The Bowery is Manhattan's oldest street, predating European settlement.  It was the widest road on the island for a time, which made it a natural thoroughfare for manufacturing, industry and other development. By 1813, it was so well established within the growing city that it was made official, and the name “Bowery” was forever marked in the record books.

Trench for the high pressure water system on Bowery, beneath the southbound tracks of the Third Avenue El; ca. 1905. "Men's Furnishing Goods" retailer King Brothers is visible at right, at No. 308 Bowery. Closer to the photographer at right is the infamous Kahn's Museum, a gallery of anatomical models first opened on Broadway in 1874. At left, the uptown platform of the Third Avenue El station at Houston Street is visible.