Maiden Lane: New York English Academy’s New Home October 29, 2014

While the streets of Manhattan may feel like a meeting point for everything that is modern, high tech, and new in the world, they also have a deep history made up of natural and human-made disasters, tragic stories, and continuing urban and architectural innovations. As you walk to your English classes at 80 Maiden Lane, you may be interested to know that the history behind this street, with its mix of sky-high business towers, charming shops, and inviting restaurants, is old as New York itself and includes stories about lovers, slaves, political figures and more.

Old New York’s Maiden Lane

As one of New York City’s oldest streets, Maiden Lane’s name comes from a Dutch abbreviation for “Maagde Paatje,” which translates to “Maiden Path.” The street’s name was inspired by its location alongside a small waterway. The first reason was due to the street’s popularity with young couples for its charming stream, which was used as a setting for romantic walks on lazy afternoons. The second reason was because the street’s nearby access to water provided a good location for the neighborhood’s mothers and daughters to do their laundry.

In the beginning of the 17th century, Maiden Lane became a main path to the food vendors marketplace, called the Fly Market; another mispronounced name coming from the Dutch term, “vly,” which mean “valley.” While you might think it could be fun to take a trip back in time and visit the Fly Market, learning that it was closed almost 200 hundred years ago at the request of locals due to it being unsafe, unhygienic, and an eyesore, would probably make you think twice.

The 18th century saw a lot of bloodshed on Maiden Lane as it was the scene of New York’s first slave revolt in 1712. Also, as the United States gained its independence in the second half of the 18th century, New York was proclaimed the country’s capitol, leading several of the most important politicians of the time to take residence in the city. Maiden Lane was thus home to Thomas Jefferson for a short period.

Maiden Lane: A Road to Prosperity

The prosperous 19th and 20th centuries brought a series of transformations to Maiden Lane, changing it from a calm residential street into a well-lit shopping paradise. Modern gas lamps provided safety at any hour of the night while new, more elaborate buildings constructed in the neoclassical and beaux-arts styles decorated the street. Some of this charming, old New York architecture can still be found on buildings to this day in what is now Manhattan’s Financial District.

A lover’s path, slave trading, political figures, and the industrial and commercial revolution are all a part of Maiden Lane’s story. Today the street boasts a well-preserved mix of old and new, of charming and modern—a true representation of everything New York City is about.