Visit Wall Street and the Stock Exchange. What to see in Lower Manhattan

Although Wall Street is usually used to refer to the financial district of New York, in lower Manhattan, Wall Street is actually a small and narrow street in this district.

The name of the street comes from the 17th century when Dutch settlers built a wooden wall there to defend themselves against the British.

The wall was there for almost 50 years until it was torn down by the British in 1699. Today it is a place full of life.

What to see on Wall Street and Lower Manhattan

New York Exchange Stock. The New York Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange is the largest stock market in the world, both in terms of the number of companies operating on it and the volume of currency transactions.

The origin of the New York Stock Exchange dates back to 1792 when a group of traders, those who met under the tree, signed an agreement establishing the rules for trading in shares.

Since then there have been boom times as well as important crises such as that of 1929 when, after the so-called Black Thursday and subsequent Black Tuesday, the greatest economic depression in history began.

Currently, after the 9/11 attacks, it is not possible to visit it from the inside, but it is possible to admire its building from the outside.

Federall Hall

Adjacent to the Stock Exchange is one of the most important buildings in American history, Federal Hall.

It was built in 1700 to house the city hall and its culminating moment was in 1789 when George Washington was appointed president of the United States and became the first Capitol in the country until the capital was moved to Philadelphia.

The building was demolished in 1812 and another building was built, which is the one we can see today.

At the entrance of the building there is a statue of George Washington and inside there is a small museum where you can see such important objects as the Bible on which George Washington was sworn in.

What else can you see in Lower Manhattan?

In addition to Wall Street and its two monuments, in Lower Manhattan there are also other points of interest that you should not miss:

• World Trade Center. The place where the Twin Towers were located. You can learn more in our article dedicated to Ground Zero.
• Charging Bull. It is a 3200kg bronze bull. It symbolizes optimism, aggressiveness and financial prosperity and is one of the tourist attractions in the area, forming long queues to take a picture with it.
• Trinity Church.Neo-Gothic church from 1846 that stands out for its 86-meter-high tower and its cemetery where several famous people are buried.
• Woolworth Building. It was one of the first skyscrapers in New York. At 241 meters high, it was the tallest building in the world until 1930. It stands out because its structure is reminiscent of a giant Gothic cathedral.
• Cityhall. This is New York City Hall. It was built in 1812 and is the oldest city hall in the United States. From there begins the Brooklyn Bridge.
• Battery Park. A park with beautiful views of the Statue of Liberty, where we can also see a castle, Castle Clinton, a monument dedicated to those who fell in World War II, and The Sphere, the sculpture that survived the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11

A little further north of Wall Street, but also located in Lower Manhattan, we can find some of the most curious neighborhoods in the city, such as Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho or Greenwich Village.