The Great Fire of New York City Fire in 1845 started at about
2:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, on the third floor of Oil Merchant and Stearin
Candle Manufacturer, at 34 New Street in Lower Manhattan. It spread rapidly to
adjoining buildings. The City Hall alarm bell began to ring at about 3:00 a.m.,
summoning firefighters.
The fire destroyed about 345 buildings in the southern part of Lower
Manhattan and killed 30 people, including four firefighters. It was the last of
three devastating fires that affected Lower Manhattan, the other two occurring
in 1776 and
1835.
A
total of 69 buildings were destroyed on Broad Street, 48 on Beaver Street, 47 on
New Street and 25 on Exchange Place (the northern limit of the conflagration).
Around Bowling Green, the fire destroyed 28 buildings on the east side of
Broadway, including the Adelphi Hotel. On the west side, 6 buildings were
destroyed, including the blue granite house, built by Martin E, Thompson, with
spacious porch defended by two cast iron lions, but the Atlantic Hotel and
Atlantic Garden were not injured.
Above, map of the burnt area of the Great Fire in 1845, published in The New York
Herald, on July 20, 1845, extra edition. The original map was modified here with
some additional text. According to the newspaper: "The greatest, the most
terrible fire that has occurred in this city since the great conflagration of
December, 1835, has spread devastation throughout the lower part of the city.
Three hundred buildings, according to the best calculation, have been levelled
to the ground. Most of them were large three, four and five story houses, and
occupied principally by importing and other merchants. It is a close estimate to
set the loss, at from five to ten millions of dollars."
Devastations after the Great Fire.
Above, Broad Street. Below, Bowling Green
and Marketfield Street. Illustrations published in
The Illustrated London News - August 23, 1845. According to this periodical
press: "The district burnt is the most important portion of New York, it
having been mostly composed of large buildings, filled with very costly
merchandise. In this quarter, too, the French and German merchants chiefly
congregated. The loss by this public calamity is, as we have stated, estimated
at from 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 dollars, most of which is covered by insurance,
and the loss is divided pretty equally amongst the numerous insurance companies;
it is expected that nearly all will be paid, though several will have to wind up
their concerns in consequence."
