Ladies' Mile Historic District
The Ladies' Mile Historic District was a prime shopping district in
The Ladies' Mile Historic District contains mostly multi-story store and loft buildings. These buildings became common after 1899 when laws prohibited combined home and production areas without a permit, causing people who had previously worked at home to seek commercial spaces; the rise of unions which advocated for better working conditions also contributed to the development.[1]
History
Before becoming a shopping district, this area was residential and included rows of identical brownstone townhouses.
All of these attractions brought the rich and celebrities to the area, especially since the safety of the district allowed women to shop without male companions to accompany them.
When the district became more commercialized and less elite, many of the well-known residents moved uptown, and the upscale department stores and shops followed them. By the end of World War I, most of the buildings had been converted into warehouses, and lofts for manufacturers, as well as some residences.
A major anchor of the district is
The Ladies' Mile gained the status of Historic District in 1989.[7] This status came after much debate and would not have been possible without the advocacy group The Drive to Protect the Ladies' Mile District. This group was formed by Anthony C. Wood and Jack Taylor.[7] The main opposers to this cause was the Real Estate Board of New York who thought the historic designation would make the lives of property owners too difficult.[7] Margaret Moore and Truman Moore also wrote a book for the cause in 1983 titled End of the Road for Ladies' Mile? Their book contained photographs and essays to share the forgotten history of Ladies' Mile which helped garner support for the cause.[7] This book along with exhibitions and walking tours of Ladies' Mile helped to raise public awareness about the history and significance of Ladies' Mile. Other important influences to the cause was the support of celebrities like Woody Allen, Diana Vreeland, and Joseph Papp.[7]
Notable buildings
- Church of the Holy Communion, 49 West 20th Street, 1846
- Arnold Constable Building, 881-887 Broadway, 1868–1877
- B. Altman Dry Goods Store, 621 Sixth Avenue, c.1877
- Gorham Manufacturing Company Building, 889–891 Broadway, 1884
- O'Neill Building, 655-671 Sixth Avenue, 1887–1890
- Scribner Building, 155 Fifth Avenue, 1893
- 9–11 East 16th Street, 1895–1896
- Siegel-Cooper Dry Goods Store, 616-632 Sixth Avenue, 1896
- Sohmer Piano Building, 170 Fifth Avenue, 1897–1898
- Flatiron Building, Broadway and Fifth Avenue at East 23rd Street, 1902–03
- Spero Building, 19–27 West 21st Street, 1907–1908
- Masonic Hall, 71 West 23rd Street, c. 1910
References
Notes
- ^ a b "Ladies' Mile Historic District". Trust for Architectural Easements. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4384-3769-9.
- ^ Pearson, Marjorie (ed.) "Ladies' Mile Historic District Designation Report", New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (May 2, 1989)
- ^ "Ladies' Mile District Wins Landmark Status", The New York Times (May 7, 1989)
- ^ "Ladies' Mile Home Page". The Drive to Protect the Ladies' Mile. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Ladies Mile - Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ladies' Mile Historic District |". Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis. "When Computer Store Meets Historic District", The New York Times (August 3, 2005)