New York City

The New York neighborhood bordered by Houston Street, Bowery, Mercer Street and 9th Street boasts some of the finest 19th-century cast iron architecture in the city. A center for artists and designers in the 1970s, NOHO is now a destination for the fashionable and peppered with trendy shops and cafes. But beneath the contemporary gloss, lies one of the most historic areas of the city, rife with stories of murder and greed.

Join Royal Oak as historian Carl Raymond traces the history of NOHO from the 17^th-century days of New Amsterdam’s last Dutch governor, Peter Stuyvesant, to the sites associated with uprisings in the early 20^th-century garment trade. We will hear about the first Astor, (also New York’s first real estate mogul) and the later doyenne of American high society, Caroline Schermerhorn Astor. We will visit sites associated with A.T. Stewart, America’s first great retailer and discuss the creation of the Public Theatre under theatrical producer Joseph Papp.

From sites associated with literary figures such as Edgar Allan Poe and Edith Wharton, to homes once lived in by artists such as Edward Hopper, and even a stop at the site of the 19th century’s grisliest murder (which remains unsolved today), this tour will offer a unique and fascinating look into this historic neighborhood.

Tour will be held rain or shine.