Excerpt from "City Changes," New York Times, Aug. 18, 1855
THE FOURTH WARD -- ITS SHAME AND GLORY -- ITS NEW BUILDINGS AND NUISANCES
The Fourth Ward enjoys more crooked streets and more hills and valleys than any other of the paved wards of the town, lying between Catharine and Spruce and Ferry streets, Chatham-street and the river; it has no superior for its tumble-down rookeries, and its mouldering ruins, that yet would look new to the eyes of thousands of New-Yorkers, who only pass through the main avenues of travel. Then for the huddling of families into nasty and slimy apartments -- scores under one roof -- it cannot be beaten; no where else would a sweeping conflagration produce more misery or so much improve the face of the City. Some few improvements, however, are going on in this fashion-forsaken quarter. There are five
NEW BUILDINGS IN THE PROCESS OF ERECTION
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Foremost of these are two large buildings on the corner of Frankfort and Jacob streets, by Mr. H.A. BURR. They are to be seven stories in height, and built of brick and fire-proof. The lots are each forty-three feet front, by eighty-eight feet deep. One of the buildings is to be occupied by Mr. BURR as a patent hat-body manufactory, and the other for a book-bindery. They will be finished by the first of November. At No. 93 Cliff-street the foundation is being laid for a four-story brick building, intended as a scale beam manufactory, and will be finished by the first of September. In Gold street, at No. 91 Mr. ISHAM is erecting also a five story brick building for a leather warehouse, which is to be ready for occupation in a couple of months. The fifth building is a leather warehouse going up in Ferry-street, which was however noticed in our account of the Second Ward. Other than these, there is not a new building going up in the ward. A few good buildings within the past few months have been erected here and there - mainly tenant houses. The crowning glory of the ward, of course, is the magnificent HARPERS' Building, lately erected. Catharine Market too, we must say, though with such unpleasant surroundings, is much ahead of market buildings in more pretentious localities. Everything here, indeed, is in apple-pie order, and the hanging meats over the marble covered tables would almost tempt an ultra-vegetarian in this hot weather. At present a sewer is being laid through Catharine-street, and what would naturally pass through such drain being diverted to the gutters, the savor in that neighborhood is not the best imaginable. Under this head, a list of specifications of interminable length might be made. But we may only say in general terms that the condition of the streets, the number of wretched habitations permitted to be occupied by such swarms of unwashed people, are glaring nuisances. A good opening is here for the new Street Contractor and the Health Commissioners. The latter might well turn their attention to the overcrowded condition of many miserable shanties in the Ward. The mock auctions where the stranger is "taken in" may be left to the Mayor, as also the numerous policy-offices. His long-waiting on these points leads us to hope that something is coming - that in the brilliant coronet of Mayor WOOD'S reform career he will set a diamond from this Golconda that will take all the rest down, make all his other wonderful reforms look like things that it would be twaddling to speak about, and the fine gold of his official excellence look tarnished like brass covered with verdigris. |
Harper's Building at Franklin Square.
Later artist's idea of Catharine Market, ca. 1850 |
