How the Alliance Turned Stone Street Into One of the Most Exciting Blocks in NYC

It’s our 30th anniversary, and we’re self-celebrating. Over the next few months, we’ll be rolling out 30 stories about 30 of our biggest accomplishments, including everything from our daily public safety and sanitation work, to our small business outreach, to how we helped the neighborhood navigate challenges and even tragedies. You’ll be able to find these stories on our website, as well as in our weekly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. 

Today, Stone Street is one of Lower Manhattan’s hottest hangouts, but it hasn’t always been this way. One of the first paved streets in the “New World,” Stone Street was a thriving mercantile center (and home to some of the city’s first breweries!) in New York’s earliest days. But businesses started leaving Stone Street in the 1900s, and by the 1970s, the area had fallen into disrepair. Still, the Downtown Alliance saw its potential, and in 1996, we began a revitalization project that transformed the empty storefronts into some of the neighborhood’s most successful and bustling dining destinations.

We partnered with the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate Stone Street as a historic district, a move that allowed the Commission to apply for federal funds to restore the street. We also teamed up with the city’s Department of Transportation and Department of Design and Construction to bring Stone Street back to life. The project, designed by Beyer Blender Belle Architects, set the stage for new commercial development while preserving Stone Street’s historic feel.

The Downtown Alliance coordinated the Stone Street reconstruction: The city installed a new street bed, lined with cobblestones duplicating the street’s original paving and also laid new bluestone sidewalks and a granite curb. Old-style lighting fixtures were also installed for outdoor diners to enjoy in the evenings. The revitalization project was completed in 2000; in the years since, Stone Street has maintained its charming historic character while reinventing itself as Lower Manhattan’s new “restaurant row” and festival epicenter, known for hosting popular St. Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest celebrations. Slainte/skol!