Cherry Street

Giovanni da Verrazzano, the explorer observed the corner of Cherry Street and Franklin Square was once the edge of the Lenape’s vast cherry orchard. It was the original shoreline.

The street was named for the 7-acre (28,000 m2) cherry orchard that was planted by David Provoost, who originally owned the land. His Manhattan farm consisted of about 35 acres. It was sold later to two men: Goovert Loockermans, a wealthy Dutch merchant who was the New Amsterdam representative of the Amsterdam trading firm of Gillis Verbrugge & Company in the 1660s and Cornelis Leeandertsen.

Traces of the orchard survived into the 1870s, when the last of the trees, and Washington’s home at 1 Cherry Street, were swept away to build the Brooklyn Bridge.

Co-Name Cherry Street between the FDR Drive and Jackson Street to Firefighter Robert Joseph Foti Way in honor of his sacrifice on September 11, 2001.