smart crew usa: Elk Street - Smart Crew NYC A-Z Streets Series

Elk Street - Smart Crew NYC A-Z Streets Series

Elk Street runs from Chambers St. on the south to Duane St. on the north. “At its greatest extent, at the turn of the last century, Elm Street ran from Reade Street north to Great Jones Street. In 1905 the stretch between Worth and Great Jones Streets became part of Lafayette Street.” Today, Elk Street stretches a mere two blocks, half of it blockaded from vehicle traffic into Federal Plaza.

“In 1939 the Council of the City of New York passed the following resolution: Be it resolved... that the two blocks remaining on Elm Street be known as Elk Street to pay tribute to the famous Order of Elks which was founded on that Street in the year 1867.” The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks then called the “Jolly Corks” started as “a private club to elude New York City laws governing the opening hours of public taverns.” Today, the Elks are one of the leading fraternal orders in the U.S., with nearly a million members and thousands of “lodges”. Elks Lodge #878 located on Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst “was once the largest Elks Lodge on the East Coast, with 60 rooms, bowling alleys, billiards, a ladies lounge, and a 50 foot bar.” I remember going there for a trading card show, looking to complete my 1993-94 Skybox Premium Thunder and Lightning set.

But I think many of us will remember the Elks Lodge as a staple and stomping ground for Extreme Championship Wrestling. In 1996 the lodge held an event dubbed “Massacre on Queens Boulevard”, which saw Taz defeating Chris “Lion heart” Jericho. Sadly, the only thing the steel chairs are being used for nowadays is to seat church goers of the New Life Fellowship, which rents out the space.

Elk Street gained national fame when in 1991, during the construction of Foley Square, 400 African bodies were found buried in the ground. “Historians estimate there may have been 15,000-20,000 burials there.” Further investigation revealed that during the 17th and 18th centuries, free and enslaved Africans were buried in a 6.6 acre burial ground in lower Manhattan outside the boundaries of the settlement of New Amsterdam, which would become New York. Over the decades, the unmarked cemetery was covered over by development and landfill. Elk Street is also named “African Burial Ground Way” and the site designated a National Historic Landmark and National Monument.

The Ancestral Chamber, which is the tall pointed structure in the image above, is 24 feet high and represents the distance down one would have to excavate in order to reach the level of the original burial ground. “These ancestral Africans were taken from their home land through a ‘Door of No Return.’ One enters the Ancestral Chamber through the ‘Door of Return.’ The Ancestral Chamber is a vessel that serves to take us back to an original place where we all began. It provides a sacred space for individual contemplation, reflection, meditation and prayer.”

Around the Libation Court, which is described as a Circle of the Diaspora, has signs, symbols and images engraved around its perimeter. The symbols are said to come from different areas and cultures from Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. This circle serves as a “reminder of the complexity and diversity of African culture’s manifestation. They all come together to form a communal place and a reminder of the international center of gathering.”

Elk Street is also home to the former Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank headquarters, built in 1912, and was one of the largest bank buildings in the United States. Emigrant Savings Bank was founded in 1850 by 18 members of the Irish Emigrant Society and is the oldest savings bank in New York City. The bank provided financial services for the rising Irish Catholic immigrant population, which would later give birth to the half-Irish, half-gorilla, and half-Jewish abominations we see today. The address of the building is actually 51 Chambers Street, but the side of the building with this painted advertisement is on Elk Street.

In the 19th century before Elk Street was absorbed by Lafayette Street, New York City’s major prison was located on Elk Street. Nicknamed “The Tombs”, the Manhattan Detention Complex, now located on 125 White Street has undergone three reconstructions since the original in 1838. The current building was built in 1974 and holds about 900 short term inmates. It was named the Bernard B. Kerik Complex by Rudolph Giuliani in 2001, honoring the chauffeur whom Giuliani had elevated to police commissioner, however, after Kerik's many ethical failings came to light, the name was removed by Mayor Bloomberg. Among the notable criminals held here are Sid Vicious, ~~Sean "Puffy" Combs~~ Swag and more recently Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

The first complex to have the nickname was built during 1838, and was designed by John Haviland. The design was based on an engraving of an ancient Egyptian mausoleum. The building initially accommodated about 300 prisoners. It occupied a full block, surrounded by Centre, Franklin, Elm (today's Lafayette), and Leonard Streets.

The Original Tombs Building, 1896

The block on which the building stood had been created during 1811 by the filling-in of the Collect Pond, a small lake that had once been an important fresh water source for colonial New York City. Industrialization and population density by the late 18th century resulted in the severe pollution of the Collect and it was condemned, drained and filled in. The landfill job was poorly done and in a span of less than ten years the ground began to subside.

This is probably shittiest and most neglected and poorly maintained parks in lower Manhattan.

The prison was well known for its corruption and was involved with numerous scandals and successful prison escapes during its early history and, by 1850, many people were endorsing its destruction. The original building was replaced during 1902 with a new one connected by a "Bridge of Sighs" to the Criminal Courts Building on the Franklin Street side. The bridge got its name because inmates on death row would be lead under the bridge and into the courtyard where they would be hung.

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