Just one week after the British invaded Manhattan in September 1776, a suspicious fire destroyed as much as a quarter of the city, hundreds of the estimated four thousand buildings. A hastily organized bucket brigade drawing water from the Hudson River saved St. Paul's Chapel, which had opened in 1766 and remains Manhattan's oldest and only existing prerevolutionary public building in continuous use.&nbsp;The fire was said to have broken out shortly after midnight at the Fighting Cocks Tavern near Whitehall Slip. It quickly consumed Trinity Church, but the Reverend Charles Inglis, Trinity's assistant minister, rallied men, women, and children to soak the roof of St. Paul's, about a third of a mile away. The fire not only inflicted immediate hardship but would exacerbate the misery inflicted by the prolonged British occupation of New York. Survivors pitched canvas tents on the charred ruins. Loyalists flooded into the city, and both public and private buildings were appropriated to house them and billet British troops.&nbsp;Patriots suspected the British of setting the blaze; the British, meanwhile, suspected American arsonists, and with good reason. George Washington disclaimed any advance knowledge of the fire but wrote his cousin: "Providence or some good honest Fellow, has done more for us than we were disposed to do for ourselves." As a result of their suspicions, the British imposed martial law for the duration of their seven-year occupation. (Perhaps not coincidentally, on that very day, Nathan Hale was arrested in Queens as an American spy.) Their cruel treatment of captured American soldiers consigned to filthy prison ships off Brooklyn may have been another consequence of the suspicion and animosity that the fire created in the occupied city.&nbsp;St. Paul's miraculous survival in the Great Fire was mirrored on September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center collapsed. Standing in the shadow of the Twin Towers, the church was unharmed. Not a single window was broken. For months, the chapel served as a sanctuary for police, firemen, construction workers, and volunteers at the site. The iron gates of the chapel were festooned with photographs of the missing, teddy bears, flowers, and other tributes. &nbsp;About a decade later, Omayra Rivera, St. Paul's thirty-seven-year-old program director, maneuvered herself behind the 1804 pipe organ and made her way to the steeple after hearing maintenance workers discussing artifacts they discovered there. She found what may have been evidence of the chapel's original miracle: a three-gallon leather bucket marked "St. Paul's, 1768," the year when tougher fire regulations took effect.

St. Paul's Fire Bucket 1776

1st recreational organization in NY State founded as the NY Society for Parks &amp; Playgrounds. In 1884, a Tenement House Committee was formed to address housing issues, and by 1889, the Brooklyn Society for Parks and Playgrounds was established—the first of its kind in New York State. In 1891, Charles A. Stover, former Mayor Abram S. Hewitt, and Columbia President Seth Low founded the New York Society for Parks and Playgrounds, a "moral movement, not a charity." The society lobbied the city, taught families to use play equipment, and ran an experimental playground on Second Avenue from 1891 to 1894.

NY Society for Parks & Playgrounds

In order to drum up public support for the revolutionary war effort, Benjamin Franklin convinced the Continental Congress to commission the monument, to build support for separation from Britain. Benjamin Franklin championed the monument from its design to its installation, in spite of the intervening war and paltry coffers.On January 25 1776, Benjamin Franklin was given 300 pounds sterling to oversee its creation commissioning the French royal sculptor, Jean-Jacques Caffieri. &nbsp;After Caffieri completed the sculpture in 1777, Franklin had the chutzpa to show it off in Paris while the war still raged.&nbsp;It was shipped to America in 9 lead sealed cases.

Leading the charge of the Battle of Quebec, Major General Richard Montgomery died under British fire in 1775.&nbsp;

Montgomery Monument

&ldquo;The tolling of this bell is, of course, in mourning for those who tragically lost their lives here. And it`s a reminder, for those who choose, that there`s eternal life; that God has received these gentle souls into the arms of his mercy.&rdquo; &mdash;the Rev. James Cooper, rector at Trinity Church.The Bell of Hope was a gift from London`s St. Mary-le-Bow, which is the sister church to St. Paul`s Chapel. Installed in the churchyard of St. Paul`s Chapel in September 2002, the Bell of Hope is rung at a ceremony every year on September 11th. It has also been rung after the bombings in Madrid, 2004; London, 2005; Mumbai, 2008; Moscow, 2010; and the Boston Marathon, 2013; and for the shootings at Virginia Tech, 2007 and in Norway, 2011. In the tradition of the FDNY`s salute to fallen firefighters, St. Paul`s clergy tolls the bell in four sets of five rings.The inscription &ldquo;To the Greater Glory of God And in Recognition of The Enduring Links Between The City of London And The City of New York&rdquo;The bronze bell was cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London`s East End. The foundry was founded in 1570 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It is where the U.S. symbol of independence, the Liberty Bell was cast in 1752. This foundry also cast Big Ben, the bell in Elizabeth`s Tower at the Houses of Parliament, in 1859Beneath the bell is a stylized map of the footprints of the World Trade Center complex as it stood before the attacks and destruction of September 11th 2001. The Twin Towers are clearly visible, surrounded by the lower-rising buildings making up the complex.

Bell of Hope

 Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally since 1789, with the first proclamation by President George Washington after a request by Congress. The Continental Congress, the legislative body that governed the United States from 1774 to 1789, issued several "national days of prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving", a practice that was continued by presidents Washington and Adams under the Constitution, and has manifested itself in the established American observances of Thanksgiving and the National Day of Prayer today. As President, on October 3, 1789, George Washington made the proclamation and created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America. On the day of thanksgiving, Washington attended services at St. Paul's Chapel in New York City, and donated beer and food to imprisoned debtors in the city. 

1st Presidential Proclamation of Thanksgiving Day

With gravestones dating to 1704, the cemetery at St. Paul's Church National Historic Site is one of the oldest, continuously used burial yards in the nation.

Initially opened as an outreach chapel of Trinity Church to better serve its expanding congregation. A decade later, the Great Fire of 1776 destroyed the first Trinity Church, but St. Paul’s survived, thanks to a bucket brigade dousing the building with water.Until the second Trinity Church was rebuilt in 1790, many, including George Washington, made St. Paul’s their church home.Over the next two centuries, the ministries of St. Paul’s expanded along with the city. Community outreach was a primary focus, with services to accommodate the needs of immigrants, working women, and the homeless.

Rather than restore the landscapes to a specific period in time, the church leadership agreed that these sacred spaces must reflect the evolution of time and its significance to the community. The designs restore unobstructed views of the gravestones while protecting the base of mature trees from foot traffic. Low-scale circular beds around major trees form subtle landscape accents within the lines of gravestones. Additional improvements include soil amendments and new turf, replacement of damaged brownstone pavement, installation of bluestone check dams and runnels to solve erosion and compaction problems, and the removal of post-9/11 signage remnants. Extensive landscaping, steeple repair, the installation of air conditioning, and the installation of a production room to facilitate webcasting.

Saint Paul's Chapel is the oldest church in Manhattan and is thought to be the oldest building in Manhattan. It is also the tallest public building in continuous use and the only remaining colonial church. Inside can be found the first rendition in oil paint of the Great Seal of the United States. It is one of the nation's finest examples of Late Georgian church architecture. Its worshippers included George Washington.

At the fa&amp;ccedil;ade, rusticated blocks of Manhattan schist and smooth sandstone accents were restored, repaired, or patched.&amp;nbsp;  

On the Broadway side of the chapel's exterior is an oak statue of the church's namesake,&amp;nbsp;Saint Paul, carved by an unknown sculptor and installed in 1790.  

Because the monument honoring General Montgomery created a shadowy outline in the altar window as seen from the nave, a design for the interior of the window was made by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the French architect who created the master plan for the city of Washington, DC. The design, executed by a woodcarver, represents God’s glory on Mount Sinai and the giving of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, from Exodus 24.

The origins of the St. Paul's cemetery were determined by the background and customs of the residents of the Town of Eastchester, which was founded by English settlers in the 1660's. Burials began around 1700 in the northwestern corner of the site, shortly after the completion of the town's first church, following the English tradition of the churchyard as burial ground. Before that, interment had usually occurred on family property. In a small, locally oriented town, grave markers were simple fieldstone, drawn from the fields of Westchester County. The population was small enough that initials were sufficient to identify the deceased and greater emphasis was given to recording the date of death, at a time when there were no death certificates. To chisel the simple inscriptions, the family hired the local blacksmith, who was skilled in the use of hand tools, but certainly not a professional carver, which was an additional reason for the minimal characters on a stone. Markers were austere and lacked imagery, because Eastchester's residents, raised in the Puritan tradition, feared that spiritual depictions would lead to idolatry, the worship of physical objects as gods.

The earliest symbolism on gravestones at St. Paul's dates to the 1750's and takes two general forms. One is the heart, generally understood to have symbolized God's love, and the other is a star-like design or pinwheel, which probably represented heaven, or all things under heaven. These emblems were the first steps away from Puritan beliefs that prohibited any form of religious iconography.Both of these designs also appeared on 18th century furniture, clothing and everyday objects such as footwarmers, where they had an artistic as well as a symbolic function. The stones on which these designs appeared usually consisted of low-grade marble, worked into tripartite shapes. The designs appeared either in tympanum -- the arched middle section -- or on the side finials.

"As a feeble tribute to the value of all that could be lost in the Wife, the Mother, and the Friend. This stone is reared in memory of Elizabeth the spouse of Samuel L. Borrowe, who departed this sorrowing Life in the comfortable hope of a better on the 29th September 1812 aged 36 years.Restored 1930"

 "Opened in 1766, St. Paul's Chapel in Manhattan's oldest public building in continuous use - a place where George Washington worshiped and 9/11 recovery workers received round the clock care. Part of the Episcopal Parish of Trinity Church, St. Paul's is a center for worship and the arts, a community of reconciliation, and a place of pilgrimage for all people."   CultureNOW

St. Paul's Chapel&nbsp;has been designated a Registered National Historic LandmarkUnder the provisions of the historic sites as of August 21, 1935. This site possesses exceptional value in commemorating and illustrating the history of the United States.&nbsp;US Department of the Interior National Park Service1962

Landmarks of New YorkSt. Paul's ChapelThis famous example of Georgian Architecture built 1764-1766, with spire and portico added 1794-1796, is the only church structure surviving the colonial era of New York City, the design by Thomas McBean closely followed that of St. Martin in the fields by James Gibbs, President Washington was a regular attendant following his inauguration in 1789 when New York was the National Capital.Places erected 1957 byThe New York Community Trust

Stephen Rochefontaine (February 20, 1755 &amp;ndash; January 30, 1814 ) was a French-born military engineer who served as such in the Continental Army, during the American Revolutionary War, and later as the very first Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He was born &amp;Eacute;tienne Nicolas Marie B&amp;eacute;chet, Sieur de Rochefontaine in Marny, France.  

Stephen Rochefontaine was a French-American military engineer who served as the Commandant of the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers from 1795 to 1798. He came to America in 1778, joined General Washington's army, and was later appointed captain in the Corps of Engineers. He was given the brevet rank of major for his services at the siege of Yorktown. After serving in the French Army, he returned to the US in 1792 and was appointed a civilian engineer by President Washington. In 1795, he was made the lieutenant colonel and commandant of the new Corps of Artillerists and Engineers, and started a military school at West Point. He left the army in 1798 and died in New York City in 1814, where he is buried in St. Paul's Chapel churchyard.

St. Paul's Chapel

Stephen Rochefontaine

The land was originally purchased in 1696. The first Trinity Church building, a modest rectangular structure with a gambrel roof and small porch. According to historical records, Captain William Kidd lent the runner and tackle from his ship for hoisting the stones. President Washington and members of his government often worshiped there.

The church was destroyed in the Great New York City Fire of 1776, which started in the Fighting Cocks Tavern, destroying between 400 and 500 buildings and houses, and leaving thousands of New Yorkers homeless.

Construction on the second Trinity Church building began in 1788; it was consecrated in 1790. St. Paul's Chapel was used while the second Trinity Church was being built.The second Trinity Church was built facing Wall Street; it was 200 feet tall, and longer and wider than its predecessor. Building a bigger church was beneficial because the population of New York City was expanding.&nbsp;

The church was torn down after being weakened by severe snows during the winter of 1838–39.

The third and current Trinity Church began construction in 1839 and was finished in 1846. The Gothic Revival brownstone church's Neo-Gothic spire, surmounted by a gilded cross, dominated the skyline of lower Manhattan. Trinity was a welcoming beacon for ships sailing into New York Harbor.Trinity Church held the title of tallest building in the United States until 1869, when it was surpassed by St. Michael's Church, Old Town, Chicago. Trinity continued to be the tallest in New York City, with its 281-foot (86 m) spire and cross, until it was surpassed in 1890 by the New York World Building.The tower of Trinity Church currently contains 23 bells, the heaviest of which weighs 27 U.S. hundredweight (1,225 kilograms [2,701 lb]).Trinity Church has three sets of impressive bronze doors, donated by William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor in memory of his father, John Jacob Astor III. Conceived by Richard Morris Hunt, they date from 1893 and were produced by Karl Bitter (east door), J. Massey Rhind (south door), and Charles Henry Niehaus (north door). The north and east doors each consists of six panels from Church history or the Bible, and the south door depicts the history of New York in its six panels.

When the Episcopal Bishop of New York consecrated Trinity Church on Ascension Day (May 1) 1846, its soaring Gothic Revival spire, surmounted by a gilded cross, dominated the skyline of lower Manhattan. Trinity was a welcoming beacon for ships sailing into New York Harbor. Both Grace and Trinity Churches were completed and consecrated in 1846.

In 1876–1877, a reredos and altar were erected in memory of William Backhouse Astor, Sr., to the designs of architect Frederick Clarke Withers.

Trinity Church is undertaking an extensive restoration and renovation that encompasses the church interiors and the surrounding terraces and grounds. The central nave and chapel interiors will receive a full restoration, and the chancel will also be renovated to accommodate ADA accessibility and enhance the worship experience. The historic stained glass windows in the nave and chancel—widely considered some of the finest examples of early American stained glass in the nation—will receive a full, off-site studio conservation. Non-historic back-of-house spaces including the vestry, sacristy, clergy staff, and choir practice rooms will be extensively renovated to meet the church’s current and projected needs. The exterior terraces will be modified to provide clearer circulation, well-defined outdoor spaces for both gathering and quiet contemplation, and comprehensive ADA accessibility. A new glass canopy, with steel supports conceived as a modern interpretation of gothic structural practice, will be introduced at the south terrace, facilitating church processions under cover from inclement weather.

The cemetery is also notable as the final resting place for ship builder Robert Fulton and Alexander Hamilton.The third Trinity Church on its site still stands today at the head of Wall Street. The neo-gothic landmark was the highest point on New York's skyline until the completion of the World Building in 1890. <a href="https://culturenow.org/people/the-skyscraper-museum?name=The_Skyscraper_Museum">[1]</a>&nbsp;

Trinity Church and Graveyard

Despite the fact that there were an estimated 86 portrait galleries in New York City, 37 of which were located on Broadway, by far the most famous was Matthew Brady's. &nbsp;His second location had Every political figure of significance had their photo taken by Matthew Brady at Brady's National Gallery of Daguerreotypes

Daguerrian Miniature Gallery

Washington DC Studio

National Portrait Gallery

Brady's National Gallery of Daguerreotypes

In 1842, PT Barnum opened a combination zoo, museum, and freak show; attractions included Tom Thumb and Siamese Twins Cheng and Eng. At its peak, 15,000 visitors came daily, or 38 million total visitors.The site at Ann Street was then used for a new building for the New York Herald newspaper.

The American Museum burned to the ground in one of the most dramatic fires New York has ever seen. Animals at the museum were seen jumping from the burning building, only to be shot by police. Many of the animals unable to escape the blaze burned to death in their enclosures, including the two beluga whales who boiled to death in their tanks. It was allegedly during this fire that a fireman by the name of Johnny Denham killed an escaped tiger with his ax before rushing into the burning building and carrying out a 400-pound woman on his shoulders.

 Barnum's New Museum opened September 6, 1865, at 539-41 Broadway, between Spring and Prince Streets. 

 But the second location also burned down, on March 3, 1868. It was after this that Barnum moved on to politics and the circus industry. Barnum's American Museum was one of the most popular attractions of its time 

Barnum's American Museum

Barnum's New Museum

St. Paul's Chapel and Churchyard (Trinity)

Born in Paris to a painter father, L'Enfant studied at the Royal Academy. &nbsp;At 23 he went to America to fight on the side of the Colonies. &nbsp;He spent most of the war years on George Washington's staff.

                                            
                                            
                                            
                                                Santiago Calatrava talks about September 11th and how it affected him and the design for the PATH station transportation hub.
                                            
                                        

                                            
                                            
                                            
                                                 Daniel Libeskind talks about his experiences on September 11th, about designing Memorials and the Master Plan. 
                                            
                                        

Michael Arad talks about "Reflecting Absence", the memorial at the 9/11 Memorial. 

 On the seventh stop of the tour, Kaplan discusses the history and significance of St. Paul's Church, the oldest private building in NYC, from Benedict Arnold to 9/11. 

                                            
                                            
                                            
                                                David Childs of Skidmore Owings and Merrill talks about his experiences on September 11th and what inspired his design for the Freedom Tower, One World Trade Center.
                                            
                                        

 At the final stop on the tour, Kaplan discusses the historic Fraunces Tavern/Museum, the location of Washington's farewell address to his troops. The tavern remains today, owned by the Sons of the Revolution. 

                                            
                                            
                                            
                                                 Historian Barry Moreno discusses the Arabic immigrant neighborhood Little Syria, which existed from the 1880s through the 1950s near the site of the World Trade Center. 
                                            
                                        

 Historian Barry Moreno discusses Castle Clinton's varied history, from its years as an immigration station to its decades as a performance space. He describes its brief career as an aquarium, and its near destruction to make room for the Battery Tunnel. 

 At Bowling Green, Kaplan talks about Evacuation Day, the departure of the British from New York City, and Charging Bull, a popular statue representing the spirit of Wall Street and American capitalism. 

St. Paul’s Chapel, suffered no physical damage in the attack, even though the exterior of St. Paul’s and its churchyard were covered in debris.

Until the second Trinity Church was rebuilt in 1790, many, including George Washington, made St. Paul’s their church home.

Lafayette came to St. Paul’s Chapel, the stately building you see here, for a musical performance. “La Marseillaise,” today’s French national anthem, was played to welcome Lafayette. At that time, under King Louis the XVIII, it was banned in France. The New York Choral Society also sang in the performance. Among the pieces in their program was “See the conqu’ring hero comes” from George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Judas Maccabaeus. This popular march was often played to welcome Lafayette during the Farewell Tour.&nbsp;