In sixteen fifty-eight, the residents of Breuers Straet in New Amsterdam were so annoyed by the dust and mud on their street that they petitioned the Dutch colonial government for permission to pave it — at their own expense. The petition was approved. Breuers Straet became the first cobbled street in New Amsterdam, and eventually, in New York.
The name tells you the story. The Dutch called it Breuers Straet — Brewers Street — because one of the first commercial breweries in America was built here in sixteen thirty-two by the Dutch East India Company. When the British took over in sixteen sixty-four, they renamed it Duke Street. In seventeen ninety-four, it was finally called Stone Street, for its cobblestones.
Today it is a narrow, pedestrianised lane in the Financial District, lined with restaurants whose tables spill out across the cobbles in summer. It looks nothing like the rest of Lower Manhattan. The buildings are mostly nineteenth-century brick, and the atmosphere is closer to a European alley than a street next to Wall Street.
The street sits within the Stone Street Historic District. It is free to walk through, and it is one of the best lunch spots in the city if the weather is good.
Verified Facts
In 1658, residents of Breuers Straet petitioned to pave the street at their own expense — making it the first cobbled street in New Amsterdam
One of the first commercial breweries in America was built here in 1632 by the Dutch East India Company
The British renamed the street Duke Street after taking over in 1664; it became Stone Street in 1794
Get walking directions
Stone St, Manhattan, New York, 10004, United States
