New York, NY

New York on When It Was is 85 addresses and the 126 businesses that have occupied them, the oldest from 1762. 37 are still open today; 89 are gone, and 25 of the buildings themselves have been demolished. Every entry below opens a page with the full history of that address, and the map lets you slide the year and watch the city change.

Start here

Katz's Delicatessen

205 E Houston Street · 1888–present

Katz's opened in 1888 as Iceland Brothers. Willy Katz's arrival in 1903 made it Iceland & Katz, and in 1910 his cousin Benny bought the Icel…

Keens Steakhouse

72 West 36th Street · 1885–present

Only men were served here until 1905, when actress Lillie Langtry was turned away, sued, and won.

Village Vanguard

178 Seventh Avenue South · 1935–present · 2 businesses here

Max Gordon opened the Vanguard in 1935, and it settled into a triangle-shaped basement that had been a speakeasy called the Golden Triangle.

White Horse Tavern

534 Hudson Street · 1880–present · 2 businesses here

The White Horse was a longshoremen's bar from 1880 until the early 1950s, when Dylan Thomas and other writers started drinking here.

Di Palo's Fine Foods

183 Grand Street · 1925–present · 3 businesses here

Julius' Bar

153 West 50th Street · 1867–present · 3 businesses here

Mars 2112

1620 Broadway · 1998–2012 · 4 businesses here

Minetta Tavern

113 MacDougal Street · 1937–present · 4 businesses here

New York, decade by decade

• 1760s
  1 opened — Fraunces TavernSee the map in 1765 →
• 1820s
  1 opened — Lord & TaylorSee the map in 1825 →
• 1830s
  1 opened — Delmonico'sSee the map in 1835 →
• 1850s
  1 opened — McSorley's Old Ale HouseSee the map in 1855 →
• 1860s
  2 opened — Julius' Bar, Pete's TavernSee the map in 1865 →
• 1880s
  7 opened — The Dakota (John Lennon Murder Site), The Dakota, Katz's Delicatessen, White Horse Tavern, and 3 moreSee the map in 1885 →
• 1890s
  6 opened — The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (Original), Ferrara Bakery and Cafe, Rao's, Rao's Restaurant, and 2 moreSee the map in 1895 →
• 1900s
  12 opened — New York Hippodrome, The Plaza Hotel, Hotel Chelsea, The Hotel Chelsea, and 8 moreSee the map in 1905 →
• 1910s
  14 opened — Horn & Hardart Automat, Strand Theatre, Polo Grounds, Rivoli Theatre, and 10 moreSee the map in 1915 →
• 1920s
  15 opened — Loew's State Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Lindy's, Russian Tea Room, and 11 moreSee the map in 1925 →
• 1930s
  15 opened — RKO Center Theatre, 21 Club, Tavern on the Green, Moondance Diner, and 11 moreSee the map in 1935 →
• 1940s
  4 opened — Toots Shor's, Le Pavillon, Stage Door Canteen Site, Hotel TheresaSee the map in 1945 →
• 1950s
  7 opened — Roseland Ballroom, Beekman Theatre, The Four Seasons Restaurant, Holcombe Rucker Park, and 3 moreSee the map in 1955 →
• 1960s
  9 opened — Elaine's, Maxwell's Plum, Elaine's, Lutèce, and 5 moreSee the map in 1965 →
• 1970s
  15 opened — CBGB, CBGB & OMFUG, Le Cirque, Da Silvano, and 11 moreSee the map in 1975 →
• 1980s
  12 opened — Latin Quarter, FAO Schwarz Fifth Avenue, Club Negril, Limelight, and 8 moreSee the map in 1985 →
• 1990s
  3 opened — Mars 2112, Coyote Ugly Saloon, Jekyll & Hyde ClubSee the map in 1995 →
• 2000s
  1 opened — WD-50See the map in 2005 →

Still here, and gone

By kind of place

Restaurant (42)

Horn & Hardart Automat · Mars 2112 · Lindy's · Russian Tea Room · Katz's Delicatessen · 21 Club · Tavern on the Green · Elaine's · and 34 more

Bar (16)

Julius' Bar · CBGB & OMFUG · White Horse Tavern · Coyote Ugly Saloon · Chumley's · McSorley's Old Ale House · Stonewall Inn · Mudd Club · and 8 more

Theater (11)

Loew's State Theatre · Strand Theatre · Paramount Theatre · RKO Center Theatre · Rivoli Theatre · Capitol Theatre · Roxy Theatre · New York Hippodrome · and 3 more

Nightclub (10)

Latin Quarter · Club Negril · Limelight · Latin Quarter · The Tunnel · Harlem World · Village Vanguard · The Roxy · and 2 more

Hotel (7)

The Plaza Hotel · The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (Original) · Hotel Chelsea · The Hotel Chelsea · The Algonquin Hotel · Hotel Theresa · Hotel Astor

Music Venue (6)

CBGB · SOB's (Sounds of Brazil) · Stork Club · El Morocco · Studio 54 · Café Society

Stadium (3)

Polo Grounds · Polo Grounds · Polo Grounds

Department Store (2)

Lord & Taylor · Gimbels Herald Square

Every place in New York (85)

• 21 Club 239 West 52nd Street · 1930–2020 · 2 businesses
• 288 Grand Street Tenement Manhattan · 1910–present
• Apollo Theater 253 West 125th Street · 1934–present
• Barbetta 321 West 46th Street · 1906–2025
• Bayard Rustin Residence 340 West 28th Street · 1962–present
• Café Society 1 Sheridan Square, New York, NY 10014 · 1938–1950
• Carnegie Deli 854 7th Avenue · 1937–2016
• CBGB 315 Bowery · 1973–2006 · 2 businesses
• CCBA Building (Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association) 7 Mott Street · 1883–present · 2 businesses
• Chumley's 86 Bedford Street · 1922–2020
• Club 82 82 East 4th Street · 1953–1978
• Coyote Ugly Saloon 153 1st Avenue · 1993–2020
• Da Silvano 260 Sixth Avenue · 1975–2016 · 2 businesses
• Danceteria 30 West 21st Street · 1982–1986
• Def Jam Recordings Office 298 Elizabeth Street · 1985–1988
• Delmonico's 56 Beaver Street · 1837–present
• Di Palo's Fine Foods 183 Grand Street · 1925–present · 3 businesses
• El Morocco 154 East 54th Street, New York, NY (original); later 307 East 54th Street · 1931–1970
• Elaine's 1703 Second Avenue · 1963–2011 · 2 businesses
• FAO Schwarz Fifth Avenue 767 5th Avenue · 1986–2015
• Florent 69 Gansevoort Street · 1985–2008
• Fraunces Tavern 54 Pearl Street · 1762–present
• Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse 99 Wooster Street · 1971–1974
• Gem Spa 1254 2nd Avenue · 1920–2020 · 3 businesses
• Gimbels Herald Square 100 West 33rd Street · 1910–1986
• Graffiti Hall of Fame 1573 Madison Avenue · 1980–present
• Graffiti Hall of Fame 106 East 106th Street · 1980–present
• H&H Bagels 2239 Broadway · 1972–2011
• Harlem World 101 West 116th Street · 1978–1985
• Holcombe Rucker Park 157 West 155th Street · 1956–present · 3 businesses
• Horn & Hardart Automat 1579 Broadway · 1912–1991 · 5 businesses
• Horn & Hardart Automat (Times Square) 1557 Broadway, near 46th Street, New York, NY · 1912–present
• Hotel Astor 1511 Broadway, bounded by Broadway, Shubert Alley, West 44th and 45th Streets, New York, NY · 1904–1967
• Hotel Chelsea 222 West 23rd Street · 1905–present · 2 businesses
• Hurrah 36 West 62nd Street · 1976–1981
• Julius' Bar 153 West 50th Street · 1867–present · 3 businesses
• Katz's Delicatessen 205 E Houston Street · 1888–present
• Keens Steakhouse 72 West 36th Street · 1885–present
• La Grenouille 99 East 52nd Street · 1962–2024 · 2 businesses
• Le Cirque 5 East 55th Street · 1974–2018 · 2 businesses
• Lombardi's Pizza 32 Spring Street · 1905–present
• Lutèce 249 East 50th Street · 1961–2004
• Mama Leone's 200 West 48th Street · 1906–1994 · 2 businesses
• Mars 2112 1620 Broadway · 1998–2012 · 4 businesses
• Max's Kansas City 213 Park Avenue South · 1965–1981
• Maxwell's Plum 1181 First Avenue · 1966–1988
• McSorley's Old Ale House 15 East 7th Street · 1854–present
• Minetta Tavern 113 MacDougal Street · 1937–present · 4 businesses
• Minton's Playhouse 210 West 118th Street · 1938–present
• Moondance Diner 80 6th Avenue · 1933–2007
• Mudd Club 77 White Street · 1978–1983 · 2 businesses
• New York Hippodrome 1120 Avenue of the Americas · 1905–1939
• New York Public Library 476 5th Avenue · 1911–present
• Pennsylvania Station (original) Bounded by Seventh & Eighth Avenues and West 31st & 33rd Streets, New York, NY · 1910–1963
• Pete's Tavern 129 East 18th Street at Irving Place, New York, NY 10003 · 1864–present
• Polo Grounds 155 8th Avenue · 1911–1963
• Polo Grounds 2269 8th Avenue · 1911–1963
• Rainbow Room 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 65th floor, New York, NY 10112 · 1934–present
• Rao's 110 East 14th Street · 1896–present · 3 businesses
• Ratner's 138 Delancey Street · 1905–2002
• RKO Center Theatre 1230 Sixth Avenue · 1932–1954
• Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse 157 Chrystie Street · 1975–2021
• Savoy Ballroom 596 Lenox Avenue · 1926–1958 · 2 businesses
• Sea Colony 48 Eighth Avenue · 1955–1966
• Small's Paradise 2090 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard · 1925–1986 · 2 businesses
• SOB's (Sounds of Brazil) 204 Varick Street · 1982–present
• Stonewall Inn 15 Christopher Street · 1967–present · 2 businesses
• Stork Club 3 East 53rd Street, New York, NY · 1929–1965
• Studio 54 254 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 · 1977–1980
• Tavern on the Green 67 Central Park West · 1934–2009
• Tavern on the Green 1 West 67th Street · 1934–present · 2 businesses
• Tavern on the Green 67th Street and Central Park West · 1934–2009
• The Algonquin Hotel 216 West 44th Street · 1902–present · 2 businesses
• The Dakota (John Lennon Murder Site) 1 West 72nd Street · 1884–present · 2 businesses
• The Plaza Hotel 424 Fifth Avenue · 1907–present · 3 businesses
• The Roxy 515 West 18th Street · 1978–2007
• The Stork Club 3 East 53rd Street · 1934–1965
• The Tunnel 220 Twelfth Avenue · 1986–2001
• Tin Pan Alley West 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, New York, NY · 1893–present
• Toots Shor's 51 West 51st Street · 1940–1959
• Triangle Shirtwaist Factory (Asch Building) 23 Washington Place · 1900–1911 · 2 businesses
• Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Avenue South · 1935–present · 2 businesses
• WD-50 50 Clinton Street · 2003–2014
• White Horse Tavern 534 Hudson Street · 1880–present · 2 businesses
• Ziegfeld Theatre 141 West 54th Street · 1969–2016