Title: St. Paul's and Broadway
Subtitle: View South from Vesey Street, c. 1910
Text: Less than a hundred years after this postcard view captured the bustle of Broadway, nearly every building visible here is gone, save for St. Paul's Chapel. As the economics and technology of tall buildings changed, many early skyscrapers were demolished and replaced by others taller and more modern. Even the Singer tower, once the world's tallest, and its neighbor the City Investing Company Building were taken down in 1969 for One Liberty Plaza. On Church Street, at the right, are the Hudson Terminal Buildings the largest office complex in the world in 1910, demolished in 1969 for the World Trade Center complex.
At the center of the image is the spire of St. Paul's Chapel. Built from 1764-1794, St. Paul's is the oldest house of worship in Manhattan. It has survived conflagrations, commercial development, and the collapse of the Trade Center and remains history's magnificent symbol of strength and hope.
 |
|
 |
 |