Hamilton's New York: Lower Manhattan Walking Tour
Join the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Professor Cindy Lobel on a virtual walking tour of Alexander Hamilton's New York City.
In the eighteenth century, New York’s financial life centered around the docks of the East River. The corner where Wall Street met the water line was the heart of this neighborhood.
The corner of Water and Wall Streets was home to two important institutions, the Merchants Coffee House and the Tontine Coffee House.
Hamilton practiced law in New York City from an office in his home at 57 Wall Street. The original building is no longer standing.
Hamilton helped found the Bank of New York, an important institution in the establishment of New York City as the nation’s financial capital. This building serves as the Museum of Finance today.
Hamilton helped to establish the first stock exchange in New York, which was a precursor to the now famous New York Stock Exchange.
George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall in 1789 and the building briefly served as the first home of the United States government. The capital was moved to Philadelphia in 1790 and then to Washington, DC.
Bowling Green Park was a bucolic park in the center of the city. It was also the site of a major protest against King George III during the Revolution.
The Customs House was named after Hamilton, a proponent of manufacturing and trade.
To aid the revolutionary army, Hamilton led a group who stole cannons from a British fort on the site of what is now Battery Park.
Fraunces Tavern was the place of the last social meeting between Hamilton and Burr before the duel on July 11, 1804, in which Burr killed Hamilton.
In Hamilton’s time, Hanover Square was the shopping district for the city’s elite.
Hamilton, his son Philip, and his wife Elizabeth are all buried close together in Trinity Church cemetery.
The Soldier’s Monument in Trinity Churchyard commemorates the dead of the Revolutionary War.
The first Chamber of Commerce was established in New York City during the years leading to the Revolution in order to boycott British goods.
City Hall Park was once an open space known as the Commons. It was here that the Declaration of Independence was first read aloud to George Washington’s troops.
Broadway was the major thoroughfare of New York City during Hamilton’s lifetime.
Developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. This tour, created for the Gilder Lehrman Online Course "Alexander Hamilton's America" led by Carol Berkin, features Professor Cindy Lobel of Lehman College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York.
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