NEIGHBORHOOD LANDMARKS

Chatham Square Cemetery (St. James Place between Oliver and James) - Established in 1656, this was the first cemetery of Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese synagogue. Among notables buried here is Rev. Gershom Mendes Seixas, one of the founders of Columbia University (then Kings College) and Shearith Israel's religious leader for a fifty-year period, which included the Revolutionary War. It is also the resting place of Walter Jonas Judah, the first American-born Jew to enroll in medical school. He died tragically at the age of 20 in 1798, a victim of the yellow fever epidemic. Each year Shearith Israel conducts a special Memorial Day service at the site to honor those who served in the Revolutionary Army.

Chatham Square Library (33 East Broadway, between Market and Catherine) - This library branch opened in 1903. The building was designed by McKim, Mead, and White combining Classical and Renaissance Revival features for a distinctive style that was later replicated in many subsequent library buildings. The branch was renovated and upgraded in 2001, and received landmark status. It features a strong collection of books and materials relating to Chinese heritage and culture.

Jewish Daily Forward Building (173 East Broadway). The former home of the Yiddish daily newspaper the Forverts, or Forward. Founded in 1897 by Abraham Cahan, this left-leaning publication was the most influential in the Yiddish-speaking community, supporting the Jewish labor movement and some of our greatest Yiddish writers, including Isaac Bashevis Singer. Today the building is being converted into condominiums.

Seward Park Library (192 East Broadway). Built in 1910, this was once one of the most-attended branch libraries in the City. The library, which also housed the largest Yiddish collection in the City, has recently been completely renovated.

Mikvah of the East Side (311-313 East Broadway). This lovely 1904 Beaux Arts building first housed the Young Men's Benevolent Association and later the Arnold Toynbee House and the Grand Street Settlement. The building was converted into a mikvah in 1941 and was renovated in 1996 under the highest standards of rabbinical supervision to incorporate modern plumbing technology. It is one of three ritual bathhouses in Manhattan.

Former Jarmulowsky Bank Building (southwest corner of Canal and Orchard Streets). Constructed in 1895, this was once the tallest structure on the Lower East Side. The building housed a private bank established by Sender Jarmulowsky, who was a founding member of the Eldridge Street congregation. It served the Eastern European Jewish community until a disastrous run on the bank in 1912. The doors closed soon after, with millions in debt outstanding to creditors.

Eddie Cantor Birthplace (19 Eldridge Street). Directly across the street from the Eldridge Street Synagogue, this was the purported birthplace of the well-known entertainer.

Ira Gershwin Birthplace (60 Eldridge Street). The brilliant lyricist, long-time partner with brother George and with other musical theater luminaries such as Kurt Weill and Jerome Kern, was born in 1896 in this modest tenement. It is marked with an appropriate plaque.

These histories are adapted from Joyce Mendelsohn's excellent guide, The Lower East Side: Remembered and Revisited (Lower East Side Press, 2001).