ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE OF YORKVILLE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK

ANTHONY LOFASO

2010 urt. · Xlibris Corporation

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The Origins and History of The Village of Yorkville in The City of New York is an original historical work in local history. The village was located on the island of Manhattan within the physical limits of New York City.  Situated in what is now the East 80s between the East River and 8th avenue.

The research for the work took place over a period of several years. Searching tax records. Common Council Minutes. The minutes of The Court of New Amsterdam. Fire and Police Department records. Church histories. Diaries, Manuscripts, Letters, Newspapers and Magazines. Recollections and Personal Interviews. The goal was to bring under one roof, so to speak, the existing information so that a picture emerges showing a microcosm of the growth of the city.

The book answers questions of why and where streets were opened. What were the motives of the various people who settled in an area so far from the city. Who were the main personalities that emerged to lead its inhabitants ?  What support did the municipal government provide, if any ? The activities of the village during the draft riots of 1863. The advent of railroad and horse car service.

For almost 50 years the village existed independently. Long before the City of New York grew that far north from the battery to absorb it. During those 50 years streets and avenues were opened in the village in accordance with the Street Plan of the New York City.  Most were opened years before the city reached that part of Manhattan.

The development of the transportation  and road construction on Manhattan during the 19th century is well documented. The role the village played in both of those activities is discussed as well.

Overall, it is an informative and valuable work for anyone interested in the history and development of The City of New York, from the perspective of an independent community growing in its midst. It is also well illustrated with many photographs of buildings no longer in existence. Several are one of a kind, taken by the author himself.  It is fine book for history lovers.

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Anthony Lofaso was born in Yorkville on its main street, 86th street, in 1942. He was educated in Yorkville's schools, played in its streets and married a girl from Yorkville. As a teenager in the 1950s riding the "El" just two stops to Yorkville Junior High, he would think of how it all came to be. When were the elevated trains built? When were the old wooden, houses that were still around in the 1950s, built? and who built them? By 1971 he put it all together. The History of Yorkville Village in the City of New York. The book lay dormant for many years until his opportunity to publish with Xlibris. Mr. Lofaso worked more than 30 years for the New York City Department of Sanitation. Starting as a sanitation worker and over the years rising through the ranks to retire as a city wide chief of the department. Mr. Lofaso attended Queens College and is a graduate of the Top "40" program of the City of New York. A graduate course for executives in Municipal Government. Mr. Lofaso lives with his wife Lorraine in Queens, New York.