Wall Street Buildings before the Great Fire

Illustrations show the buildings on Wall Street (north side and south side), from Broadway to Hanover Street (south side), before the Great Fire of 1835, which destroyed many buildings in the south side of Wall Street. The steeple of the First Presbyterian Church (north side, on the left) is depicted as it was before a fire in 1834, then replaced by a pointed steeple.

Original title: Wall Street North Side / South Side to Near Pearl Street about 1835. Unknown creator. Source: collection of the Museum of the city of New York.

In the north side of Wall Street (engraving on top), Broadway is to the left. The First Presbyterian Church, on the left, was founded in 1716, as a Presbyterian Meeting, rebuilt in 1748 and in 1810-1811. The steeple was replaced in 1834. The congregation moved into a new temple on 5th Avenue, in 1846.

The Custom House, on the corner of Nassau Street, site of the old Federal Hall demolished in 1812, was replaced by the present Greek-style building, erected between 1833 and 1842.

The old Merchants' Exchange (left on the south side) opened in 1827 on the corner of Hanover Street and was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1835. The original temple of Grace Church on Broadway is depicted on the right.