| Pike Street (south ofDivision Street) | |
 Allen Street's median mall, since rebuilt | |
 Interactive map of Allen Street | |
| Former name | Chester Street |
|---|---|
| Location | Manhattan,New York City |
| Postal code | 10002 |
| Coordinates | 40°43′06″N73°59′26″W / 40.71833°N 73.99056°W /40.71833; -73.99056 |
| North end | Houston Street |
| South end | South Street |
| North | First Avenue |
| East | Orchard Street |
| West | Eldridge Street |
Allen Street is a street in theNew York Cityborough ofManhattan which runs north-south through theLower Manhattan neighborhood ofChinatown and theLower East Side. It is continued north ofHouston Street asFirst Avenue. South ofDivision Street, it is known asPike Street to its southern terminus atSouth Street. The northbound and southbound roadways are separated by a meridian mall, which has twobike lanes located outside the meridian mall; each bike lane is unidirectional. The street's namesake was Master CommandantWilliam Henry Allen, the youngest person to command a Navy ship in theWar of 1812. He was killed in action at the age of 28. His exploits included the capture of the British ship HMSMacedonian.[1]
Prior to 1799, this street in lower Manhattan was laid out and named "Chester Street". After the building of the New York Orphan Asylum on this street around May 1806[2] "Chester Street" was renamed "Asylum Street". In 1833, "Asylum Street" was quietly renamed Third Street, and finally "Allen Street."[3]
During its heyday in the early part of the 20th century, it was populated by Romanian Jews, as well asSephardic Jews from Turkey, Syria, Egypt and Greece. Many worked in brass and copper fabrication shops in the basements, while the wares were sold in street level stores.[4] In September 1903, a gun battle was fought beneath the El tracks at Allen and Rivington Streets between followers ofPaul Kelly, leader of theFive Points Gang, and the rival gang ofMonk Eastman. At one point a hundred men joined the fray, with police driven off by gunfire. Three men were killed and numerous innocent civilians were injured.[5]
Fire destroyed an overcrowded tenement on Allen Street in March 1905, claiming the lives of twenty people. The five-story building at 105 Allen Street housed 200 people.
The street was widened in the early 1930s by demolition of buildings on the east side of the street. This created a broad thoroughfare with a meridian mall in the center and the El running down the western roadway. The El was demolished in 1942.
Allen Street was the site of numerous shops specializing in brassware in the 1910s through the 1940s but only two such shops remained by the late 1970s. In 1979, Allen Street was described byNew York magazine as an "unbusy area removed from the bustle of Grand Street and the Bowery."[6]
The street's center mall, along with that of Pike Street, was reconfigured in 2009. Parts of that mall were reconstructed completely in 2011.[7][8][9]
A portion of the elevatedIRT Second Avenue Line, commonly known as the Second Avenue El, was constructed over Allen Street's current southbound roadway (then the entire street) fromHouston Street toDivision Street in 1878, blocking out most of the light from the then-narrow street. The elevated railway was taken down in 1942. Currently, the nearestsubway stations areGrand Street station, three blocks west at Chrystie Street (B and D trains) andDelancey Street – Essex Street station, three blocks east at Essex Street (F, <F>, J, M, and Z trains). Also, at the corner ofEast Houston Street and Allen Street, there are multiple entrances to theSecond Avenue station (F and <F> trains). There is also an intercity bus station at 84-86 Allen Street.
Allen Street in its entirety and Pike Street north ofMadison Street is served by theM15/M15 SBSbus routes. Some local buses also serve Pike Street in its entirety, and some southbound SBS service short-turns at Houston Street. Additional service is provided by the westboundM22 running non-stop north from Madison Street to East Broadway, and theB39 at Delancey Street, using Rivington Street out of service to change direction.[10]
Notes
new york orphan asylum history.
