A tour around New York, and My summer acre; being the recreations of MrFelix Oldboy . was one building on Broadway, below CanalStreet, which I well remember, and which I shouldnot have forgotten to mention — Masonic Hall, cov-ering the site of the stores now known as 314 and 316 Broadway. Thebuilding was erectedin 1826 by the Ma-sonic fraternity, andwas, for its time, animposing affair. Thesaloon on the secondfloor, 100 feet long,50 feet wide, and 25feet in height, finish-ed in the richest styleof Gothic architec-ture, and intended toimitate the Chapelof Henry VIII. inLondon, was consid-ered t
A tour around New York, and My summer acre; being the recreations of MrFelix Oldboy . was one building on Broadway, below CanalStreet, which I well remember, and which I shouldnot have forgotten to mention — Masonic Hall, cov-ering the site of the stores now known as 314 and 316 Broadway. Thebuilding was erectedin 1826 by the Ma-sonic fraternity, andwas, for its time, animposing affair. Thesaloon on the secondfloor, 100 feet long,50 feet wide, and 25feet in height, finish-ed in the richest styleof Gothic architec-ture, and intended toimitate the Chapelof Henry VIII. inLondon, was consid-ered the most ele-gant apartment ofthe kind in the United States. It was used for publicmeetings, concerts, and balls, and as such I rememberit. The building was then known as Gothic Hall, hav-ing passed out of the hands of the Masonic fraternity,in consequence of the serious and prolonged troublesgrowing out of the Morgan excitement. GothicHall stood between Pearl and Duane streets, andtowered high above the small frame buildings oneither side. These streets did not always bear their. A TOUR AROUND NEW YORK 153 present names. Duane Street was formerly known asBarley Street, because of a famous brewery situatedjust west of Broadway, and Pearl Street was knownas Magazine Street, because it led up from the maga-zine on an island in the Collect Pond. Worth Streetwas known as Anthony Street a generation ago, andits first name, Catharine Street, is still perpetuated inCatharine Lane. Franklin Street was formerly knownas Sugarloaf Street. Even Broadway at this pointhas not always been thus designated. The lower por-tion of our great thoroughfare has been known fromtime immemorial as The Broadway and BroadwayStreet, but from the City Hall Park to Astor Place itwas called St. George or Great George Streetup to the close of the last century, and still later itwas commonly spoken of as the Middle Road. The original Olympic Theatre was at 442 Broad-way, and later was known as the old Circus.
Size: 1290px × 1937px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectnewyorknybuildingsst
