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Trace the Bowery’s History In a Series of Posters Along the Thoroughfare

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A celebration of New York’s oldest street

Extending 1.25 miles from Chatham Street to Cooper Square, New York’s Bowery is one of the city’s oldest—and most transformed—thoroughfares. Originally used as a Native American footpath, the Bowery has been home to rescue missions, restaurant supply stores, Yiddish theaters, punk rock, myriad immigrant groups, and a host of other uses.

In light of the rapid development that is occurring, with buildings such as 190 Bowery selling for tens of millions of dollars, and longtime institutions like Patricia Field closing (not to mention the condos rising along the street), the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors launched its Windows on the Bowery visual project. This collection of 64 window placards celebrates the unique history of the neighborhood, using hundreds of vintage photos, graphic design work from Cooper Union, and the support of dozens of writers.

Posters from the project can be viewed individually at site-specific buildings, or in total along Cooper Union’s colonnade.

Poster images via the Bowery Alliance