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City Hall Park

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43-565: City Hall Park is a public park surrounding New York City Hall in the Civic Center of Manhattan . It was the town commons of the nascent city of New York . David Provoost was an officer in the Dutch West India Company . His name was on a 1652 list of nine men who governed New Amsterdam. He owned 35 acres (14 ha) around where City Hall Park is now situated. During the pre- Revolutionary era City Hall Park

86-443: A McComb descendant erased Mangin's name from the original drawings, but Mangin's name was added to the cornerstone of City Hall in 2003. The building was completed in 1812; it was designed in a Federal style with French influence. It was sited to be north of the heart of the city at the time. By the late 1810s, New York's cultural identity was growing, and in 1818, The Rotunda was built as New York City's first art museum. Slavery

129-589: A crowd from there down Broadway to Bowling Green and tore down the gilt lead statue of George III of Great Britain there. On November 9, 1783, the American forces recaptured the Civic Center, and George Washington raised the flag in the park. Six years later, General Washington was named the president of the United States of America, and immediately after his inauguration, President Washington went to

172-436: A grand marble stairway rising up to the second floor, where ten fluted Corinthian columns support the coffered dome, which was added in a 1912 restoration by Grosvenor Atterbury . The rotunda has been the site of municipal as well as national events. Abraham Lincoln 's coffin was placed on the staircase landing across the rotunda when he lay in state in 1865 after his assassination . Ulysses S. Grant also lay in state beneath

215-399: A long flight of steps, has figured prominently in civic events for over a century and a half. There is a columned entrance portico capped by a balustrade , and another balustrade at the roof. The domed tower in the center was rebuilt in 1917 after the last of two major fires. The original Massachusetts marble facade, quarried from Alford, Massachusetts , and complemented with brownstone on

258-443: A new City Hall. The first prize of $ 350 was awarded to Joseph-François Mangin and John McComb Jr. Mangin studied architecture in his native France before becoming a New York City surveyor in 1795 and publishing an official map of the city in 1803 that was largely discredited for its inaccuracies. Mangin later served as the architect of the landmarked St. Patrick's Old Cathedral on Mulberry Street. McComb, whose father had worked on

301-599: Is John Trumbull 's 1805 portrait of Alexander Hamilton , the source of the face on the United States ten-dollar bill . There were significant efforts to restore the paintings in the 1920s and 1940s. In 2006, a new restoration campaign began for 47 paintings identified by the Art Commission as highest in priority. Official receptions are held in the Governor's Room, which has hosted many dignitaries including

344-538: Is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated both City Hall's exterior and interior as official city landmarks in 1966 and 1976, respectively. New Amsterdam 's first City Hall was built by the Dutch Republic in the 17th century near present-day 73 Pearl Street . The first structure

387-490: Is carried on NYC Media channel 74, a City Government-access television (GATV) official cable TV channel. Fencing surrounds the building's perimeter, with a strong security presence by the New York City Police Department and other security. Public access to the building is restricted to tours and to those with specific business appointments. On the inside, the rotunda is a soaring space with

430-616: Is more evident in the interior design. The design of City Hall influenced at least two later civic structures, the Tweed Courthouse and the Surrogate's Courthouse immediately to the north. City Hall is a New York City designated landmark . It is also listed on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places . The building consists of a central pavilion with two projecting wings. The entrance, reached by

473-796: The BMT Broadway Line , albeit on the western side of City Hall and not directly under it. This station was built in 1918 for the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). Other nearby, open subway stations are Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall/Chambers Street ( 4 , ​ 5 , ​ 6 , <6> ​, J , and ​ Z trains) and Chambers Street–World Trade Center/Park Place/Cortlandt Street ( 2 , ​ 3 ​, A , ​ C , ​ E ​, ​ N , ​ R , and ​ W trains). Google Maps uses New York City Hall as

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516-608: The Civic Center . Most of the neighborhood consists of government offices (city, state, and federal), as well as an increasing number of upscale residential dwellings being converted from older commercial structures. Architectural landmarks surround City Hall, including St. Paul's Chapel , St. Peter's Church , the Home Life Building , the Rogers Peet Building , and the Woolworth Building to

559-475: The Marquis de Lafayette and Albert Einstein . The building's Governor's Room hosted President-elect Abraham Lincoln in 1861. The Governor's Room, which is used for official receptions, also houses one of the most important collections of 19th-century American portraiture and notable artifacts such as George Washington 's desk. Other notable rooms include: The area around City Hall is commonly referred to as

602-665: The World Trade Center to the west. Pace University 's New York City campus is located across Park Row from City Hall. Located directly under City Hall Park is the former City Hall subway station, the original southern terminal of the first service of the New York City Subway built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). Opened on October 27, 1904, this station beneath the public area in front of City Hall

645-574: The zero-mile point from which distances from New York City are measured. Isaiah Rogers Isaiah Rogers (August 17, 1800 – April 13, 1869) was an American architect from Massachusetts who eventually moved his practice south, where he was based in Louisville, Kentucky , and Cincinnati , Ohio. He completed numerous designs for hotels, courthouses and other major buildings in Boston , Massachusetts, and New York City, before that relocation. He

688-588: The Assumption , Louisville, Kentucky in the Neo-Gothic style. Upon its completion in 1852, the 287-foot spire was North America's tallest. His design for the fourth Hamilton County, Ohio Hamilton County Courthouse was for a massive three-story building, measuring 190 feet square. The building closely resembles Rogers' Merchants Exchange building, Wall Street in New York City. He also designed

731-720: The Boston Merchants Exchange . Rogers was the supervising architect, the last of five, who worked on the Ohio Statehouse . He completed the building in 1861. In 1853, Rogers founded an architecture firm in Louisville, Kentucky with another architect named Henry Whitestone . That firm was originally named Rogers, Whitestone & Co., Architects. It is still practicing today under the name of Luckett & Farley Architects, Engineers, & Interior Designers. From 1863 to 1865, due to his friendship with fellow Cincinnatian Salmon P. Chase , Secretary of

774-530: The Treasury, Rogers was appointed as Supervising Architect of the United States . In this role, he designed and patented four burglar-proof vaults built in the northwest corner of the U.S. Treasury Building in 1864. Their lining consisted of two layers of cast iron balls interposed between the traditional alternating plates of wrought iron and hardened steel. The balls, held loosely in specially formed cavities, were designed to rotate freely upon contact with

817-534: The building together without passing through a metal detector, a courtesy extended to elected officials and their guests. As a result of the security breach, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg revised security policy to require that everyone entering the building pass through metal detectors without exception. In 2008, work began on a restoration of the building, after a century without a major renovation. The construction included structural enhancements, upgrades to building services, as well as in-depth restoration of much of

860-400: The city and was considered one of the great engineering feats of the 19th century. Starting in 1861, the Tweed Courthouse was built in the northern portion of the park. The courthouse was widely seen as a symbol of corruption because it was built using funds provided by the corrupt William M. "Boss" Tweed , whose Tammany Hall political machine controlled the city and state governments at

903-408: The financial strains of the war delayed progress. The Council chose a site at the old Common at the northern limits of the city, now City Hall Park . City Hall was originally an area for the first almshouse in 1653. In 1736, there was a financed almshouse for those who were fit to work, for the unfit, and those that were like criminals but were paupers. In 1802, New York City held a competition for

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946-494: The interior and exterior. Due to the complexity of the demands of the project, the New York City Department of Design and Construction hired Hill International to provide construction management. Renovations were originally estimated to cost $ 104 million and take four years, but ended up costing nearly $ 150 million and taking over five years. Although Mangin and McComb designed the building, which

989-748: The new Bridewell , a jail. American Prisoners of War would be held in the Bridewell during the British occupation of New York in the American Revolutionary War . On July 9, 1776, units of the Continental Army and citizens gathered in the commons to hear the Declaration of Independence read by George Washington , while over 150 British ships and tens of thousands of troops were in the harbor. The Sons of Liberty led

1032-579: The office of the Mayor of New York City and the chambers of the New York City Council . While the Mayor's Office is in the building, the staff of thirteen municipal agencies under mayoral control are located in the nearby Manhattan Municipal Building , one of the largest government buildings in the world, with many others housed in various buildings in the immediate vicinity. New York City Hall

1075-496: The old City Hall, was a New Yorker and designed Castle Clinton in Battery Park, among other buildings and structures. Mangin had no known involvement with City Hall after winning the commission. McComb alone supervised every aspect of construction and was in charge of the architectural modifications and detailing during the extended building process. The cornerstone of the new City Hall was laid on May 26, 1803. Construction

1118-873: The profession of architecture. Rogers was a student of Solomon Willard . He became one of the country's foremost hotel architects and was renowned for Boston's Tremont House (the first hotel with indoor plumbing), the Astor House in New York City, and the Exchange Hotel in Richmond, Virginia . He designed the Burnett House in Cincinnati, then the largest and most elegant hotel in the Midwest. He also designed New York's Astor Opera House (1847). With William Keeley, Rogers designed The Cathedral of

1161-546: The rear elevation, had deteriorated over time from pollution and pigeons. It was completely reclad in Alabama limestone above a Missouri granite base in 1954–56 by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon , architects of the Empire State Building . The steps of City Hall frequently provide a backdrop for political demonstrations and press conferences concerning city politics. Live, unedited coverage of events at City Hall

1204-538: The renowned St. Paul's Chapel, the oldest surviving church in Manhattan. In 1802, since the original City Hall of New York City was aging and could not accommodate the growing municipal government, New York City's administration decided to hold a competition for the best new City Hall design. Aaron Burr promised Philadelphia's Benjamin Henry Latrobe that he would win. When he lost, Latrobe bitterly denounced

1247-462: The soaring rotunda dome – as did Colonel Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth , first Union officer killed in the Civil War and commander of the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment (First Fire Zouaves). There are 108 paintings from the late 18th century through the 20th century, which The New York Times declared were "almost unrivaled as an ensemble, with several masterpieces". Among the collection

1290-485: The time. It was completed in 1881, twenty years after construction started. New York City Hall New York City Hall is the seat of New York City government , located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan , between Broadway , Park Row , and Chambers Street . Constructed from 1803 to 1812, the building is the oldest city hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions. The building houses

1333-821: The west; the Broadway–Chambers Building to the northwest; 280 Broadway , 49 Chambers , Tweed Courthouse , and Surrogate's Courthouse to the north; the Manhattan Municipal Building to the northeast; the Brooklyn Bridge to the east; and the New York Times Building , the Potter Building , and the Park Row Building to the southwest. City Hall Park is approximately three blocks away from

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1376-413: The winners, “bricklayer” John McComb Jr. and French exile Joseph-François Mangin , and their “vile invention". In fact, McComb and Mangin were each accomplished architects, and their design was superior to Latrobe's, but City Hall was their only collaboration, and it was brief. McComb alone oversaw construction and subsequent changes to the design, and Mangin's career seems to have faltered. Decades later,

1419-483: Was abolished in New York on July 4, 1827, Emancipation Day , prompting a two-day celebration in the park and a parade. In 1830, the old debtor prison, New Gaol, was transformed into the city's hall of records. When the building was torn down in 1903, it was New York's oldest municipal building. New York City's lavish architecture and growing economy attracted tourists, and in 1836, the first New York City luxury hotel

1462-811: Was appointed in 1863 as the Supervising Architect of the United States , serving into 1865; the position was then attached to the Department of the Treasury. He also practiced in Mobile, Alabama after the American Civil War. Rogers was born in Marshfield, Massachusetts to Isaac Rogers, a farmer and shipwright, and his wife Hannah Ford. In 1823 he married Emily Wesley Tobey of Portland, Maine . The couple had eight children, four of whom survived infancy. Two of his sons followed him into

1505-669: Was built. Isaiah Rogers , with a reputation for building America's first luxury hotel, designed the six-story Park Hotel , which was commonly known as the Astor House. In 1842, the Croton Fountain was placed in the center of City Hall Park to celebrate the Croton Aqueduct , New York City's first dependable supply of pure water. The aqueduct drew water from the Croton Dam more than 40 miles (64 km) north of

1548-529: Was constructed between 1810 and 1812, it has been altered numerous times over the years by several architects. These include Leopold Eidlitz in 1860, John H. Duncan in 1898, William Martin Aiken in 1903, Grosvenor Atterbury from 1907 to 1917, Shreve, Lamb & Harmon in 1956, and Cabrera Barricklo in 1998. The architectural style of City Hall combines international architectural influences, French Renaissance and English neoclassicism. American- Georgian

1591-462: Was crumbling. On July 23, 2003, at 2:08 p.m., City Hall was the scene of a rare political assassination. Othniel Askew , a political rival of City Councilman James E. Davis , opened fire with a pistol from the balcony of the City Council chamber. Askew shot Davis twice, fatally wounding him. A police officer on the floor of the chamber then fatally shot Askew. Askew and Davis had entered

1634-477: Was delayed after the City Council objected that the design was too extravagant. In response, McComb reduced the size of the building and used brownstone at the rear of the building to lower costs. The brownstone, along with the original deteriorated Massachusetts marble facade, quarried from Alford, Massachusetts , was later replaced with Alabama limestone between 1954 and 1956. Labor disputes and an outbreak of yellow fever further slowed construction. The building

1677-572: Was demolished in 1690. The city's second City Hall, built in 1700, stood on Wall and Nassau Streets . That building was renamed Federal Hall in 1789, after New York became the first official capital of the United States after the Constitution was ratified. It was demolished in 1812 and current Federal Hall was built in 1842. Plans for building a new City Hall were discussed by the New York City Council as early as 1776, but

1720-437: Was designed to be the showpiece of the new subway. The platform and mezzanine feature Guastavino tile , skylights, colored glass tile work and brass chandeliers. Passenger service was discontinued on December 31, 1945, although the station is still used as a turning loop for 6 and <6> ​ trains. Another station named City Hall ( N , ​ R , and ​ W trains) also exists on

1763-500: Was not dedicated until 1811, and opened officially in 1812. The New York City Police riot occurred in front of New York City Hall between the recently dissolved New York Municipal Police and the newly formed Metropolitan Police on June 16, 1857. Municipal police fought with Metropolitan officers who were attempting to arrest New York City Mayor Fernando Wood . In 1953, the city's public works commissioner Frederick H. Zurmuhlen requested $ 2.2 million to repair City Hall's facade, which

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1806-489: Was replaced five times. A replica dating to 1921 now stands near its original location between City Hall and Broadway . In 1766, St. Paul's Chapel was completed as a chapel of Lower Manhattan's Trinity Church . It stood in a field some distance from the growing port city to the south and was built as a "chapel-of-ease" for parishioners who did not live near the Mother Church. Two years later, construction began on

1849-632: Was the site of many rallies and movements. For instance, in 1765, New Yorkers protested the Stamp Act of 1765 at the site. On March 18, 1766, New Yorkers rejoiced when the Stamp Act was repealed. In 1766, the Sons of Liberty erected the first “ Liberty pole ", a commemorative mast topped by a vane featuring the word “liberty", outside the Soldiers’ Barracks. British soldiers chopped it down, and it

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