How Manhattan Neighborhoods Got Their Names
As New Yorkers, we’ve walked the streets of our favorite neighborhoods a thousand times. But did you ever wonder about the origins of our neighborhood’s names? We did. Here’s some fascinating NYC history to share at the next dinner party or in the elevator.
The Financial District
The original Dutch settlement, with a population of 270 people, was on the tip of Lower Manhattan. They acquired the land from the Lenape Indians. Its identity as the center of the financial world started when 24 stockbrokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement, which officially formed the New York Stock Exchange. The brokers agreed to trade solely with each other.
When you think of the Financial District, you think of Wall Street. Most native New Yorkers know that this is a direct reference to a defensive wall that was erected by Dutch settlers in the 17th century to keep out the British, wild animals, Native Americans, and pirates. It stretched from the Hudson to East River.
What you may not know is that this historic neighborhood is home to one of the city’s oldest paved streets: Stone Street. It was constructed soon after the Dutch West India Company established New Amsterdam and was the first street to be lined with cobblestones.
Greenwich Village
Courtesy of ELLIE SEYMOUR
The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation shares that the area’s history dates back to the 16th century when the marshland was called Sapokanican by the Native Americans. The Minetta Brook, a trout stream, ran through the area. Dutch settlers arrived in 1630, renaming it Noortwyck. The English conquest happened in 1664, changing the Village into a “country hamlet. The British renamed the area once again in 1713 to Grin’wich. The Village part of the name refers to the area's population of artists, writers, and musicians.
Thousands of gaslight lamps used to light up the city streets. Only one remains, at the end of a Village cul-desac called Patchin Place on West 10th between 6th and Greenwich Avenues. This 19th-century landmark sits at the end of a row of brick houses built around 1850, apparently for Basque waiters working at the Brevoort Hotel. The poet E.E. Cummings also lived here.
The East Village features the oldest non-denominational burial ground in NYC, the New York Marble Cemetery. You’ll also find the oldest townhouse in Manhattan at 44 Stuyvesant Street in the St. Marks Place Historic District.
SoHo
Obviously SoHo stands for South of Houston Street. An urban planner named Chester Rapkin first used this name for the neighborhood. It features most of the city’s castiron buildings. Way back in the 1700’s, The Collect Pond, a freshwater pond, was the main water supply for the city. In 1807, the city widened a small spring that ran from the Pond to the Hudson, making it into a canal. That’s now Canal Street. The neighborhood has the colorful distinction of being home to the city’s first red light district.
Chelsea
In 1750, Thomas Clarke, a British soldier, purchased land from 8th to 10th Avenues and 19th to 24th Streets in New York. He built a Georgian-style mansion which he named “Chelsea” in honor of his work with London’s Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Since becoming one of the five boroughs in 1898, Manhattan has seen incredible changes. We hope you feel a bit more connected to this great city and are the life of the next party with your newfound knowledge of the rich history of Manhattan neighborhoods.
Here’s to you New York!
Gary Mindlin is co-founder and owner of Top Hat Home Services, a full-service property care and management company. Top Hat services homes in Manhattan and are known as experts in every aspect of building management, maintenance and repair, as well as renovation and construction supervision.