Chinatown in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
NYC’s Oldest Brick House
Edward Mooney House
| — | 18 Bowery | — |
Photographed by Larry Gertner, July 25, 2016
1. NYC’s Oldest Brick House Marker
This is the city’s oldest surviving brick townhouse, built in 1785, shortly after the British evacuated New York and before George Washington became President of the new republic. Reflecting the emergence from English colony to new republic, its architecture contains elements of both pre-Revolutionary Georgian and the in-coming Federal style. A well-to-do breeder of racehorses, Edward Mooney was also a wholesale butcher, a trade associated with many of the area’s buildings.
In the early 1900s, this was Barney Flynn’s Saloon, hangout of pugilists and base of operations for Chuck Connors, the strutting, self-described “White Mayor of Chinatown” whose slumming tours included staged-to-shock visits to roughneck bars and opium dens.
It was Connors who got former Bowery newsboy Izzy Baline a singing waiter job at the Pelham Café at 12 Pell Street, where he wrote his first song and changed his name to Irving Berlin. He later wrote “White Christmas” and “God Bless America.”
- Mitchell Grubler, Landmarks Committee Chair, Bowery Alliance of Neighbors
Erected 2016 by Bowery Alliance of
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1785.
Location. 40° 42.875′ N, 73° 59.841′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in Chinatown. It is at the intersection of Bowery and Pell Street, on the right when traveling south on Bowery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 18 Bowery, New York NY 10013, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in New York City. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Birthplace of Modern Tattooing! (here, next to this marker); The Railroad and the Cliff of Cape Horn (within shouting distance of this marker); The Starting Point (within shouting distance of this marker); The Chinese Workers' First Challenge
Photographed by Larry Gertner, July 25, 2016
2. NYC’s Oldest Brick House
The marker is behind the telephone booth.
More about this marker. One of more than sixty entries in the “Windows on the Bowery” series.
The building is listed in the "AIA (American Institute of Architects) Guide to New York City, Fifth Edition".
Also see . . . Mooney, Edward, House - National Archives. National Register of Historic Places documentation (Submitted on April 9, 2024, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.)
2013
3. Inset
Edward Mooney House, 18 Bowery, 2013
circa 1900
4. Inset
Jackey Doodles, Barney Flynn, Jumbo & Chuck Connors outside Barney Flynn’s Saloon, circa 1900
circa 1899
5. Inset
Chuck Connors at Barney Flynn’s Saloon, 1899
6. Inset -
A Chuck Connors slumming tour
7. Inset
Irving Berlin
Photographed by Larry Gertner, April 4, 2019
8. 12 Pell Street, the Pelham Cafe
Credits. This page was last revised on June 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 1,600 times since then and 79 times this year. Last updated on April 22, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 9, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 7, 8. submitted on April 10, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker.
• • A clear, wide view photo of the marker and its surroundings showing its location.
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