Manhattan: Wall Street - William Street
Wall Street, west from William Street (foreground), to Broadway, showing on the west side of the latter, at the head of this thoroughfare, Trinity Church. This early view of the financial district is conspicious by the absence of the following institutions: The U. S. Trust Company of New York building of 1888 (No. 45-47); The heightened U. S. National Bank of New York building of 1890 (No. 41); The third (9 story) building of the Mechanics National Bank (No. 31-33); The Wilks Building at the S.W. corner of Wall and Broad Streets; The Gallatin National Bank building of 1887 (in the process of construction at No. 34-36, adjoining the Assay Office) and the Bank of America building of 1888-9 (No. 44-6). Compare this view with one of 1895 and note the changes; the last of that period to go was the brownstone shown at the left; the site to this day (1938) being occupied by the same firm, the Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company. An account of same was carried in a column titled "Sky Lines' in the New York Sun of April 28, 1938. Subsequently the following were replaced; the Drexel Morgan & Co. building in 1913; the old United States Assay Office building in 1916; and the Mechanics National Bank building in 1932. 1929 saw the site for the present 7O storied Bank of Manhattan Building (No. 40) cleared. No. 2 of this set shows a view slightly later; the Gallatin National Bank Building being completed and with a workmens scaffold about to be removed. This structure was erected on a site which included their former building and a 1ot purchased from the dissolved Union Bank which was adjacent. The purchase price for the latter was $400000. The new nine story building was built and owned jointly by the Bank and Adrian Iselin.
Photo from the New York Public Library - Milstein Collection
