IMPROVEMENT OF THE SHORE OF THE NORTH RIVER ABOVE THE BATTERY.

The early grants of lots for building purposes, on the west side of Broadway, extended to the river shore, which, for nearly a century, ran along the rear of the gardens of those premises.

In the times of the Dutch, palisades were erected along the bank of the river, being a continuation of those along Wall street, and extended down to the fort; but they did not exist long after the occasion for their construction had passed by.

The earliest map of the city (1661) presents a rough pictorial view of a windmill, which stood on the shore of the river, on the line of the present Battery place, of which ancient edifice the following is a copy:

WINDMILL AT FOOT OF THE PRESENT BATTERY PLACE, 1661.

It was not until the year 1722, that the subject of encroaching upon the natural river line seems to have received any attention; at which period several persons petitioned for grants from high water to low water mark, in the Hudson River. The subject being thus

brought to the attention of the Common Council, an order was made that notice be given to the owners of property adjacent to the shore, with a view to learn if they had any objection to. such grants. As these proprietors seemed to view the matter with great indifference, the Corporation, in the following year (1723), resolved that "the land between high and low water mark, on Hudson River, from the house of Mr. Gaasbeck" (corner of present Battery place and Broadway), near the fort, to the green trees, commonly called the Locust trees, near the English church" (present Rector street), "be granted to the proprietors on the west side of Broadway, at a rental ; if they refuse, then to be granted to any other persons who will purchase the same."

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This resolution seems, however, to have brought no response from the owners, and six years afterwards it was renewed in similar terms, and the subject was referred to a committee, to cause surveys to be made. This committee, in November, 1729, reported, after conference with some of the adjacent proprietors, that, in their opinion, two streets ought to be made, one of thirty feet in width at low water mark, and one of forty feet in width at high water mark, to run parallel with each other; high water mark to be about the centre of the street; the said streets to extend from the premises of Col. Gaasbeck to those of Mr. Rodman; that three slips should be left, one fronting on the narrow street running through the land of Adolph Philipse, commonly called Goelets street" (now Morris street), "one fronting the narrow street near Alderman Van Gelder's, commonly called the alley that leads to Oyster pasty" (now Exchange place); "the other fronting the narrow street which runs from Broadway, on the south side of the English church, to the locust trees," said streets to be made by the respective ownThe Common Council adopted this report, fixing the price of the land under water at nine-pence per foot, and authorized a committee to agree for sales, and that, if the upland owners refused to purchase, sales to be made to any other persons.

ers.

This was the permanent establishment of the present Greenwich and Washington streets, from the Battery to a point near the rear of Trinity Church-yard; those two streets running, respectively, the one on the natural high water mark, and the other on the low water mark.

But it was a number of years subsequent to that period before any actual progress was attempted in the filling up of the streets thus laid down, although grants were gradually being taken up by the adjacent proprietors.

A view of the river shore in the year 1740, embracing the whole distance from the Battery to Trinity Church, shows no other improvement of the natural shore except the erection of a small wharf on the line of the present Battery place.

After the year 1743, the fact appears that parties owning the upland near Cortland and Dey streets began to take up water-grants from the Corporation. The conditions of these grants were that grantees should leave a street forty feet wide fronting their upland, and another street of the same width at the extremity of their grant. These streets were in continuation of those already adopted as before mentioned, and were those now known as Greenwich and Washington streets. The quit-rents for these grants were four pence per foot.

Trinity Church owned the King's Farm, extending from Broadway to the river, between the present Fulton and Warren streets, and they took out their grant about the year 1751. At about the same period, their farm was laid out in streets.

Above that farm lay the Domine's Hook, extending to the present Canal street. This also originally belonged to Trinity Church. The following sketch shows the river shore along nearly the whole of this farm.

It was not until after the Revolution that the streets (present Greenwich and Washington), originally designed more than half a century previous, were regulated or improved as streets, except in occasional places. Two or three piers were erected on the west side of Greenwich street, between Cortland and Fulton streets, previous to the Revolution; and one large building, used for the deposit of artillery stores, occupied the block between Cortland and Dey streets, but below Liberty street the river shore was in its natural condition until near the commencement of the present century.

to keep a hospital fo

maintenance of the poor of the city, and that a house be provided for their accommodation."

In 1713, the subject of erecting "a poor-house and house of correction" was first agitated, and a committee was appointed "to consider of a convenient place to erect the same, of the dimensions and materials proper for its construction, and of the ways and means to be