Newspaper Row

For a brief shining moment in time, all the city’s Newspapers were headquartered on Park Row. From 1880 to about 1910, northern Park Row was home to all the major city newspapers. It was referred as Newspaper Row.

It made sense, really. At that time, the city didn’t stretch much farther than 14th Street. The seats of politics and commerce were at City Hall and Wall Street.

The Potter building at Beekman and Park Row was the home to the New York Telegraph and various other newspapers. The New York Times building was further up the block. It remains standing today as the Pace University annex.

The New York Herald (eventually the Herald Tribune)towered on the corner of Spruce Street and Park Row. It has now been replaced by Pace University.

Perhaps the grandest of the newspaper towers along Park Row was that of the New York World. Published by Joseph Pulitzer (for whom the honored Pulitzer Prize was named after), the majestic building was torn down in the 1950’s to make way for a new ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge.

So what happened? Why did Newspaper Row last only 30 years? Part of the blame may go to the Interborogh Rapid Transit company (IRT). The first subway station entrance opened at Beekman Street and Park Row in 1903. There were also various elevated train systems that cropped up in the 1890’s. Improved transportation marked a grand expansion of New York straight up to Harlem.

At the dawn of the 20th century, the New York Times moved to 42nd Street between Broadway and Eight Avenue - which we now refer as Times Square. Prior to New York Times, that area was called Longacre Square, named for a neighborhood hotel. Times Square became official in 1904.Reference

The New York Herald moved to 34th Street. That neighborhood became known as Herald Square. Located near the new 6th Avenue elevated train, the newspaper made its headquarters on the south west side of 34th Street. The northwest side of 6th Avenue eventually became Macy’s.

The New York World was the last major newspaper to remain on Park Row until its demise in the February, 1931.

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