It seems that no matter where you go in New York City, there are fun facts and secrets around every corner. You’ve probably walked by buildings before, thinking they could never have any interesting backstories. In some cases you might be right; but in others you’d be wrong. These are some fun secrets about a few of NYC’s weirdest places.
Blood Angle: Doyers Street
Doyers Street connects Pell Street & the Bowery in Chinatown. It’s unusual 90-degree angle turn provided the perfect place for ambushes during the “Tong Wars” in the 20th century. Fights constantly broke out at that curve between Chinatown’s famous Tong Gangs. Tunnels that run under the street allowed gang members to flee the scene of the crime during that time. So many murders happened on Doyers Street that the site became known as “Blood Angle.”
The World’s First Elevator Shaft: Cooper Union Foundation Building
Back in the 1850s, Peter Cooper decided that he wanted his new building - one of the tallest buildings in New York at the time - to have an elevator. (Keep in mind, elevators didn’t exist yet.) Believing that a practical elevator would be invented soon, the building used a pulley system inside a shaft to bring goods between floors. Shortly after this, the first elevator was created by Elisha Otis; but to Cooper’s surprise, it was square, not round like he had envisioned.
New York’s Walk of Fame: Theater 80
In 1971, former actor, Howard Otway, opened Theater 80 in St. Mark’s Place to show films from decades past. To celebrate the opening, Otway invited several movie stars to a party and asked them to leave their signatures and handprints in the cement in front of the theater. Among the names in the sidewalk are Dom DeLuise, Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, and Gloria Swanson.
Did you know that little sections of NYC had this much history to them? What other secrets do you know about the Big Apple? We’d love to hear about them. For more fun facts and information on New York City, connect with AMAA on Facebook and Twitter!
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