Bone Alley

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Bone Alley was a city block on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City bounded by Houston Street, Willett Street, Stanton Street, and Pitt Street. In 1897, the block contained sixty-three houses, three hundred and sixty-three families, and one thousand six hundred and fifty people. The death rate on the block of Bone Alley was 26.06%, while the death rate in the alley itself was 47.97%.

The locale was filthy. Located in New Israel, Bone Alley was known as the most crowded place on earth. A park was planned to replace it by the last years of the 19th century. Its population consisted of Italians, Poles, Germans, Hungarians, and Russians.[1]

Bone Alley was razed to make room for Hamilton Fish Park, which was constructed from 1896 - 1898. It was located south of Houston Street, between Pitt Street and Sheriff Street.[2] The park consisted of a playground with a gymnasium and a kindergarten. There was also an expanse of green lawns, benches, and a rest house containing baths.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ The American Metropolis: from Knickerbocker days to the present, Frank Moss and Charles Henry Parkhurst, P.F. Collier, 1897, pg. 206.
  2. ^ Historical guide to the city of New York, Frank Bergen Kelly, City History Club of New York, F.A. Stokes Company, 1909, pg. 92.
  3. ^ The better New York, William Howe Tolman , Charles Hemstreet, and Josiah Strong, American Institute of Social Science, Baker and Taylor Company, 1904, pg. 66.
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