327, 329, and 331 Washington Street, between Jay and Harrison Streets

Series Title: The Destruction of Lower Manhattan

327, 329, and 331 Washington Street, between Jay and Harrison Streets

1966–67

Danny Lyon

(American, 1942-)

Culture

America

Medium

gelatin silver print

Measurements

Image: 23.5 x 29.9 cm (9 1/4 x 11 3/4 in.); Paper: 27.7 x 35.4 cm (10 7/8 x 13 15/16 in.); Matted: 45.7 x 55.9 cm (18 x 22 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of George Stephanopoulos 2011.253

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Location

Not on view

Description

Originally below sea level, the area that became West, Greenwich, and Washington Streets was built up through the continuous dumping of dirt and refuse. West Street occupies two and a half miles of Hudson River front; by 1900 the street had become one of the busiest in America. 327, 329, and 331 Washington Street, pictured in the middle of the top row, were constructed in the early 1800s as Federal-style townhouses, then commercialized when the area became the city’s produce market in 1812. Although slated for demolition in the mid-1960s, the structures were restored to their original character and are now homes.