About Nifty NYC is your guide to free New York City events & cheap things to do. Our free daily e-ne

In the Master Plan of 1811, Broadway ended at 14th Street, where it intersected with the Bowery. Over the course of the 19th century, other roads were linked together with Broadway heading north to create the vibrant, diagonal thoroughfare that energizes New York today. Join architectural historian John Tauranac for a walk up Broadway from Columbus Circle to the West 70s. This stretch of the street 140 feet wide, with a planted meridian was designed in the 1860s. Officially dubbed The Boulevard, it was envisioned as New York s rialto, its very own Champs Elysees, with the idea that free-standing mansions amidst luxuriant grounds would grace its presence. That didn t happen, and many of the advantages presented by Broadway s irregular course were ignored as well; but some of New York s great Beaux Arts treasures, including the Kenilworth Apartments and Ansonia Hotel remain as legacies of a historic vision.
About Nifty NYC is your guide to free New York City events & cheap things to do. Our free daily e-newsletter lists New York City museums , concerts , shopping , art , attractions & more. Events & items featured in this blog are usually free or less than $10. Ongoing & upcoming NYC events list