Seeking New York: The Stories Behind Historic Architecture of Manhattan

   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 19^th 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.