattan above Houston Street.
In 1880, dissatisfied with the location and seating capacity of the 1854 Academy of Music opera house near Union Square, a group of wealthy businessmen opted to build their own. In all, 70 shareholders provided the $1.7 million required to buy the land and build the opera house at 39th and Broadway1.
1. Ed Dinger. "The Metropolitan Opera" [http://www.answers.com/topic/metropolitan-opera] Accessed: June 29, 2009
The Eldridge Street Synagogue was built in 1887 by the architecture firm Herter Brothers. The building is an interesting example pf Gothic, Romanesque, and Moorish styles built with a combination of brick, terra cotta, and stone.1At the time of its construction, the Lower East Side had a significant Eastern European Jewish immigrant population.2
1. "National Historic Landmark Nomination - Eldridge Street Synagogue." Accessed 18 August 2009.<http://www.nps.gov/nhl/designations/samples/ny/eldridge.pdf>.
The Old and Historic Charleston District was the first historic district protected by local legislation, functioning as a beacon for other cities seeking to protect their historic structures. Charleston was founded in 1670 as Charles Town, named after King Charles II. It was one of the richest colonies dependent on African slave labor and trade1.
1. Yuhl, Stephanie E. A Golden Haze of Memory: The Making of Historic Charleston. University of North Carolina Press, 2005.
The Fieldston Historic District “contains 257 houses and related structures set amidst a varied topography of winding tree-lined streets and dramatic rock outcroppings on a 140 acre development in the Riverdale section in the northwest Bronx."1 The plot of land on which Fieldston is today situated was purchased in 1829.
Before Washington Square Park was built in 1826, the area was used as a burial ground. The north side was a German cemetery, while the south side was a potter's field (a nameless burial ground). The area was later used as a public gallows and execution grounds. Between 1829 and 1833, a row of houses was built along the north side of the square. These Greek Revival style houses, built of red brick in a Flemish bond, became known as 'The Row'. The entrances are flanked by Ionic and Doric columns and have marble balustrades.
