1870

Manhattan: Broadway - Liberty Street

Broadway, at, adjoining and north of the N. W. corner of Liberty Street (left, not shown), showing the site of the later date Singer Building. No. 161 Broadway, the five story building contains, the Knickerbocker Life Insurance Co., the Columbia Fire Insurance Co. and the Yonkers-New York Fire Insurance Co. The latter might be the re-organized firm consisting of the separate companies that failed in the Boston fire of 1871. This structure was the home of the Greenwich Insurance Co. in the 1890's. An illustration showing this occupancy appears on page 643 of Moses Kings Handbook of New York, 1893. The Williamsburg City Fire Insurance Co. occupies the store of No. 165. This firm was organized in 1853. They later moved to their newly completed (about 1885) home across the street (N. E. corner of Liberty St.) For purposes of information, the various remaining insurance companies after the fire of 1835 were required to organize individually and were prohibited from accumulating functions. They were required to be chartered for specific purposes, such as fire, life, fidelity, casualty, etc. On the repeal of the Act of 1829, many foreign firms (mainly English) entered this field. After the second conflagration in the business center of New York (1845), an association of city underwriters was formed that developed into the National Board in 1866. About 1870's Gift of Ubrock Collection

Photo from the New York Public Library - Milstein Collection