dead man's curve

This magazine cover shows a Manhattan intersection called "Dead Man's Curve." The place got its name from treacherous conditions caused by cable-pulled street cars as they rounded the curve at the southwest corner of Union Square. The treacherous conditions arose from an idiosyncrasy of the cable system that was used in the 1890s: the cable's speed was just right for the straight passage up and down Broadway, but at the curve where Broadway turned onto the the square the pace was dangerously fast. The cable speed was constant; it was the curve that produced the danger. This illustration shows how pedestrians felt about the risks they took when crossing that intersection.

{'Dead Man's Curve'—New York's Most Dangerous Crossing, by W. A. Rogers (Harper's
Weekly, March 27, 1897); source: cdlib}

In 1907, my great-grandfather, Louis Windmuller, noted that the Dead Man's Curve problem had been solved at Union Square and the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street had taken its place.[1] His letter to the editor on the subject is on the left. To the right is an excerpt from the article which he references.[2]

{On the left: "Perils of the Cruel City," New York Times, February 6, 1907; on the right: "Choate Argues for 14th St. Expresses," New York Times, February 1, 1907}

This photograph shows, at left, the "new" Dead Man's Curve on the southwest corner of Madison Park.

{Madison Square, New York, N.Y. (Detroit Publishing Co., taken between 1910 and 1915); seventh photo in a nine-part panorama set; source: Prints and Photos Div., Library of Congress}

This detail of that photo is marked to show the street car lines, the Seward statue, and, by white arrows, the path Louis Windmuller would take, walking north on the east side of Broadway. You can see a traffic cop in the intersection and quite a bit of traffic (though not nearly as much at the early hour when this photo was taken as there would be at noon and beyond).


This photo shows Broadway and Fifth Avenue as they separate from one another and proceed northward away from the park. Louis Windmuller would take the sidewalk on the west side of the park and then walk up the east side of Fifth Avenue, stopping at the Reform Club on 27th if he wished (he was a founder and, as its treasurer, had bought the building at 2 East 27th) and then on to his "winter" home on 46th.

{Madison Square, New York, N.Y. (Detroit Publishing Co., taken between 1910 and 1915); first photo in a nine-part panorama set; source: Prints and Photos Div., Library of Congress}

Taken 15 years earlier, this photo shows the intersection at bottom right, with the west side of the park at near left and, at far left, the passage of Fifth Avenue to the north.

{Manhattan: Broadway - 23rd Street (Brown Brothers, 1893); source: NYPL Digital Gallery}

This map shows Louis Windmuller's route from his office at 20 Reade Street to his winter home at 19 W. 46th, with the Reform Club, at 27th, in between. Both the 14th St. and 23rd St. Dead Man's Curves are shown in green. Windmuller was a famous walker. I've previously written about his walking, his office on Reade St., and his winter home on 46th.[3] I've also previously written about the block that's outlined in red.[4]

{Manhattan Hotels and Theaters Map, 1906; source: Library of Congress}

This is another view of the intersection, this time with the camera facing northwest. The photo was taken during a quiet moment in 1901 by William Henry Jackson, a well-known photographer working for the Detroit Publishing Co. (notice the three bicyclists, one of them a lady). The Fifth Avenue Hotel, at left, was owned by Amos Eno, a dry goods merchant who became a fabulously-wealthy real estate magnate. The Reform Club building on 27th had been Eno's home; was purchased from the estate at his death.

{Madison Square, New York, by William Henry Jackson, for the Detroit Publishing Co. (New York, 1901), first of three photographs making up a panorama; Prints and Photos Div., Library of Congress}

This photo shows the Dead Man's Curve at Union Square after electrification of the street cars. No one, including the lone (male) bicyclist, seems to be worried about the risk of injury.

{Lincoln Statue, Union Square, 1906; source: wikipedia}

This detail from a panorama photo shows the building owned by the Reform Club in 1911, just after the club had moved to new quarters in the financial district. The Club's address had been 2 East 27th Street, but the building is now identified as 233 Fifth Avenue.

{Detail from plate no. 24 in the book Fifth Avenue, New York, from Start to Finish (Welles & Co., 1911); source: NYPL Digital Gallery}

This panorama photo shows the block on the east side of Fifth Avenue just north of Madison Square and just south of the Reform Club location.

{Detail from plate no. 22 in the book Fifth Avenue, New York, from Start to Finish (Welles & Co., 1911); source: NYPL Digital Gallery}

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Some sources:

DEADMAN'S CURVE REFORM.; New Traffic Regulations for the Benefit of Pedestrians, New York Times, January 10, 1905

Dead Man's Curve on snopes.com

Union Square and the demise of 'Dead Man's Curve'

CHOATE ARGUES FOR 14TH ST. EXPRESSES, Appears Before Transit Board for Those Opposing 23d Street. MORE NEED AT 14TH STREET Metz Resolution on Bridge Subway Loop Opposed by the Mayor -- Committee to Confer with B.R.T., New York Times, February 1, 1907
"There would also be added danger at 'dead man's curve,' he went on, evidently under the impression that the curve was at Twenty-third Street. The term has been applied more generally at Fourteenth Street."

NOTED CITIZENS OUT FOR WALKING RECORD, Gaynor, Choate, Hornblower, Parsons, and Windmuller Form the Pedestrians Club, New York Times, February 7, 1913

THE REFORM CLUB'S HOME.; PLANNING PLEASANT QUARTERS FOR ITS MANY MEMBERS, New York Times, April 18, 1890

IN THE REAL ESTATE FIELD, New York Times, March 18, 1910. "Reform Club Buys Building -- The Reform Club, through Louis Windmuller, Treasurer, purchased yesterday from the Cutting estate the building 9 South William Street, facing also on Mill Lane and extending through this lane to Stone Street. The building will be altered so that the club can use it as a midday luncheon club and for committee members to meet. Limited space will compel the club to restrict membership to a small number beyond the present roster."

A.R. ENO'S WILL PROBATED, It Disposes of an Estate Estimated at from $20,000,000 to $40,000,000. SMALL SHARE FOR SON JOHN C. All the Heirs Waive Citation and There Will Be No Contest -- Many Bequests Paid During the Testator's Lifetime Are Canceled New York Times, March 12, 1898. First para: "The will of Amos R. Eno was filed for probate with the Surrogate yesterday. Mrs. Antoinette E. Wood, a daughter of the testator, was the proponent, and in her petition she says that the value of the real estate and personalty is "not definitely known." The combined values are estimated to be between $20,000,000 and $40,000,000."


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[1] The problem at Union Square had been solved by switching from cable-pulled to electric-powered cars.

[2] Eventually the City would decide that 14th Street should have an express stop; 23rd Street should not. Choate and Windmuller were acquaintances, probably friends. They served together on corporate boards (including the German-American Insurance Co.) and were walking companions, as evidenced by this article: NOTED CITIZENS OUT FOR WALKING RECORD, Gaynor, Choate, Hornblower, Parsons, and Windmuller Form the Pedestrians Club, New York Times, February 7, 1913

[3] Some blog posts on his walking, the office, and the 46th St. place:

• an office on Reade Street
• river crossings
• 19 w. 46th St.
• 19 w. 46th again
• commission merchant
• obituary

[4] My two recent posts on 23rd St. between 5th and 6th are 23rd St. and New York Newsstand, 1903.