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| Harvey Burdell (murdersbygaslight.blogspot.com) |
This week marks the 155th anniversary of the murder of dentist Harvey Burdell who was found deadfile in a pool of his own blood with fifteen stab wounds on the second floor of 31 Bond Street on January 31st 1857.
Emma Cunningham, a widow in her late
thirties was charged with the murder.
She had met Burdell in 1854 and they had been romantically involved for
a number of years. Burdell owned 31 Bond
Street and Cunningham moved into a room with her five daughters and ran a
boarding house on behalf of Burdell.
Burdell’s office was on the second
floor, which was splattered with blood when he was found. Of the fifteen stab wounds, two were in his
heart and three had punctured his lungs.
The trial generated huge interested
across Manhattan. Historical website
Historybox.com labeled it “the most celebrated crime of the nineteenth century”
while Murder By Gaslight, a blog dedicated to chronicling nineteenth century
murders claims that 8,000 people attended Burdell’s funeral.
After Burdell was found dead,
Cunningham produced a marriage certificate claiming that she and Burdell were
married. As a result, she stood to
inherit part of his $80,000 estate, generating suspicion as she this inheritance
was an obvious motive. She was
ultimately found not guilty.
Murder By Gaslight also states that Cunningham claimed she
was pregnant with Burdell’s baby, which, if true, would increase the percentage
of his estate that she would inherit.
She was, as it turned out, not pregnant, despite her insistence. A doctor named Dr. Uhl agreed to give her a
baby around the time she was expected to give birth. When this time came,
however, Dr. Uhl went to the attorney and confessed the conspiracy.
Cunningham was later charged with fraud and her marriage
claim was deemed invalid. She left for California before returning to New York many
yeas later under the name Emma Williams where she died a poor woman. She was buried in Green Wood Cemetery in
Brooklyn only a few hundred yards from Harvey Burdell.
Knowledge of the story amongst locals varies. Jennifer Shaw, a bartender at IL buco
restaurant at number 47 said she had heard the tale before.
“A guy told me that when he was here drinking one night”
Shaw said. “I didn’t believe him but
then I googled it when I got home and there was all this information. Websites,
even books written about the murder.”
Given the rest of the streets
history, it is difficult to imagine this barbaric tale happening here. Since
its construction in 1805 it has been considered a fashionable area. Considerably wider than most of the
surrounding streets it is attractive to manufacturers because of the generous
amount of sunlight that shines down on the cobblestone street.
The location is inviting for residents as well. Spanning two
blocks between Broadway and Bowery and sitting two blocks above Houston, Bond
Street has an abundance of shops, restaurants and New York nightlife at its
fingertips but traffic and noise levels remain remarkably tame.
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| 40 Bond Street (worldarchitecturenews.com) |
The architecture is a mixture of old and new with 1830s row houses sitting opposite elaborate modern apartment buildings. The most elaborate of these is 40 Bond Street, an apartment complex with a sprawling gate of curling, intertwining lines made of aluminum and large turquoise window panels facing the street. Designed by Swiss architects Herzog & DeMeron in partnership with Ian Schrager. The building has 27 apartments and five townhouses. Residents enjoy many amenities including access to David Barton Gym, pet walking services, a concierge service and spa services. The current market value ranges from $2million to $14million.
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| 24 Bond Street (ny.curbed.com) |
Another eye-catching building is 24
Bond Street for its “golden dancers” sculpture designed by Bruce Williams. The sculpture, which (according to
ny.curbed.com) were erected in 1998, and consists of a string of naked bodies
painted in gold climbing up the front of the building. In 2010 the sculptures were accused of
violating the Landmarks Preservation Commission ruled, as they were not in
keeping with the historic nature of the zone.
The Commission changed its ruling however and allowed the structures to
remain in place.
These delicate golden dancers and
cobble stone streets evoke no sense of bloody murder. Instead, Bond Street is a quiet block amidst
hurried city life.
“I thought this was a quiet little lazy street,” said Eve Hewson, a twenty-year-old NYU student. “The most exciting thing that’s happened since I moved in in two years ago was when Will Smith bought an apartment at number 25 while he filmed Men in Black.”
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