Buildings on the Bowery, one of New York City’s oldest streets, have been reinvented again and again throughout the centuries, often leaving traces of their former lives still visible. From the first period of the neighborhood’s Dutch settlers in 1626 to the Georgian and Federal buildings that functioned as townhomes and artisan workshops in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, to the bloom of concert saloons and dime museums, with artist lofts trailing close behind, The Bowery’s diverse catalog of design and function reflects New York City’s history. Echoes of this past are often unveiled if you look closely and spot remnants like the ghost sign at 219 Bowery.
