Wall Street, New York City

A view of Wall Street, looking west toward Trinity Church, west from William Street, 1850s. Drawn by Félix Thorigny (1824-1870) and engraved by Eug. Aubert. Published by Garnier frères, Paris. Source: Fundação Biblioteca Nacional (Brazil). This is a similar drawing to that of German artist Augustus Köllner, dated 1847, except for the additional trees and the viewing angle.

The neoclassical Bank of America Building, on the northwest corner of William Street, on the right, was erected after the Great Fire of 1835 and demolished in 1888 to make way for a new Bank of America Building. The old Bank of New York is on the northeast corner of William Street, on the extreme right.

In the first decades of the 19th century, both residences and businesses occupied the area, but increasingly business predominated. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 meant a boom in business for New York, since it was the only major eastern seaport with direct access by waterways to ports on the Great Lakes. Wall Street became the financial capital of the United States. The Pearl, Water, Beaver and Broad, and the streets crossing and running parallel, represented the mercantile and commercial interests.