New York City Hall Park Walking Tour

Entries on This Tour

New York City's City Hall houses the city’s government offices, such as the Mayor of New York City and the chambers of the 51 New York City Council members. It is the oldest city hall in the nation that still serves its original purpose, and is considered one of the finest architectural achievements of its period. Tours are offered to the public; however, they must be scheduled in advanced. It is located at the center of City Hall Park between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street.

2. Nathan Hale Statue

This statue honors one of the first American spies of the Revolutionary War, Nathan Hale (1755-1776). In early September 1776, the Connecticut native and captain in the Continental Army volunteered to sneak behind British lines on Long Island to gather intelligence on troop movements and fortifications. On the evening of September 21, while Hale was attempting to sail across Long Island Sound and return to American-controlled territory, the British captured him and sentenced him to death for spying. The next morning, the British hanged him. Legend has it that before his execution, Hale declared, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” However, no evidence exists to support this claim. Sponsored by the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York and designed by sculptor Frederick MacMonnies, the bronze statue depicts an over-life-sized interpretation of Hale standing shackled and bound awaiting execution. Dedicated on November 25, 1893, it rests on a pink granite pedestal designed by architect Stanford White. Since its unveiling, the statue has been moved several times within City Hall Park. Most recently, in 1999, it was relocated from the edge of the park near the intersection of Broadway and Murray Street to the lawn in front of the entrance to City Hall, where it remains today.

3. New York's Old City Hall Subway Station (1904-1945)

New York’s first subway station opened on October 27, 1904, and was located almost directly beneath City Hall. Elegantly designed with gilded chandeliers and vaulted tile ceilings, this station was the crown jewel of New York's new modern engineering marvel - an underground railroad. The original subway line covered nine miles from City Hall to 145th Street and Broadway. The opening day for the subway saw some 150,000 New Yorkers testing their new form of transit. The old City Hall subway station is no longer in use and is closed to the public, but the station may still be viewed by remaining on the downtown-bound Number 6 Train after its final stop as the train continues and makes a loop before heading uptown. In addition, some of the original skylights can still be spotted by peeking through the foliage in the modern-day City Hall Park.

4. Tweed Courthouse

The Tweed Courthouse, also known as the Old New York County Courthouse, was built between 1861 and 1881 by John Kellum and Leopold Eidlitz. An amalgam of two architects' work, the building contains elements of both neo-classical and neo-Romanesque architecture. It was not only a notable work of art; the Tweed Courthouse was associated with one of New York's greatest political scandals in the 1870s. It was designated as a New York City Landmark in 1984 and a National Historic Landmark on May 11, 1976. The building currently serves as the headquarters of the New York City Department of Education and as an educational center.

5. Municipal Archives

Founded in 1950, New York's Municipal Archives preserves and maintains over 220,000 cubic feet of records from over a hundred city agencies. Holdings date back to the Dutch colonial period, including records related to government, land deeds, criminal cases, census records, and items that can help those interested in uncovering their family history. The largest municipal archive in the world, the collection includes over a million photos.

6. Manhattan Municipal Building

The Manhattan Municipal Building, also known as the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building, is a government administration building located at 1 Centre Street in Manhattan. Constructed began in 1907 and was completed in 1914, the Manhattan Municipal Building has served numerous needs of Manhattan’s citizens in its many years of service. In February of 1966, it was designated as a New York City Landmark, and in October of 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the Manhattan Municipal Building continues to serve the citizens of Manhattan through a variety of governmental services.

7. Horace Greeley Statue

This statue honors prominent nineteenth-century newspaper editor and founder of the 'New-York Tribune,' Horace Greeley (1811-1872). A native of New Hampshire, he founded the periodical in 1841. Covering a wide variety of topics from news, politics, and social reform to book reviews, lectures, and poetry, the 'Tribune' became one of the nation’s leading newspapers by the Civil War. Consequently, Greeley became one of the most powerful newspaper editors in the nation. Disturbed by the level of corruption in the Grant administration, Greeley ran against the incumbent president in 1872, but was sounded defeated. Only a few weeks after the election, he died in New York City at the age of sixty-one. Following Greeley’s death, the Tribune began a fundraising campaign to erect a statue in honor of its founder and long-time editor. The fundraising effort progressed slowly, in large part due to the Panic of 1873. The periodical eventually commissioned renowned sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward to design the statue and preeminent architect Richard Morris Hunt to design the pedestal. Ward’s work depicts Greeley sitting in an upholstered chair holding a newspaper. Dedicated on September 20, 1890, the over-life-sized bronze statue sits on a pedestal made of Quincy granite. Originally located in front of the Tribune building, the statue was moved in 1916 to the northeast corner of City Hall Park, where it remains today.

8. St. Paul's Chapel

St. Paul's Chapel was built between 1764 and 1766. It was the tallest building in the city at that time, and remains the oldest surviving church in Manhattan. George Washington attended services at this chapel, and visitors can see his original pew inside the church. Washington and members of Congress also attended a special service at the church prior to his inauguration on April 30, 1789. At the time, the church was one of the largest public buildings to have survived the Great New York Fire of 1776. It also survived the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, without any damage and became the center of relief operations for rescue workers in the aftermath of the attack. The church is also home to the first monument commissioned by the United States Congress. The monument is located on the east side of the church and honors Patriot Richard Montgomery. Benjamin Franklin personally oversaw the construction of the monument after Congress commissioned its creation on January 25, 1776.

9. Woolworth Building

The Woolworth Building is an early North American skyscraper, and one of the 100 tallest buildings in the United States. Completed in 1913, the Woolworth Building was the dream building of Frank W. Woolworth, head of the Woolworth Company, which occupied the building for 85 years. It has been designated as a New York City Landmark, a National Historic Landmark, and has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Now owned by the Witkoff Group, the Woolworth Building is still in use and tours are available.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

New York City Hall Park Walking Tour

Created by Clio Admin on February 13th 2021, 4:33:09 pm.

Get a QR Code for this tour

Description

This short walk starts at New York's City Hall and winds its way around the surrounding park with stops at iconic landmarks such as the Woolworth Building and Tweed Courthouse. The tour includes several statues that surround City Hall, Tweed Courthouse, the Municipal Archives, the Manhattan Municipal Building, and a little-known place where visitors can catch a glimpse of the former City Hall Subway Station that closed 75 years ago.

Entries on This Tour

New York City Hall Park Walking Tour

Description

Share