Devil's Mile: The Rich, Gritty History of the Bowery by Alice Sparberg Alexiou
Devil's Mile: The Rich, Gritty History of the Bowery by Alice Sparberg Alexiou
The Bowery was a synonym for despair throughout most of the twentieth century. The very name evoked visuals of drunken bums passed out on the sidewalk; New Yorkers nicknamed it "Satan's Highway," "The Mile of Hell," and "The Street of Forgotten Men." For years the little businesses along the Bowery -- stationers, dry goods sellers, jewelers, hatters -- asked the city to change the street's name. To have a Bowery address, they claimed, was hurting them; people did not want to venture there.
But when the New York real-estate frenzy exploded in the 1990s, developers discovered the Bowery. They rushed in and began tearing it down. Today, Whole Foods, hipster night spots, and expensive lofts have replaced the old flop-houses and dive bars, and the bad, old Bowery no longer exists.
In Devil's Mile, Alice Sparberg Alexiou tells the story of the Bowery, starting with its origins, when forests covered the surrounding area, and through the pre-Civil War years, when country estates of wealthy New Yorkers lined this thoroughfare. She describes the Bowery's deterioration in stunning detail, beginning in the post-bellum years, and ends her historical exploration of this famed street in the present, bearing witness as many of the old Bowery buildings, and the memories associated with them, disappear.
St. Martin's Press, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2018, 290 pages
THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK. THERE IS A BLACK "CLOSEOUT/REMAINDER" MARK ON THE TOP PAGE EDGES.