The Brady Bunch once chimed together and asked, “Can't you dig the sunshine?” Not quite a summer sun just yet, but it’s certainly temperate enough to meander over to storied Madison Square Park and enjoy the outdoors; in the heart of the trendy Flatiron District.

Way Back When

The first time the area that would come to be known as Madison Square appeared on the map was back in 1686. Appointed by the British; Royal Governor Thomas Dongan was the man in charge in 1682 and at a time when Gotham was simply a province (part of the British colonies) – moreover, at a time when the region was bankrupt. As part of an effort to attract more settlers to the area, he identified approximately 240 acres as a public space and which was circa what would become Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street.

Eventually the area was designated a Potter’s Field or a burial ground for unidentified people in 1794 but it didn’t last that long – only a slight deviation from Dongan’s vision. By 1797, the Potter’s Field had been moved to what would become Washington Square Park.

In 1811, The United States Army established an arsenal and military parade ground on those 240 acres (which was later rezoned in 1814, down to 90 acres). And when the Army no longer had any use for it, the City of New York used it as a juvenile detention center called The New York House of Refuge for the Society of the Protection of Juvenile Delinquents.

Around the time the House of Refuge burned down in 1839, William “Corporal” Thompson opened a roadhouse – which operated as an inn. He called it Madison Cottage, after James Madison, fourth President of the United States. During its time, the cottage was the last stop for travelers leaving through the north of the city and the first stop for those entering through the north of the city. It only existed for a short time but many attribute it as the namesake for Madison Avenue and subsequently,...