Street Scenes in 1870s New York City
As a young girl, Susie Scott lived in a single-family brownstone at 11 West 20th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues). This address was considered quite fashionable at the time as most of the city's greatest families clustered within a 20 block radius--Edith Wharton grew up around the corner on West 23rd Street and Theodore Roosevelt's family resided at 28 East 20th (between Broadway and Park Avenue). Many of the most desirable stores such as Macy's, A.T. Stewart's and Tiffany's were within walking distance on Broadway from 9th Street up to 26th Street. This stretch became known as "Ladies Mile."
I found most of these photos at the New-York Historical Society. They were all taken around the time that Susie lived in the area.
5th Avenue, south from 21st Street, ca.1870
Susie would have passed the church and the building next to it and then taken a right onto 20th Street. Her brownstone (which sadly no longer exists) would have been on the north side of the street 4 homes in.
How do I know this so well? Because the NYHS has a collection of insurance maps, which were very detailed accounts of the homes and public buildings in every neighborhood. The map below is from 1877.
Insurance Map NYC 1877
Here is a print of what 23rd Street between 5th & 6th looked like in the 1870s. Note the brownstones with long stoops which were very similar to Susie's home located three blocks south.
23rd Street between 5th & 6th Avenue
It's important that I collect these visuals so I can describe the sights of this area with as much accuracy as possible. What did the carriage wheels on a cobblestone street sound like? How did the sun cast shadows? Were there many trees on the side streets? What buildings did Susie pass as she walked home from church? Details such as these help spark my imagination.