CHERRY ARCH

by Kevin Walsh

Although the story of young George Washington, the cherry tree and his father is apocryphal, the first president is associated with cherries. Washington lived for a short time during his presidency at #3 Cherry Street, though the mansion is long gone and so is #3 Cherry Street: it formerly diverged from Pearl Street just north of the Brooklyn Bridge, but that spot is now covered by the Alfred E. Smith Houses. Cherry Street, named for a 17th-century cherry orchard in the area, now runs in two pieces from Catherine Street to Montgomery, and a one-block stretch from Jackson to the FDR Drive.

Cherry Street’s most notable feature is the huge masonry arch of the Manhattan Bridge that runs over it between Market and Pike Streets. A second huge arch can be found at Water Street on the Brooklyn side.

3/15/13

7 comments

Bill Fleming March 15, 2013 - 8:55 pm

Frank Sinatra was in a movie filmed here-Contract on Cherry Street

Reply
Tal Barzilai March 16, 2013 - 4:38 pm

It would be nice if there was a picture of what that mansion looked like.

Reply
Tommy Coca March 17, 2013 - 12:26 pm

Nice photo!

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Don Gilligan March 17, 2013 - 9:26 pm

Are those glazed windows above the arch?

Might be interesting to find out what is behind them.

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Bill Priester March 18, 2013 - 8:25 am

Two blocks from here was a small bar and grill that was shown in The French Connection (“Moochies”). It stood on the corner of Pike and South Street (across the street from the former Journal-American building).

Just before the arches was a dirt field called Coleman’s Oval. It has since been paved over and is now used as a skate board park.

A block down from the arch is the beginning of Knickerbocker Village. It was there, in the early 1950’s that the Rosenberg’s were arrested for treason and later met “Sparky”

Lots of history in that area of lower Manhattan!

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Someone March 22, 2013 - 3:23 pm

Great! Just one question, though. Why does Cherry Street take an S-curve to the right immediately after the arch?

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Kevin Walsh March 22, 2013 - 6:56 pm

I think the S curve was created when the arch was constructed

Reply

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