Today I "visited" the New York Assay Office

[DaveG]

I'm sure that those of you who are interested in financial/commercial/mint history are familiar with the New York Assay Office, which was established in 1854 as part of the political compromise that established the San Francisco Mint (and, by the way, was the culmination of the extended political effort to establish a mint in New York City).

 

The first New York Assay Office was located in a two-story building right next to the Sub-Treasury on Wall Street (which, of course, was built to be the Custom House in New York).

 

The New York Assay Office's building was built in 1823 to be the New York Branch of the Second Bank of the United States. The building was torn down in 1919-1920, but because the facade was such a beautiful example of Federalist architecture, it was saved and moved uptown to become the entrance of the new American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

The facade is in the background of this image.

 

Today I vistied the Met and spent some time looking at the building facade - I even took the opportunity to place my hand upon the rough granite exterior!

 

(Now, I just wish that the Second Philadelphia Mint hadn't been torn down!)

[RWB]

The country grew much faster than the buildings.