Ann Street (Manhattan)

Ann Street is a 3-block long street located in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan just south of City Hall.

History

[
New York City Hall.]

Early history

Ann Street is one of the oldest streets in New York City, appearing on a map created in 1728. Ann Street was named after Ann White, the wife of a developer and merchant, Capt. Thomas White. She may have urged him to name the street after her because other merchants' wives already had streets named after them. ["The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins" - by Henry Moscow] The street is relatively small and short compared with the other lower Manhattan streets named after merchants' wives.

There have been several other streets in the city named Ann Street. One laid out between Reade and Franklin Streets prior to 1797 later became Elm Street. "Anne Street" was also a name circa 1748 for part of the present William Street. Today, there is only one Ann Street in Manhattan.

Rats

On May 10, 1979, a woman was attacked on Ann Street by a "pack of rats" as she was walking to her car. The woman hurried into the car and the rats climbed onto it. Several witnesses called the police. The rats were later found living on the burnt out wreck of "Ryan's Cafe," a bar that had served the area since the 1860s. The bar exploded due to a gas leak on December 11, 1970, and remained an empty lot through the 1970s. This empty lot was widely regarded to be the source of the rat problem. ["Scores of Rats Are Found at Site Where They Attacked a Woman; Consequences of Rat Bites Poison Injected Into Burrows", "The New York Times" by Pranay B. Gupte, May 12, 1979. p. 25]

The city tugboat strike in 1979 compounded the problem as heaps of garbage collected on Ann Street and in the abandoned lot causing the rat population to explode. The rat attack incident prompted Mayor Lindsay to order city pest control to take immediate action on the problem. They killed and trapped hundreds of rats in just a few days, drawing media attention. The close proximity of Ann Street to City Hall made the incident all the more embarrassing. It helped to add to negative impressions of the city for years, but it also prompted people to act to improve downtown. ["Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitant" - by Robert Sullivan]

Ann Street today

The recent addition of condominiums to the upper floors of the some of older buildings has added more life to the area. Ann Street was gutted and repaved in 2006, as a pert of a city water main replacement project, greatly reducing the rat problems and further beautifying the area. The corner of Ann Street and Broadway is still as busy as it was in Barnum's day, shoppers and tourists frequent J&R Computer World, one of the largest electronics stores in the nation.

Ann Street in popular culture

ong by Charles Ives

Ann Street is the title and subject of a song by the early 20th century experimental classical composer Charles Ives with lyrics based on a poem written by Maurice Morris in 1921:

[Shout.]
Broadway!

[Sing.]
"Quaint name Ann street."
"Width of same, ten feet."
"Barnums mob Ann street,"
"Far from ob- solete."
"Narrow, yes Ann street,"
"But business, Both feet."

[Shout.]
Nassau crosses Ann Street!

[Sing.]
"Sun just hits Ann street,"
"Then it quits Some greet!"
"Rather short, Ann Street."

The crossing of Nassau Street and Ann Street is a highlight of the song and the street itself. Nassau Street is a High Street filled with shops. At the intersection one can see a view deep in to the heart of the Financial District and the facade of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) six blocks away. Nassau Street and Ann Street meet at uneven angles leading one to feel rather surprised by the sudden explosion of pedestrian traffic, shops and lights when crossing their intersection.

"Barnum's Mob" on Ann Street

"Barnum's American Museum" located on the corner of Ann Street and Broadway was one of the most popular showplaces in the United States. He made a special hit in 1842 with the exhibition of Charles Stratton, the celebrated midget "General Tom Thumb", as well as the Fiji Mermaid which he exhibited in collaboration with his Boston counterpart Moses Kimball.

The line in the Charles Ives song, "Barmun's Mob, Ann Street," refers to the crowds drawn to see the curiosities at this museum.

References

ee also

* List of eponymous streets in New York City
* Broadway (Manhattan)
* Nassau Street (Manhattan)
* Park Row (Manhattan)

External links

* [http://www.rikomatic.com/blog/2006/06/quaint_name_ann.html About the Song by Charles Ives]
* [http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/ann_street_water_main_49451.aspx Ann Street Water Main Replacement Project]
* [http://www.forgotten-ny.com/Alleys/LOWER%20MANHATTAN/lower.html Alleys Of Lower Manhattan]