Tom Miller dives into the history of select buildings in
Manhattan, starting with Water Street. It’s no surprise that the area was
horrible in the 1800’s, because few in the city called waterfront living
“upscale” until recently. What is surprising, however, is that the area was
once prosperous, and 273 Water Street was once a very upscale home. The brick
building was owned by the Rose family – fine lumber importers – but was later
bought by a criminal who used the first floor for dog fights, then rat-versus-dog
fights, then rat-versus-rat fights, hence the building’s nickname “the rat
pit.”
Miller brings
forth long-forgotten firsthand accounts of the city, including well-known, yet
rarely-read texts from the 19th century. One house on his list,
which I often wondered about, is 139 Green Street in Soho. It’s a small brick
house, out of place among the Soho lofts, and has been boarded up for as long
as I can remember. According to the author’s research, it belonged to a
clothing merchant until the 1860’s (when the area got lousy) then became a
brothel, and then became home to one of the many textile businesses in the
area. It was also home to the French immigrants (never hear much about those)
and unlike the other buildings, it was not industrial and didn’t become an
artist colony. Thanks to a city preservation order, it can’t be torn down, and
thanks to all the gutting done in the 1900’s there’s nothing inside. Fixing it
up would be unprofitable.
I don’t want to
give too much away, because this is a very entertaining book. The author is a
great writer, and he does extensive research. This book would be great material
for a walking tour.
