Page 30 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

28  INTRODUCING NE W Y ORK CIT Y

The Age of Extravagance

As New York’s merchant princes grew ever wealthier, the
city entered “The Gilded Age” during which many of its most
opulent buildings went up. Luxury hotels such as the Plaza
and the original Waldorf-Astoria were built, and elegant
department stores arose to serve the wealthy, while crime,
poverty, and disease were rife in the slums. Even so, political
and social reform did emerge. In 1900, the International Growth of the Metropolis
Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union was founded to fight for 1890 Today
the rights of women and children, working at low wages
in hazardous factories.

Gateway to America
Almost five times as
crowded as the
rest of New York,
the Lower East
Side was the
most densely
populated
place in the
world at this time.

Crowded Conditions
Tenements were unhealthy
and overcrowded. They often
lacked windows, air shafts, or
proper sanitary facilities.

Inside a Sweatshop
Workers toiled long hours for
Overlooking the Park low wages in the overcrowded
The Dakota (1880) was the first grand sweatshops of the garment Streetcars on
luxury apartment house on the Upper district. This view of Moe Levy’s Broadway
West Side (see p212). shop was taken in 1912.

1876 Central Park opens to a design by 1877 A. G. Bell 1880 Canned fruits and meats first appear
Fredrick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux demonstrates in stores; Metropolitan Museum of Art
the telephone opens; streets lit by electricity
1872 Bloomingdale’s opens in New York

1865 1870 1875 1880 1885 1890
The interior of the 1873 Banks fail: Stock
Stock Exchange Exchange panics
1883 Metropolitan 1886
1879 St. Patrick’s Cathedral completed; Opera opens on Statue of
first city telephone exchange opened Broadway; Brooklyn Liberty
on Nassau Street Bridge completed unveiled

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