Recreate the Most Requested Walking Tour of 1840s New York

12 Reviews4.83 out of 5 stars Based on 12 traveler reviews collected by Cool Destinations and TripAdvisor | New York City, USA
Recreate the Most Requested Walking Tour of 1840s New York Image 1
Recreate the Most Requested Walking Tour of 1840s New York Image 2
Recreate the Most Requested Walking Tour of 1840s New York Image 3
Recreate the Most Requested Walking Tour of 1840s New York Image 4
Recreate the Most Requested Walking Tour of 1840s New York Image 5
Recreate the Most Requested Walking Tour of 1840s New York Image 6
Recreate the Most Requested Walking Tour of 1840s New York Image 7

Loading Options

New York City Tours

Attractions

Guides

Calendar

2 to 3 hours (Approx.)
Mobile Ticket
Instant Confirmation

Overview

This 2.5-hour walking tour meets at the Public Theater in Astor Place, across from Colonnade Row and what was the highest end residential block in the country in the 1830s, the resides of Astors, Delanos and Roosevelts. We end at the Civic Center, and the old Five Points neighborhood of "Gangs of New York" notoriety.

Going from the upper class residential precinct of today's Astor Place to the gang-infested slums of the Five Points was a typical request of visitors in the 1830s and 40s. That walk down Broadway would have taken them through a part of town that would, in the 1850s, break out as the new fashionable city center, what we now call SoHo. This part of Broadway was once a tether between the locales of these social extremes. In making that walk again, we decode and deconstruct the streetwalls of NoHo and SoHo to reveal the forces at work in the architectural creation of New York City.

Description

Stop At: The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St, New York City, New York 10003

We start at the ruins of Colonnade Row, the early 1830s residence in the country's elite. We will lay the groundwork of history and the forces that passed through a landmark location of many histories. What's most to be appreciated is the high ground setting of once was a pleasure garden when "the city" was far downtown.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Noho, New York City, New York

We walk down Broadway and decode the streetscape making sense of history through the buildings, noticing their styles, and sizes, and how they may have been adapted (and re-adapted) for re-use. Images from the past show the evolution of the SoHo section of Broadway. What went on before the fashionable shops and the artists gallery before them? Who were the people who walked the sidewalks?

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Bayard–Condict Building, 65 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012, USA

We stop to appreciate Louis Sullivan's only building in the city, and learn its role in the evolution of the skyscraper style.

Duration: 5 minutes

Pass By: SoHo, South of Houston Street, New York City, New York 10022

At Houston Street and Broadway the ancient geography makes it apparent in the asphalt why the grid began here. It was an early site of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, and an upper class residential neighborhood.

The tour continues through SoHo, a name place only since the 1950s, which begs the question, how did people refer to this part of town at different times in the past?

We go down Broadway with explanations, descriptions, and images that deconstruct of the streetscape and reveal the brick-and-mortar history of New York City.

Pass By: Canal Street, Canal Street, 265 Canal St Nova Iorque, NY 10013, New York City, New York

The walk down to Canal Street is a roster of social and retail history, with stories and characters from a by-gone era.

Stop At: Foley Square, 111 Worth St Apt 4G, New York City, New York 10013

Today's Civic Center was a lake, the shore of which had been the African Burial Ground through much of the British colonial period. The lake would be filled in, and along its old shoreline would develop The Five Points, the most notorious slum in New York City history.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Columbus Park, 67 Mulberry St, Baxter St, New York City, New York 10013

The tour ends at the location of The Five Points, now 500 Pearl Street. From the high historical social standing of the beginning of the tour, we end where the most long-lived desperate and deplorable living conditions once existed, from the Irish (and The Five Points), through the tenements of Mulberry Bend, the area is now at the border of the Court District and Chinatown.

Duration: 10 minutes

Read full description

Schedule

  • Reservations are REQUIRED for all bookings
  • Book Your Package On-Line and Receive Your Confirmation
  • Departure point: Detailed check-in instructions - including the address and parking information if applicable - will be included in your final confirmation email.
  • Duration: 2 to 3 hours (Approx.)
  • Return Details:

    169 Worth St, 169 Worth St, New York, NY 10013, USA

What's Included

  • Professional guide
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup not offered

What To Bring

  • Confirmation Voucher (printed or mobile)
  • Any required or suggested items listed on your confirmation email.
  • A Smile!

Additional Info

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
See 2 More

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This tour requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This tour requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Reviews

4.83
12 reviews

Average 4.83 out of 5 stars based on 12 traveler reviews collected by Cool Destinations and partner sites such as Trustpilot, Viator, and TripAdvisor

5 stars
10
4 stars
2
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
0

Still have questions?

We’re here to help. Call Us, Text Us, or Live Chat to speak with a Cool New York City specialist!
Product code: C-44899P2

Similar Tours & Activities

Statue of Liberty Ticket, 9/11 Memorial and Wall Street Tour

Statue of Liberty Ticket, 9/11 Memorial and Wall Street Tour

1,657
 2 to 4 hours  Free Cancellation  Instant Confirmation
from
$59
New York: private visit of Chelsea neighborhood

New York: private visit of Chelsea neighborhood

New To The Site!
 2 hours  Free Cancellation  Instant Confirmation
from
$519
Memorable Photoshoot in a Handmade Flying Dress Around NYC

Memorable Photoshoot in a Handmade Flying Dress Around NYC

8
 1 hour  Free Cancellation  Instant Confirmation
from
$750

Travelers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought

New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour (includes bus, walking tour and ferry ride!)
Likely to Sell Out

New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour (includes bus, walking tour and ferry ride!)

10,605
 6 hours  Free Cancellation
from
$99
American Museum of Natural History Admission Ticket

American Museum of Natural History Admission Ticket

1,041
 3 to 4 hours  Free Cancellation  Instant Confirmation
from
$30
NYC Bus Tour of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens: Contrasts, Color and Character

NYC Bus Tour of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens: Contrasts, Color and Character

1,799
 6 hours  Free Cancellation  Instant Confirmation
from
$84

Popular Cities