Two Bridges in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Catherine Mall
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 17, 2024
This parkland and street is named after Catherine Rutgers (1711-1779), daughter of Mayor Johannes De Peyster (1666-1711) and wife of Hendrick Rutgers (b. 1712). In Catherine's time, the surroundings area was home to the city's elite Dutch mercantile families and this street was a fashionable thoroughfare for shopping.
In 1818 Henry Sands Brooks (1772-1833) established the first Brooks Brothers Men's Clothing store located on the northeast corner of Catherine and Cherry Streets. The elegant clothing store sold outfits such as "broadcloth coats, nankeen vests and cassimere pantaloons" to lawyers, doctors and ship captains who docked along the Catherine Slip.
,br> This prime location for retail goods influenced Samuel Lord (1803-1889) to open his clothing store at 47 Catherine Street in 1826. His business expanded and in 1832 Lord developed a partnership with his wife's cousin, George Washington Taylor (b. 1799?). Their store, Lord & Taylor was located at 61-63 Catherine Street. A writer in 1846 described the bustling shopping scene along the main road: "And this is Catherine Street…no wonder the lady was astonished, for such a conglomeration of merchandise of every sort and description cannot be found jumbled together in the same space anywhere else… ."
During the Civil War (1861-1865) Brooks Brothers Clothing Store supplied the uniforms for Union officers and soldiers. In the summer of 1863 the clothing store was one of many targets attacked by an angry mob for its connection to the government. The three day uprising, known as the New York City Draft Riots, was linked to the Conscription Act passed by Congress several months before, which allowed wealthy citizens to buy their way out of the draft for $300 dollars, leaving the poor infuriated. Harper's Weekly wrote, "On Monday, evening a large number of marauders paid a visit to the extensive clothing store of Messrs. Brooks Brothers, at the corner of Catherine and Cherry Streets. Here they helped themselves to such articles as they wanted, after which they might be dispersing in all directions… ."
By the mid-nineteenth century the neighborhood's demographics changed and both stores relocated uptown. Absentee landowners bought properties, subdivided them and packed them with newly arrived immigrants. In the late nineteenth century, works such as Jacob A. Riis' How the Other Half Lives exposed the squalid tenement conditions along the Lower East Side. The resulting public outcry prompted the City to acquire and condemn many of the tenements.
New residential complexes such as Knickerbocker Village (1934) replaced the clothing stores and tenement buildings. Its architect used a design
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 17, 2024
Erected by NYC Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Immigration • Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.
Location. 40° 42.607′ N, 73° 59.785′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in Two Bridges. Marker is at the intersection of Cherry Street and Catherine Slip, on the right when traveling east on Cherry Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 97 Catherine Slip, New York NY 10038, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. History of Catherine Slip (here, next to this marker); Catherine Mall Market (here, next to this marker); Catherine Slip Malls (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Governor Alfred E. Smith Memorial (about 400 feet away); Alfred E. Smith Playground (about 400 feet away); Happy Warrior Playground in Alfred E. Smith Park (about 400 feet away); Catherine Street (about 500 feet away); Governor Alfred E. Smith Houses Residents Memorial (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 22, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 29 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 22, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.