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Sunfish Pond, Manhattan

What is now a dried intersection at Park Avenue South and East 31st Street, was once a pond that was sourced from a stream in the Manhattan neighborhood of Murray Hill.

History of the Pond

The stream that runs into the pond is known by the Dutch name t’Oude Wrack, or “old wreck”. It was named after a ship that wrecked in the East River near the mouth of the creek. The old wreck ran along Broadway to Herald Square, where it made a sudden turn to the east and emptied into the now dried up, Sunfish Pond. The stream then continues from the pond towards Kips Bay at 34th Street, where finally it stops and empties completely out into the East River.

The cove was named after a Dutch settler Jacobus Hendrickson Kip along with surrounding buildings, like a high school a mile south at Irving Place and E. 17th Street. This high school features murals on state history by an artist known as Barry Faulkner.

The Pond

Sunfish Pond is located in Murray Hill, which was named after a shipping merchant named Robert Murray who built his Inclenberg farm on a hilltop nearby in 1762. Parallel to today’s Third Avenue, there was a road called Eastern Post Road that ran to the north along Manhattan’s East Side. This road eventually went into the Bronx and connected the two vital colonial cities. Therefore, Sunfish Pond was a place for travelers to stop and rest.

The American Revolution

Robert Murray’s wife, Mary, was given credit for saving the life of Generals George Washington and Israel Putnam during the American Revolution. According to local lore, the British attempted to cut George Washington off as he was retreating uptown following his defeat at Brooklyn Heights. When the British landed at Kips Bay, Mrs. Murray invited General William Howe and Governor William Tyron to their Inclenberg mansion for tea. This entertained them enough for the patriots to escape. A local doctor by the name James Thatcher wrote in his journal, “It has since become almost a common saying among our officers, that Mrs. Murray saved this part of the American army”.

So therefore, at 130 East 37th Street at Lexington Avenue, a plaque was installed by the Daughter of the American Revolution to commemorate Mrs. Murray for her incredible save. Unfortunately, in 1834, the mansion burned and a decade later, the Murray family sold the land to developers. A restrictive covenant on the land listed clauses that banned the use of the properties for slaughterhouses, glue factories, or circuses. Although they inserted these clauses, around their land, industry was creeping in and becoming more popular.

Glue Near the Pond

In 1813, Bull’s Head Market relocated to the area. This attracted a lot of attention, but also the attention of Peter Cooper. Peter bought a glue factory near the pond, taking advantage of the close proximity of the market. The Bull’s Head Market supplied Mr. Cooper with an abundance of cow’s and calves’ feet, which were used to produce glue, gelatin, and household cement. This eventually put a strain on the pond from pollution.

Fire by the Pond

Since pollution and development of the area is increasing in alarming rates, it was safe to say the pond was no longer a reliable source of water for the area. The nation’s first youth asylum, the House of Refuge, caught fire in 1838. Since it was located to close to Sunfish Pond, the water was used to douse the flames. After a while, the polluted water turned to mud, which drained to pond.

The Railroad Tunnels

The draining of Sunfish Pond was shortly followed by Minetta Brook and Collect Pond, which hit the headlines in 1907 when the Pennsylvania Railroad was constructed. The railroad connected Long Island with Penn Station. Eventually, the walls started leaving and this forced the workers to reinforce the tunnels, which were beneath Park Avenue. This led to the entire site of the pond, with the exception of a small parking lot, being developed.

The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building stands atop the course of t’Oude Wrack which is at the northern edge of Murray Hill. It is written in many guidebooks that the workers work nonstop to keep the water out of the tunnels that lay under the iconic 1931 skyscraper. Although the books mention the water, they do not mention Sunfish Pond, so as it may stand in the same Murray Hill’s that Sunfish Pond used to, we cannot say for sure if the Empire State Building stands in or very near the same place. There are no park or pavement markers to commemorate Sunfish Pond.