Lost and Found New York Trivia Quiz

Answer: Immigration station

Originally a small island, this strategic site at the southern tip of Manhattan was a natural location for a fort, though it never fired a shot in anger. From 1855 to 1890, it hosted the "New York State Emigrant Landing Depot." At the time, immigration was handled by state governments.

In 1890, the federal government took over, continuing to use the facility until the opening of Ellis Island in early 1892. An estimated eight million immigrants passed through the facility during its nearly 50 years of operation.

Answer: The Croton Reservoir

Also known as "Murray Hill Reservoir," the Croton Reservoir was a massive Egyptian Revival edifice enclosing some four acres and holding over 18 million gallons of drinking water. The water came from Westchester (as NYC's drinking water still does). The visitors came from far and wide to enjoy the views from atop the reservoir's 50-foot high walls.

Answer: The Empire State Building

Fifth Avenue was prime real estate, even in the mid-19th century. After demolishing his mansion and moving uptown, William Waldorf Astor built a 13 story hotel named the "Waldorf." Not to be outdone, cousin John Jacob Astor IV built a 17 story hotel next door, named the "Astoria." The two hotels were later connected to form the "Waldorf-Astoria." The second and current Waldorf-Astoria on Park Avenue near Grand Central Station opened in 1931.

Answer: Madison Square Garden

The demolition of Pennsylvania Station produced a public outcry leading to the formation of the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. Plans are afoot to re-purpose the nearby (and almost as grand) James Farley Post Office as a train station. The famous architectural firm of McKim Mead & White designed both buildings. Stanford White himself was murdered while dining in the roof garden of a much older Madison Square Garden on Madison Square.

Answer: Rockefeller Center

The University moved its campus but retained title to much of the land in midtown - a wise decision as the ground rents are lucrative, and the uptown location provided more room for expansion.

The area of the Morningside Heights campus was originally the site of the Bloomingdale Lunatic Asylum. One small asylum building still stands today. No, it's not the Law School.

Answer: The New York City Pavilion

The former New York City Pavilion is clearly visible from the Grand Central Parkway. From 1946 to 1951 it housed the United Nations General Assembly. The building was refurbished for the 1964-1965 World's Fair, during which it displayed a huge three-dimensional scale model of the City and its buildings. The building is currently the Queens Museum of Art.

Answer: A horse exchange

The Winter Garden is one of the few Broadway theaters actually located on Broadway. The structure was originally built in 1896 as the American Horse Exchange. In 1911 the Shubert brothers leased and renovated the building as part of their theatrical empire. Following American music hall convention, the stage is extremely wide and shallow to accommodate a long chorus line.

The Shuberts re-named it the "Winter Garden" to counteract the negative connotations of its original purpose!

Answer: The Highlanders - now the Yankees

Notorious gambler Frank Farrell and former NYC Police Chief William Devery - partners, they were - purchased the Baltimore Orioles franchise and moved the team to New York in 1903. The lads played in what was formally named "American League Park," a large wooden structure seating some 16,000 fans.

It quickly acquired the name Hilltop Park due to its location on Washington Heights; the team became the "Highlanders." The rival NY Giants played at a much lower (topographic) level, at the Polo Grounds below Coogan's Bluff.

When the Polo Grounds was destroyed by fire in 1911, the Giants also played at Hilltop. In 1913, the two teams began play at the new Polo Grounds park - and the Highlanders became the Yankees.

Answer: Entrance to the City Lunatic Asylum

The Octagon was constructed in 1834, from stone quarried on the island. The island itself was "purchased" by the Dutch from Native Americans in the early 17th century. The Dutch called it Hog Island; the English named it Manning's Island and then Blackwell's Island after subsequent owners. Over the centuries, it was the site of several hospitals and a prison as well as the asylum.

The Octagon itself did not house patients and is an attractive and beautifully-restored structure.

Answer: Burned down in the Great Fire of 1776

In the 18th century, "New-York" was a tightly-packed cluster of buildings on the southern end of Manhattan Island. In September 1776, a massive fire destroyed about a quarter of the city's buildings. British forces occupying Manhattan blamed the rebels; the rebels blamed the redcoats; the cause of the fire remains a mystery. Trinity Church (at what's now 75 Broadway) went up in flames, but nearby St. Paul's Chapel (at 209 Broadway) survived and is now the oldest church building in Manhattan.

Answer: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

After serving as a bank, the beautifully-proportioned two-story structure became the New York Assay Office in 1854. The facade was dismantled and shipped to the Metropolitan Museum in 1924. It was re-erected in a courtyard, and is now the entrance to the Museum's American Wing.

Answer: Draining The Collect Pond

Collect Pond was a 40+ acre freshwater lake, fed by underground springs. Native Americans and early European colonists used it for drinking water. In 1796, inventor John Fitch tested a small paddle-wheel steamer on the Pond, which was up to 60 feet deep.

By 1800, Collect Pond had become grossly polluted. A canal was dug along the route of current Canal Street to drain the Pond into the Hudson River and the area was filled in. This made matters worse - the springs turned the place into a fetid bog; buildings began to sink; the area became an infamous slum. The "Tombs" prison was built on a portion of the old Pond. It was damp and unsanitary, and also began to sink into the muck. The water problem wasn't solved until the late 19th century.

Modern Canal Street and its surrounding neighborhoods are vibrant, culturally diverse - and dry!

Answer: A fort

Liberty Island was originally known as "Oyster Island" - a name it shared with two other islands in New York Harbor. It was purchased by one Isaac Bedloe in the 17th century, and became known as "Bedloe's Island." In 1800, New York State ceded Bedloe's Island, Ellis Island and Governor's Island to the federal government, to build defensive forts. Fort Wood was erected on Bedloe's Island.

The formidable eleven-pointed fort never fired a shot in anger. Its perimeter walls remain today around the base of the Statue of Liberty.

Answer: New York City Hall (1700)

The 1700 City Hall saw many historic events, including the libel trial of John Zenger in 1735 and the Stamp Act Congress of 1765. After renovations by Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the building was renamed Federal Hall. It hosted George Washington's inauguration as President and the initial sessions of the United States Congress. When the nation's capital was moved from NYC to Philadelphia in 1790, the structure resumed its original function as City Hall.

The imposing neoclassical edifice now on the site resembles the Capitol buildings in Washington, DC but was actually built in 1842 - it's not the original "Federal Hall." The only remaining portion of the 18th century structure is part of the balcony on which Washington took the oath of office, displayed inside the memorial.

Answer: Longacre Square

Times Square lies at the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue in midtown Manhattan. It's actually triangular, because Broadway cuts diagonally across the orderly grid pattern of streets and avenues.

In the mid-19th century, John Jacob Astor subdivided and sold lots around the still-unnamed open space. It became the center of NYC's carriage industry. In 1872, the City named it "Longacre Square" after Long Acre in London.

By the turn of the 20th century, theaters, hotels and restaurants had displaced the carriage makers. In 1904, New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs convinced the City to re-name the space Times Square, to recognize the new Times Tower at 46th Street and Broadway. After all, James Gordon Bennett of "The New York Herald" had his own square a few blocks away.