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Nowhere else on our planet will one find a cornucopia of BIG TALL buildings jammed so close together in a gridless maze. More about Wall Street below picture.
Wall Street by Richard Marmo
The mere mention of two words -Wall Street- conjures up mental images of the chaos that passes for normalcy at the New York Stock Exchange, along with all the associated financial wheelings and dealings from what was considered the financial center or America...if not the world. Those old enough to remember Black Friday in 1929 (the day the Great Depression began) will also recall stories of stock brokers and financiers taking swan dives out of skyscraper windows.
But there’s far more to what Wall Street really is...and is not. It had it’s beginnings in the late 1600s as nothing more than a path that connected the East River with the Hudson River. There was actually a wall built alongside it that acted to protect the path from Indians, pirates and assorted undesirables. It also served to keep the colonist’s black slaves from escaping. When a name was needed, Wall Street was the obvious choice, though the wall itself didn’t make it to 1700 (the British demolished it in 1699).
Not too long after upstart America thumbed her nose at jolly old England, Wall Street had become quite a nice commercial corridor, complete with warehouses, businesses and even a Federal Hall. In fact, George Washington was inaugurated on the steps of that Hall.
The New York Stock Exchange got it’s beginnings in 1792 under a Buttonwood tree, but wasn’t formally organized until 1817. Over the next century or so, financial power became concentrated on Wall Street, then began a gradual decline.
Today, Wall Street as a financial center is more a state of mind than a single location. Corporations have moved their headquarters away from Wall Street to diverse locations such as the New York Financial District, New Jersey, Chicago or just about anywhere in the world you care to name. Probably the last remnant of Wall Street as so many people perceive it is the New York Stock Exchange. Trading is still done on the floor in a chaotic melee that resembles an angry anthill more than anything else.
Physically, Wall Street is a fascinating place. Narrow, it’s crammed with one skyscraper after another, seemingly shoehorned in wherever you can find enough space to lay out the foundation. It’s already obvious that things are crowded, but when you view Wall Street (and the surrounding area) from a different perspective, you wonder how anybody or anything can even move. That perspective? From the air.
An aerial photograph shows a Wall Street that is so packed with highrises and fullblown skyscrapers of varying designs, that the resulting image is a fascinating kalidoscope of shapes and colors. Some buildings look like they’re coming right at you, while others cast shadows of such size that you’re sure street level exists in perpetual night, even at high noon.
While no longer a physical financial center, Wall Street is still a vibrant and important part of New York City. And in the minds of most Americans, synonymous with financial power and big business.
This article was provided by freelance writer Richard Marmo. If you would like to hire him, he may be reached at tennexican@mindspring.com . If you enjoyed this article, please consider making a donation. His mailing address is 416 Chicago, Ft. Worth, Texas 76103. Or you can contribute thru PayPal using his email address.