Exchange Place was created by 1657 as part of the street plan for the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (modern-day Lower Manhattan), as recorded in the Castello Plan. It is composed of parts of two colonial Dutch roads and survives largely as it existed in 1660, although it has been renamed multiple times and was extended in 1836. The current name, which dates from 1827, was derived from the New York Stock Exchange's presence near Exchange Place. Several points of interest are located along Exchange Place, including the New York Stock Exchange Building, 20 Exchange Place, and 55 Wall Street.
History
Exchange Place was created by 1657, as outlined in the Castello Plan, a street map for the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (modern-day Lower Manhattan); the street still survives largely as it existed in 1660.[2]: 7 The street incorporates parts of two colonial Dutch roads: Heere Dwars Straet and Tuyn Straet.[2]: 10 Heere Dwars Street (literally The Lord's Cross Street[3]) ran two blocks between Broadway and Broad Street.[2]: 10 Tuyn Street, named after gardens,[4][5] ran one block from Broad Street to William Street.[2]: 10 In colonial times, the area was swampland;[6] to drain the swamp, a canal was dug from Exchange Place, along which Broad Street was subsequently built.[7] The area surrounding Broad Street and Exchange Place was known as the "Schaap Weyte" or sheep pasture.[5]
In 1692, a Dutch Reformed Church was erected at Exchange Place and Broad Street.[8] The first church building was replaced in 1807, and the second church building burned down in 1835. The church's congregation sold off the site in the 1840s rather than rebuild it.[5]
Tuyn Street was renamed Church Street in 1695 and Garden Street in 1797.[2]: 10 Garden Street and Oyster Pasty Alley were renamed Exchange Place in 1827,[9] after the Merchants Exchange Building at Wall and William Streets was built that year.[2]: 10 [10][11] In 1836, Exchange Place was extended from William Street to Hanover Street.[2]: 10 By the 1830s, the demand for commercial space had increased significantly on Exchange Place and surrounding streets. Many residential buildings on the street were subsequently demolished, and commercial buildings were erected in their place.[12]: 576 Exchange Place was a center for financial activity; in 1867, it was reported that $1.6 million had been stolen from one of the banks on Exchange Place.[13][12]: 999 The 1939 WPA Guide to New York City stated that Exchange Place, together with Wall and Broad Streets, formed the core of Manhattan's Financial District.[14]
^Feirstein, Sanna (2001). Naming New York : Manhattan places & how they got their names. New York: New York University Press. p. 26. ISBN978-0-8147-2712-6. OCLC45209072.