Ann Street is one of the oldest streets in New York City, appearing on a map created in 1728. Ann Street was named after Ann White, the wife of a developer and merchant, Capt. Thomas White. She may have urged him to name the street after her because other merchants' wives already had streets named after them.[1] The street is relatively small and short compared with the other lower Manhattan streets named after merchants' wives.
There have been several other streets in the city named Ann Street. One laid out between Reade and Franklin Streets prior to 1797 later became Elm Street. "Anne Street" was also a name circa 1748 for part of the present William Street. Today, there is only one Ann Street in Manhattan.
In 1809, John Scudder, a former seaman, had taken over Edward Savage's "Columbian Gallery of Painting and City Museum" on Water Street, and added additional curiosities.
St. Paul's Chapel 1831 (Scudder's Museum far left)
In 1841 P.T. Barnum acquired Scudder's Museum. "Barnum's American Museum" became one of the most popular showplaces in the United States during the 19th century. Barnum made a special hit in 1842 with the exhibition of Charles Stratton, the celebrated midget "General Tom Thumb", as well as the Fiji Mermaid which he exhibited in collaboration with his Boston counterpart Moses Kimball. The line in the Charles Ives song, Barnum's Mob, Ann Street, refers to the crowds drawn to see the curiosities at this museum. Other nineteenth-century businesses on Ann Street include the publisher Dick and Fitzgerald on 18 Ann Street.
Ann Street
On May 10, 1979, a woman was attacked on Ann Street by a "pack of rats" as she was walking to her car. The woman hurried into the car and the rats climbed onto it. Several witnesses called the police. The rats were later found living in the burnt-out wreck of "Ryan's Cafe," a bar that had served the area since the 1860s. The bar had exploded due to a gas leak on December 11, 1970, and remained an empty lot throughout the 1970s. This empty lot was widely regarded to be the source of the rat problem.[3] The city tugboat strike in 1979 compounded the problem as heaps of garbage collected on Ann Street and in the abandoned lot causing the rat population to explode. The rat attack incident prompted Mayor Ed Koch to order city pest control personnel to take immediate action on the problem. They killed and trapped hundreds of rats in just a few days, drawing media attention. The close proximity of Ann Street to City Hall made the incident all the more embarrassing. It helped to add to negative impressions of the city for years, but it also prompted people to act to improve downtown.[4]
The recent addition of condominiums to the upper floors of the some of older buildings has added more life to the area. Ann Street was gutted and repaved in 2006, as part of a city water main replacement project, greatly reducing the rat problems and further beautifying the area. The corner of Ann and Vesey Streets, Park Row, and Broadway is still as busy as it was in Barnum's day, shoppers and tourists frequent J&R Computer World, one of the largest electronics stores in the nation.
In popular culture
Barnum's American Museum was located on Ann Street.
Ann Street is the title and subject of a song by the early 20th century experimental classical composer Charles Ives with lyrics based on a poem written by Maurice Morris in 1921:
[Shout.] Broadway!
[Sing.] Quaint name Ann street. Width of same, ten feet. Barnum's mob Ann street, Far from ob- solete. Narrow, yes Ann street, But business, Both feet.
[Shout.] Nassau crosses Ann Street!
[Sing.] Sun just hits Ann street, Then it quits Some greet! Rather short, Ann Street.
The crossing of Nassau Street and Ann Street is a highlight of the song and the street itself. Nassau Street is a business district filled with shops. At the intersection one can see a view deep into the heart of the Financial District and the facade of the New York Stock Exchange Building (NYSE) six blocks away. Nassau Street and Ann Street meet at uneven angles leading one to feel rather surprised by the sudden explosion of pedestrian traffic, shops and lights when crossing their intersection.
^Moscow, Henry (1978). The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins. New York: Hagstrom Company. ISBN978-0-8232-1275-0.
^Meier, Allison (November 24, 2014). "Lost Museums of New York". Atlas Obscura.
^Gupte, Pranay B. (May 12, 1979). "Scores of Rats Are Found at Site Where They Attacked a Woman; Consequences of Rat Bites Poison Injected Into Burrows". The New York Times. p. 25.
^Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitant - by Robert Sullivan
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ann Street (Manhattan).
April 21, 2023
street, manhattan, route, template, attached, vesey, streetkml, from, wikidata, street, block, long, street, located, financial, district, lower, manhattan, runs, roughly, east, west, from, broadway, gold, street, contents, history, popular, culture, also, ref. Route map Template Attached KML Vesey StreetKML is from Wikidata Ann Street is a 3 block long street located in the Financial District in Lower Manhattan It runs roughly east to west from Broadway to Gold Street Contents 1 History 2 In popular culture 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditAnn Street is one of the oldest streets in New York City appearing on a map created in 1728 Ann Street was named after Ann White the wife of a developer and merchant Capt Thomas White She may have urged him to name the street after her because other merchants wives already had streets named after them 1 The street is relatively small and short compared with the other lower Manhattan streets named after merchants wives Ann Street in yellow is two blocks south of New York City Hall There have been several other streets in the city named Ann Street One laid out between Reade and Franklin Streets prior to 1797 later became Elm Street Anne Street was also a name circa 1748 for part of the present William Street Today there is only one Ann Street in Manhattan In 1809 John Scudder a former seaman had taken over Edward Savage s Columbian Gallery of Painting and City Museum on Water Street and added additional curiosities St Paul s Chapel 1831 Scudder s Museum far left He operated Scudder s American Museum on Chatham Street until 1817 when he relocated to the New York Institution on the site of the city s former almshouse in City Hall Park The museum shared this space with the New York Historical Society Scudder died in 1821 In 1830 his son moved Scudder s American Museum to a five story building on the corner of Broadway and Ann Street across the street from St Paul s Chapel 2 In 1841 P T Barnum acquired Scudder s Museum Barnum s American Museum became one of the most popular showplaces in the United States during the 19th century Barnum made a special hit in 1842 with the exhibition of Charles Stratton the celebrated midget General Tom Thumb as well as the Fiji Mermaid which he exhibited in collaboration with his Boston counterpart Moses Kimball The line in the Charles Ives song Barnum s Mob Ann Street refers to the crowds drawn to see the curiosities at this museum Other nineteenth century businesses on Ann Street include the publisher Dick and Fitzgerald on 18 Ann Street Ann Street On May 10 1979 a woman was attacked on Ann Street by a pack of rats as she was walking to her car The woman hurried into the car and the rats climbed onto it Several witnesses called the police The rats were later found living in the burnt out wreck of Ryan s Cafe a bar that had served the area since the 1860s The bar had exploded due to a gas leak on December 11 1970 and remained an empty lot throughout the 1970s This empty lot was widely regarded to be the source of the rat problem 3 The city tugboat strike in 1979 compounded the problem as heaps of garbage collected on Ann Street and in the abandoned lot causing the rat population to explode The rat attack incident prompted Mayor Ed Koch to order city pest control personnel to take immediate action on the problem They killed and trapped hundreds of rats in just a few days drawing media attention The close proximity of Ann Street to City Hall made the incident all the more embarrassing It helped to add to negative impressions of the city for years but it also prompted people to act to improve downtown 4 The recent addition of condominiums to the upper floors of the some of older buildings has added more life to the area Ann Street was gutted and repaved in 2006 as part of a city water main replacement project greatly reducing the rat problems and further beautifying the area The corner of Ann and Vesey Streets Park Row and Broadway is still as busy as it was in Barnum s day shoppers and tourists frequent J amp R Computer World one of the largest electronics stores in the nation In popular culture Edit Barnum s American Museum was located on Ann Street Ann Street is the title and subject of a song by the early 20th century experimental classical composer Charles Ives with lyrics based on a poem written by Maurice Morris in 1921 Shout Broadway Sing Quaint name Ann street Width of same ten feet Barnum s mob Ann street Far from ob solete Narrow yes Ann street But business Both feet Shout Nassau crosses Ann Street Sing Sun just hits Ann street Then it quits Some greet Rather short Ann Street The crossing of Nassau Street and Ann Street is a highlight of the song and the street itself Nassau Street is a business district filled with shops At the intersection one can see a view deep into the heart of the Financial District and the facade of the New York Stock Exchange Building NYSE six blocks away Nassau Street and Ann Street meet at uneven angles leading one to feel rather surprised by the sudden explosion of pedestrian traffic shops and lights when crossing their intersection See also EditVesey Street the western extension of Ann StreetReferences EditNotes Moscow Henry 1978 The Street Book An Encyclopedia of Manhattan s Street Names and Their Origins New York Hagstrom Company ISBN 978 0 8232 1275 0 Meier Allison November 24 2014 Lost Museums of New York Atlas Obscura Gupte Pranay B May 12 1979 Scores of Rats Are Found at Site Where They Attacked a Woman Consequences of Rat Bites Poison Injected Into Burrows The New York Times p 25 Rats Observations on the History and Habitat of the City s Most Unwanted Inhabitant by Robert SullivanExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ann Street Manhattan About the Song by Charles Ives Ann Street Water Main Replacement Project Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ann Street Manhattan amp oldid 1135406186, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
