German Traces NYC Podcast

In 1626, Peter Minuit—a native of the German town of Wesel am Rhein—purchased Manhattan Island for 60 guilders worth of trade goods. Since that purchase, German immigrants have been integral to the development of the city of New York. Over … Continue reading →

The Immanuel Lutheran Church on East 88th St. in central Yorkville is a towering monument to the congregation’s German heritage. The congregation of the Immanuel Lutheran Church formed in 1863, but two years later a rift in the congregation caused … Continue reading →

On October 16, 1852, the Gesellschaft Harmonie was established, a social club constructed with the purpose of providing “mutually beneficial entertainment” for recent German immigrants. While the phrase “mutually beneficial entertainment” many sound a bit sleazy to contemporary ears, in … Continue reading →

Built in 1906 by real estate developers and brothers, William and Thomas Hall, this handsome Beaux-Arts town house was sold in 1909 to James F. A. Clark, partner of Clark, Ward & Co., bankers and stockbrokers. In 1926 it was … Continue reading →

In 1844, the Archbishop of New York asked the Redemptorists—a Catholic missionary congregation—to take charge of the burgeoning population of German Catholics in Kleindeutschland. At first, they ministered from St. Nicholas’ on 2nd Street, but the number of German Catholics … Continue reading →

On a corner of the Puck Building sits a plump gilded statute of the structure’s namesake. Puck, from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is the mascot of one of New York’s best-known humor magazines in its day, Puck Magazine. The … Continue reading →

How did this turn of the century German-style saloon manage to survive Prohibition and stay business for nearly 130 years? By operating as a speakeasy under the name Craig’s Restaurant and installing secret hiding places for liquor. Originally founded under … Continue reading →

It all began in 1848 when German immigrant William Tollner opened up a modest hardware store at 221 Bowery. Tollner’s store became known for its high quality products, retailing some of the best mortise gauges, saw bummers, and plumb bobs … Continue reading →

At the age of 16, William F. Mangels immigrated to America from Germany, and like many German craftsmen at the time he was immediately drawn to the atmosphere of Coney Island. Already a bourgeoning area for those looking for leisure, … Continue reading →

The Steinway name can be found throughout Manhattan and the city’s outer boroughs, including an important subway tunnel linking Queens and Manhattan. In 1885 a group of investors began planning a new tunnel railroad from north of Long Island City … Continue reading →

German immigrant Henry Steinway founded Steinway & Sons in a downtown Manhattan workshop in the mid-19th century. The company’s first factory opened in 1860 on what is now Park Avenue in Manhattan at a time when factories, warehouses, and breweries … Continue reading →

In 1900, a rash of suspected arson incidents in the Yorkville neighborhood nearly claimed the recently opened Wankel’s Hardware Store, as well as the lives of its owners, who lived in an apartment at the back of the store. Fortunately, … Continue reading →

Friendship. Love. Truth. Ordinary people coming together to promote values that transcend language or nations. While these values are core to all spiritual practices, advocating them was unusual enough that the group of people, originally organized in 17th century England, … Continue reading →

As the word “tenement” indicates, 97 Orchard Street was a multiple family dwelling. Like most, it earned its reputation for overcrowding, poverty, and exploiting the working-class. From its opening in 1863 until 1935, the estimated 7000 people who lived in … Continue reading →

On the wind of several successful ventures, restaurateur and German immigrant, Carl Goerwitz, got a bit ambitious. He took out a long-term lease on 190 3rd Avenue, contracted architectural firm Weber & Drosser, and oversaw an overhaul of the building, … Continue reading →

Henry Steinway built his first piano in the kitchen of his home in Seesen, Germany, but back then he was known as Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg. Heinrich, his wife, and their children left Germany for the United States in 1851, around … Continue reading →

On October 2, 1910, crowds gathered at what was then known as the East River Park to mark the 9th annual German day celebration of the United German Societies of New York City. The day’s festivities included orchestral and choral … Continue reading →

Having already completed several other suspension bridges throughout the eastern United States, German immigrant John Roebling set his sights on a bridge to connect Brooklyn and Manhattan, a project that would ultimately be his last. At one time the longest … Continue reading →

The link between baseball and beer reaches at least as far back as the early 20th century to Jacob Rupert Jr., owner of both a brewery and the New York Yankees. Ruppert wore many other hats throughout his lifetime as … Continue reading →

In 1896, two German immigrants were married in St. Joseph’s Church of Yorkville. John and Justine Glaser were fond enough of St. Joseph’s that when a nearby property went up for sale some years later, they snatched it up. On … Continue reading →

Schaller & Weber is the last German butcher shop in the Yorkville neighborhood. Over seventy years after it was founded, the store remains in the family, owned and operated by Schaller’s three sons. Founders Ferdinand Schaller and Anton Weber came … Continue reading →

One of the few remaining German businesses on the Upper East Side, Heidelberg Restaurant continues to serve authentic German dishes to both tourists and regulars who remember the neighborhood when it was known as German Yorkville. Located on the same … Continue reading →

The beginnings of this Upper End Side church are in the sad events of the Slocum Disaster of 1904 when over 1,000 of the Lower East Side’s St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church lost their lives. Many of the victims’ families … Continue reading →

School children doing pushups and jumping jacks in physical education classes throughout the country can thank the German Turner Societies, which were responsible for the introduction of physical education to public schools in America. In 1848, America received a large … Continue reading →

For 140 years, Bloomingdale’s has been a Mecca for shoppers on New York City’s Upper East Side. It opened as Bloomingdale’s Great East Side Bazaar at 938 3rd Avenue on April 17th, 1872, founded by brothers Joseph and Lyman Bloomingdale. … Continue reading →

School children doing pushups and jumping jacks in physical education classes throughout the country can thank the German Turner Societies, which were responsible for the introduction of physical education to public schools in America. In 1848, America received a large … Continue reading →

In the period before the Civil War, German singing societies sprang up across America, created to preserve and promote German cultural and musical traditions. On January 9th, 1847, a group of 25 men of German heritage founded Deutscher Liederkranz der … Continue reading →

The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Sorrows commenced somewhat inauspiciously—with a hushed mass in a bar room backed by a cow stable. Reverend Bonaventure Frey acquired the room, which sat no more than 130 people, to serve as … Continue reading →

One would be hard pressed to find a better example of the changing ethnic identities of New York neighborhoods through architecture than the First German Baptist Church on East 14th Street. The Church emerged out of the need to serve … Continue reading →

What do you get when you combine a butcher, a safe maker, a brewery owner, a furniture dealer, and a cigar maker? The founding board of Germania Bank. Germania Bank opened in 1869 on the Bowery, a street dominated by … Continue reading →

In May of 1884, Mr. Oswald Ottendorfer stood on a temporary platform at the grand opening of the new German Dispensary building, eulogizing his wife Anna. Each of the event’s speakers shared the stage with a large portrait of Mrs. … Continue reading →

1835 brought with it the Great Fire of New York, which tore through southeastern Manhattan and racked up millions in damages. It was the first of a series of major urban fires across the country that called attention to the … Continue reading →

Many words can be used to describe John Jacob Astor, not all of them complimentary. He was a millionaire, a slumlord, a war profiteer and a ruthless jobber who shipped opium to China and sold liquor to Indians fully aware … Continue reading →

June 15th 1904 was the day of the seventeenth annual picnic of St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church whose members were mostly of German birth or origin. Some 1300 church members boarded a triple-decker wooden ship called the General Slocum. Since … Continue reading →

The tranquility of Tompkins Square Park is misleading. The Elms, many dating back to the 1870’s, the dog run, the playground and the grass typical to many urban parks, are but a thin mask to the turbulent events that took … Continue reading →

It all started as a practical joke. The Prince of Wales was visiting New York, and a great ball was given in his honor. German-American musicians, who were at the time victims of anti-immigrant feelings, were not asked to perform … Continue reading →

It is 1888 and opening night of the German-American Shooting Society Clubhouse. The 1400 club members, made of 24 shooting companies, gather for the last time in their temporary meeting place at the Bowery, and march in unison the short … Continue reading →