In 1847, the official Madison Square Park opened (continuing the name from the cottage) and baseball games had to be moved to Hoboken, yet the park continued to attract many new residents desiring a peaceful reserve.Īfter Madison Square Park opened, an ambitious hotel owner decided to build the tallest hotel outside of the hotel district, miles away from the center of downtown. The first game resulted in a 23 to 1 loss for the Knickerbockers, yet the players were not discouraged and continued to play with rules, umpires, and a 6 cent fine for foul language uttered on the field.

The empty fields eventually attracted commercial investors, but before then a volunteer fireman and his fellow firefighters from the Knickerbockers invented and played the first games of baseball on the fields.Ĭartwright, the official inventor of baseball, determined the official rules on September 23, 1945, and played the first game 9 months later against another firefighter team, the New York Nine. PC: New York Public Library Digital Collections Their first introduction to the city was a barren field with a single cottage welcoming them to the heralded city, named Madison cottage after the fourth President, James Madison. In 1807, the American army used a section of land that would eventually be the Madison Square park as a drill field, barracks, and weapons arsenal.Īs the city continued to grow, more and more visitors would travel through the north passage to the tip of the island.

The tract of land now defined as the Flatiron district originated as swamp land that was eventually utilized as a Potters field in the 1700’s by colonists. Buildings are often built in reaction to neighborhood requirements, yet the cast-iron palaces that characterize the Flatiron district created their own business and clientele.

Who invented the flat iron