Opposite Peck Slip stands Meyer’s Hotel, built in 1873. Originally intended as a store, the building was quickly converted into a hotel by proprietor Henry Meyer.
Thomas Edison was a frequent visitor, and some argue that Meyer’s Hotel and its bar were the first in the world to be illuminated by electric light—thanks to the original Con Edison power station just a few blocks away on Pearl Street.
Its guest list reads like a chapter from American legend: Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill Cody, and even outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were said to have stayed here. Teddy Roosevelt, while serving as head of the NYPD, was also known to stop by for a pint—supposedly to keep an eye out for officers enjoying unauthorized drinks on duty.
