Soldier's Barracks or The Upper Barracks | CultureNow

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Soldier's Barracks or The Upper Barracks

NY

Military/Conflict

Date

Constructed, 1757

Description Show more

In October 1757, the New York Common Council authorized the construction of the Upper Barracks. It was to be a massive building: 420 feet long and 20 feet wide, consisting of two stories and enough space to sleep 800 men. Such a structure dwarfed anything else in the city; it was longer than a city block and twice as large as Trinity Church. The Committee for the Building of the New Barracks situated the barracks at what was then the northern edge of New York, placing them on the city common where Broadway split into roads leading to the suburbs of Greenwich Village and the Bowery. As carpenters set to work, the Upper Barracks claimed a privileged position in New York, placing the city under the watchful gaze of the British army.

In October 1757, the New York Common Council authorized the construction of the Upper Barracks. It was to be a massive building: 420 feet long and 20 feet wide, consisting of two stories and enough space to sleep 800 men. Such a structure dwarfed anything else in the city; it was longer than a city block and twice as large as Trinity Church. The Committee for the Building of the New Barracks situated the barracks at what was then the northern edge of New York, placing them on the city common where Broadway split into roads leading to the suburbs of Greenwich Village and the Bowery. As carpenters set to work, the Upper Barracks claimed a privileged position in New York, placing the city under the watchful gaze of the British army.

Tours

The Commons - The Heart of New York City

City Hall Park, New York, NY, US 10007

Nearby

First Sidewalk	87 feet
First Sidewalk	87 feet
First Sidewalk	87 feet
First Sidewalk	107 feet
First Sidewalk	107 feet
First reading of the Declaration of Independence	201 feet
First reading of the Declaration of Independence	201 feet
Broadway	228 feet
Moving Elevated Sidewalk in NYC	236 feet

#Events and Stories #Military/Conflict

British Soldier's Barracks "The British Army maintained a military presence in New York from 1640 to 1783. During the American Revolution, the British built barracks in this vicinity and used the land now occupied by City Hall park for military exercises and executions."

Upper Barracks plaque Lithograph 1860, George Hayward DT Valentine Manual. Artists Rendering of the British Soldiers Barracks.

Drawings and Documents

3 Results, Show less

A scene on the Commons where a slave is being executed by hanging before a group of soldiers; on the left, a man driving a wagon passes, and in the distance are a public well and large buildings and stables

Ratzer map of New York City, 1776 - The Prison

City Hall park indicating where the Upper Barracks once were

A scene on the Commons where a slave is being executed by hanging before a group of soldiers; on the left, a man driving a wagon passes, and in the distance are a public well and large buildings and stables

Ratzer map of New York City, 1776 - The Prison

City Hall park indicating where the Upper Barracks once were