Though you may know Stone Street as the high-spirited, cobblestone street for pedestrian perusal in the Financial District, it’s original pavement lies hidden six to seven feet beneath its current cobblestones. But before we get into this, let’s have a little history lesson.
New Amsterdam before it became New York City
The Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam was established as the capital of New Netherland in the 1620s, and functioned as a main trading hub for the Dutch West India Company. It was founded to facilitate the Dutch West India Company’s fur trade, accessible by both the Hudson and East Rivers, attract settlers and strengthen territorial claims.
It was around three decades thereafter in 1658 that what we now know as Stone Street became New York’s first paved street, containing two colonial roads: Breuers Straet (named after the many breweries lining the street, and considered the west section of today’s Stone Street) and Hoogh Straet (the east section of today’s Stone Street).
It wasn’t until the English seized New Amsterdam in 1664 that it was renamed New York.
How Stone Street came to be
When the English renamed New Amsterdam to New York, Breuers Straet became Stony Street and Hoogh Street was translated to High Street.
New York’s first printing press was established on this very street, where Beckett’s Sports Bar now stands.
By the early 1700s, High Street was renamed to Duke Street. However, post-American Revolutionary War, Duke and Stony Streets merged into one expansive street named Stone Street. This new name commemorated the cobblestone road.
The street has lived many lifetimes since then, enduring the Great Fire of New York, and much reconstruction.
When archaeologists were excavating the site in 1979 to build the skyscraper on 85 Broad Street, they discovered the remains of the 1600s Stone Street buried six to seven feet below the surface we stroll today.
Stone Street was finally designated as a protected NYC Landmark in 1996. By the late 90s, $1.8 million was put towards restoring Stone Street to its original glory, replacing the paved asphalt with 23,000 Belgian block cobblestones.
Find out more of Stone Street’s history from the Stone Street Historic District website.