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London on the Hudson

This chapter begins by recounting Charles Dickens's visit to New York in 1842 and the huge party thrown in his honor. New Yorkers worried keenly how others saw them. They wanted to be seen as the leaders of American society, sought to be taken seriously, and worried how their city was viewed by those in places like London and Paris. Much of New York's self-celebration involved its expansion, and the boom that followed the 1825 opening of the Erie Canal and the Great Fire of 1835. The chapter details how New York's path to architectural distinction began with the success of architects Josiah Brady and Martin Euclid Thompson, and particularly with the arrival of Ithiel Town and his subsequent partnership with Alexander Jackson Davis. The presence of these designers coincided with an interest in classical architecture and the popularity of the Greek Revival style in the 1820s and 1830s. The chapter also looks at the development of posh areas like Washington Square, the growth of public and private education, and the popularity of cultural and social organizations.