9. There Used to be a Prison in Greenwich Village

Commissioner's Plan 1811-Map-NYC-Library of Congress-014

Between Christopher Street and Charles Street there was once a prison complex called Newgate Prison, the first prison complex in New York State. It stood there from 1796 to 1829, when the city sold the land and relocated the prison to Sing Sing. The street grid has since been extended and the shoreline further filled in.