India House / British Memorial Garden in Hanover Square
Exploring Downtown
India House
The handsome brownstone building facing Hanover Square, built in 1853, originally housed the Hanover Bank – making this a rare surviving bank building from pre-Civil War New York. Like so many banks, it was inspired by Italian Renaissance palaces – appropriately enough, since many such palaces had themselves been built for powerful Italian banking families. The building’s varied history includes service as New York’s Cotton Exchange and the offices of W.R. Grace and Company. Since 1914, it has been home to India House, a private club founded by shipping executive James A. Farrell and newspaperman Willard Straight. The club’s early members – businessmen engaged in foreign trade – chose the name “India House” to suggest the romance of exotic ports.
Hanover Square
Hanover Square’s history as a public space dates back to the first years of the Dutch settlement. Named later for the British monarchy – the Hanoverians being the family of King George the Third, as well as the ancestors of the current Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles – Hanover Square is one of the very few such royal place names in New York not dropped after the Revolution.
British Memorial Garden
Hanover Square has been transformed into the British Memorial Garden, a gift from the British community and its American friends to the people of New York City. The garden, designed by British landscape architects Julian and Isabel Bannerman, overflows with symbols, materials and plantings typical of the United Kingdom – from Scottish stone and Welsh slate, to City of London bollards, to an outline map of the British counties. Yew trees trimmed into abstract patterns offer a contemporary take on the traditional British topiary. The garden honors the memory of 67 British victims of the World Trade Center attacks, while also offering a place for the British community to gather for special events. British artist Anish Kapoor’s black granite sculpture Unity – symbolizing the unity between the United States and the United Kingdom – includes a light-reflecting chamber suggesting an eternal flame.
Marker is at the intersection of Hanover Square and Pearl Street, on the right when traveling west on Hanover Square.
Courtesy hmdb.org
