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Hidden among the Financial District's ubiquitous skyscrapers, Citi Bike depots and scaffolding, an enchanting street with an important history emerges. Turn the corner off of William Street, and Stone Street unfolds. With its cobblestone pavers and twinkling lights, the street feels like it's in a different era and a different country.
Stone Street is the oldest paved road in New York City and is among the oldest streets in the city altogether. With a history stretching back more than three centuries, this old-world passageway has seen its share of change, and now, as part of the Stone Street Historic District, the business owners along Stone Street are working together to ensure its future.
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‘Something for everybody’
To spread the word about their pedestrian-friendly patch of New York City, the street's businesses host special events all year long. Right now, they're hosting Oktoberfest celebrations on September 30, October 7 and October 14. During the rest of the year, other street-wide festivities include Oysterfest, St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo and Pride Fest.
The idea to collaborate started in early 2020 but became more urgent as the pandemic spread.
"Our competitors are our friends. There's that unspoken bond," Ronan Downs, who co-owns several businesses there including Stone Street Tavern, tells Time Out New York. "I love the fact that everybody knows each other in a positive way and people are very willing to help."
They're trying to encourage repeat businesses from customers, Downs explained, especially because their lunchtime business has lessened as fewer people are going into the office every day.
There's something for everybody on this street. There's a diverse group of restaurants.
Restaurants and bars serving a variety of cuisines dot the street. There's a natural wine bar, a wizardry bar, an Americana restaurant, an Irish pub, a craft beer bar, a Spanish tapas bar, a steakhouse and a Cuban spot, just to name a few.
"There's something for everybody on this street. There's a diverse group of restaurants," Downs says. "We're not trying to be too upmarket. We have a great product at a fair price."
From Breuers Straet to Stone Street
When visitors pack the street sipping beers and dining al fresco, they're practically paying tribute to New Amsterdam's early Dutch residents.
Back in the 1650s, Stone Street was known as Breuers Straet (a.k.a. Brewers Street) because of the breweries located there. Residents pooled their cash to pave the street with cobblestones, according to research by the Stone Street Historic District. It's believed they needed the cobblestones to provide traction for beer deliveries, Downs added. Plus, he reckons, the "well-heeled" residents there may have wanted their street to be nicer than the rest of the dirt roads in the area.
In the 1660s, the British took over, changing the city's name to New York and the street's name to Stony Street. As Manhattan grew in the 1800s, the road's name changed to Stone Street, and it became a commercial area. Sadly, most of its structures were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1835, leaving merchants to rebuild.
Most of the buildings on Stone Street today were built in the 1800s in early 1900s and have remained mostly unchanged since then, even though the area around Stone Street developed rapidly.
By the 1990s, Stone Street had become a dilapidated, seedy area until the Landmarks Preservations Commission and several other agencies stepped in. By the year 2000, they installed 23,000 cobblestones and helped restore the street to its original glory. Restaurants like Stone Street Tavern, Route 66 Smokehouse, and Beckett's Bar & Grill popped up as part of the revival.
Now, Downs says, when people turn onto Stone Street, their energy shifts.
People come onto this street and seem to have a smile on their face.
"People come onto this street and seem to have a smile on their face," Downs says. "It's like being on holidays in your own city."
Visiting Stone Street, especially during one of its signature festivals, truly feels like nowhere else in New York.
"It's so charming. It has almost like this European, warm feel. People turn the corner, they have no idea it's here. It's this little hidden gem," says Sarah Barrows, who runs Tallerson Events, which helps organize events on Stone Street. "It's the only strip in New York City that you can have a drink outdoors legally, with a permit that you can go up and down the street so it feels like this Mardi Gras vibe seven days a week."