Devil's Mile : The Rich, Gritty History of the Bowery

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Alexiou, Alice Sparberg, 1951- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bowery (New York, N.Y. : Street)--History--20th century.

Bowery (New York, N.Y. : Street).

New York (N.Y.)--History.

New York (N.Y.).

Place of Publication:

Fordham University Press 2024

Summary:

"A fascinating cultural history of New York City's Bowery, from the author of The Flatiron. The Bowery was a synonym for despair throughout most of the 20th century. The very name evoked visuals of drunken bums passed out on the sidewalk; New Yorkers nicknamed it 'Satan's Highway,' 'The Mile of Hell,' and 'The Street of Forgotten Men.' For years the little businesses along the Bowery--stationers, dry goods sellers, jewelers, hatters--asked the city to change the street's name. To have a Bowery address, they claimed, was hurting them; people did not want to venture there. But when the New York real-estate frenzy exploded in the 1990s, developers discovered the Bowery. They rushed in and began tearing it down. Today, Whole Foods, hipster night spots, and expensive lofts have replaced the old flophouses and dive bars, and the bad, old Bowery no longer exists. In Devil's Mile, Alice Sparberg Alexiou explores the history and future of The Bowery back to its origins, when farmland covered the areas around the boulevard and the area around it was considered outside of town. She'll explore the years after the Civil War when the Bowery rivaled Fifth Avenue for best Manhattan addresses. And she'll tell this story as soon as she can, before all its old buildings, and the memories associated with them, disappear"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The Dutch

The governor with the silver leg

Bowery Lane

The Astors

Shakespeare and Jim Crow come to the Bowery Theatre

The mob takes the stage

The civil war on the Bowery

The devil's work

The Jews

The king of the Bowery

The bums on the Bowery

Punk

Bones and ghosts.

ISBN:

9781531507275

1531507271