Washington Hall (1809-1844) was a red brick building designed byJohn McComb Jr. located at the southeast corner ofBroadway and Reade Street. It was built from 1809 to 1812 on the site of theAfrican Burial Ground in what is now theCivic Center ofLower Manhattan inNew York City. During its history, it served as a hotel, banquet hall, and restaurant at various times.
It was originally owned by Dutch-American merchantJohn Gerard Coster.[1][2] It served as an early meeting place and headquarters for theWashington Benevolent Society, a semi-secret association that was an electoral arm of theFederalist Party.[3] On September 20, 1824, it was the site of a banquet for theMarquis de Lafayette[4] as part of his1824-1825 tour of the United States.[5] In May 1826,Samuel Akerly gave an address here concerning the education of the students at theNew York Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, which also served as a fundraiser for the school.[6]
In 1835, it was the location of the first meeting of theSaint Nicholas Society, which was founded byWashington Irving.[7]
Washington Hall became less prominent during the mid-19th century, as the oyster bar in its basement became more important than the hotel itself. The hotel burned down in July 1844 and Coster, the owner died the following month, at which point his heirs sold the property toA.T. Stewart.[8] Stewart, in turn, would replace the ruins of Washington Hall with the original section of theA.T. Stewart Dry Goods Store, a building which still stands to this day.[9]
40°42′52″N74°0′21″W / 40.71444°N 74.00583°W /40.71444; -74.00583
