Fraunces Tavern Block
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Sixteen brick and stone buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries make up this block in Lower Manhattan, bounded by Pearl, Water and Broad Streets and Coenties Slip. Fraunces Tavern, at the corner of Broad and Pearl Streets, gives the block its name. It was heavily reconstructed in 1907 and now holds a restaurant and a museum devoted to George Washington and the Revolutionary War. The land was granted to the Van Cortlandt family around 1686, and Stephen de Lancey built a house here in 1719 that Samuel Fraunces bought in 1763. As harbor commerce grew, the former houses became stores, factories and warehouses, and Pearl Street was widened in the 1820s. The surviving buildings show granite piers, carved capitals, brick upper stories and uniform cornice lines. Their small scale stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding office towers. The block is valued as a cohesive streetscape and as a rare record of the old seaport.
Significance in brief: The block is significant for the sense of history it conveys and for the range of Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian styles compacted into one small area. It is described as one of the few surviving examples of the nineteenth-century waterfront community of New York City. It also has known archeological potential and contrasts with the surrounding office towers.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 77000957, listed April 28, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bounded by Pearl, Water, Broad Sts. and Coenties Slip, New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | April 28, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77000957 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Unknown; the form says the architects and builders of the buildings are unknown. |
| Architectural style | Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked good to fair, with both occupied and unoccupied buildings. Fraunces Tavern houses a restaurant and museum. The form's transmittal letter notes that five buildings were threatened with demolition. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.70340, -74.01107 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 77000957.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q49491616
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.