When 85 Broad Street (at the end of Stone Street) was built, it covered two blocks, obliterating Stone Street, the first street to be paved in the Dutch colony. The ground-floor hallway follows the original street. A marker in the sidewalk at the entrance shows the old street plan, and paving marks the original curb as well as the foundations of two buildings that stood on the Pearl Street side of the block in colonial times. Pearl Street, named for an abundance of oysters, was once the original shoreline of Manhattan.

One of the buildings on Pearl Street was a tavern built in 1641 by Dutch Director General William Kieft, who had had enough of entertaining and overnighting a steady stream of traders in his own home. Twelve years later the tavern was converted into the City Hall or Stadt Huys. A marker traces the history of the site.

The Fraunces Tavern block across the street is one of the few downtown made up solely of low-rise structures. All but the Tavern date mainly from the first half of the 19th century. These old timers stand out amidst their towering neighbors.

Fraunces Tavern is where George Washington gave his farewell address to his soldiers. The original building suffered extensive fire damage in the 19th century. In 1907 new owners, the Sons of the Revolution, commissioned the conjectural reconstruction you see here. This 18th century townhouse recreation is likely far more upscale than the original.