Ladies’ Mile, Part Two: ‘Fashion Row’—Then and Now
Details
Let’s explore NYC’s first high-end department store district on Sixth Ave and the transformations it spawned on Fifth Ave. This walk covers the parts of the Ladies’ Mile Historic District not included in the earlier walk focused on Broadway. We’ll walk up Sixth Ave from W 16 St to W 23 St, viewing the domed and richly ornamented “commercial palaces” that comprised the city’s 19th century Fashion Row and that are once again attracting thousands of shoppers. After lunch in Madison Square Park, we’ll walk south on quieter Fifth Ave to see some beautifully designed office buildings that sprouted in the early 20th century in response to the bustling commerce on Ladies Mile. Other highlights include a 180-year-old church awaiting new occupants, a 200-year-old Sephardic cemetery, and a Home Depot located in an 1892 building described as “a birthday cake with vanilla icing.”
Limited to 20 participants.
How to Find Us: Meet opposite St Francis Xavier church on W 16th St just east of Sixth Ave. An exit from the W 14 St F train station is steps away. Also nearby is the Union Square station where several train lines stop. A public toilet is available in Madison Square Park where we will stop for lunch around 12:30 pm. Many of the stores on Sixth Ave include toilets that can be used by customers—or walkers.
We will finish at Fifth Ave and 16th St, one block from where we started.
$5 for non-members of the New York Outdoors Club.
Kevin J Kelley
802-989-1669