Stadt Huys Block

Project on the 85 Broad Street block bounded by Pearl, Broad, and South William Streets in the Financial District, Manhattan. The block was the location of New York City's first town hall, Stadt Huys (71 Pearl Street), dating from the Dutch Colonial period. While excavations did not reveal any evidence of the Stadt Huys building, researchers did discover the remains of the Lovelace Tavern. Sir Francis Lovelace, New York City's second English governor, built the Tavern in 1670 and it served as an interim town hall after the Stadt Huys fell out of use. These finds and others make this site one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in New York City and this was the first large scale archaeological excavation completed within New York's urban center. The collection is within the NYC Archaeological Repository and the South Street Seaport Museum. In addition, there is an archaeological exhibit at the site that showcase some of the discoveries.