Statue of John Watts

Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York, is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City. Lower Manhattan is defined most commonly as the area delineated on the north by 14th Street, on the west by the Hudson River, on the east by the East River, and on the south by New York Harbor (also known as Upper New York Bay). The Lower Manhattan business district, known as the Financial District, forms the main core of the area below Chambers Street. The city had itself originated at the southern tip of Manhattan Island in 1624, at a point that now constitutes the present-day Financial District. The population of the Financial District alone has grown to an estimated 61,000 residents as of 2018, up from 43,000 as of 2014, which in turn was nearly double the 23,000 recorded at the 2000 Census.

Trinity Church is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Known for its history, location, architecture and endowment, Trinity is a traditional high church, with an active parish centered around the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion in missionary, outreach, and fellowship. In addition to its main facility, Trinity operates two chapels: St. Paul's Chapel, and the Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion on Governors Island. The Church of the Intercession, the Trinity Chapel Complex and many other of Anglican congregations in Manhattan were part of Trinity at one point. The current building is the third constructed for Trinity Church, and was designed by Richard Upjohn in the Gothic Revival style. The first Trinity Church building was a single-story rectangular structure facing the Hudson River, which was constructed in 1698 and destroyed in the Great New York City Fire of 1776. The second Trinity Church was built facing Wall Street and was consecrated in 1790. The current church building was erected from 1839 to 1846 and was the tallest building in the United States until 1869, as well as the tallest in New York City until 1890. In 1876–1877 a reredos and altar were erected in memory of William Backhouse Astor Sr., to the designs of architect Frederick Clarke Withers, who extended the rear. The church building is adjacent to the Trinity Churchyard, one of three used by the church. Besides its building, Trinity manages real estate properties with a combined worth of over $6 billion as of 2019. Trinity's main building is a National Historic Landmark as well as a New York City designated landmark. It is also a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District, a NRHP district created in 2007.

The Wall Street station is a station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. The station is located at the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. It is served by the 4 train at all times and the 5 train at all times except late nights. The Wall Street station was constructed for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the city's first subway line, which was approved in 1900. Construction of the tunnel around the Wall Street station was complicated by the shallow foundations of the nearby Trinity Church, as well as the need to avoid disrupting the street surface of Broadway. The station opened on June 12, 1905, as an extension of the original line. The station's platforms were lengthened in the late 1950s, and it was renovated in the 1970s and 2000s. The Wall Street station contains two side platforms and two tracks, and it was built with tile and mosaic decorations. The platforms contain exits to Broadway's intersections with Wall and Rector Streets, outside Trinity Church, and into the basements of several buildings. An additional passageway extends east to an out-of-system connection with the Broad Street station and the basement of 28 Liberty Street. The original station interior is a New York City designated landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Manhattan Life Insurance Building was a 348 ft (106 m) tower on Broadway in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City.

65 Broadway, formerly the American Express Building, is a building on Broadway between Morris and Rector Streets in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. The 21-story concrete and steel-frame structure, an office building, was designed by James L. Aspinwall of the firm Renwick, Aspinwall & Tucker in the Neoclassical style. 65 Broadway extends westward through an entire block, to Trinity Place. Its most prominent feature is its H-shaped building plan, with light courts located between its wings.The financial services company American Express had been located at the site of 65 Broadway since 1874, and purchased the lot in 1903. The current building was constructed in 1916–1917. It was the headquarters of American Express until 1974, and also contained the offices of other firms. After American Express moved out, 65 Broadway was occupied by American Bureau of Shipping and then by Standard & Poor's; as of 2019, Chetrit Group owns the building. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as an official New York City landmark in 1995. It is also a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District, a National Register of Historic Places district created in 2007.

1 Wall Street (also known as the Irving Trust Company Building, the Bank of New York Building, and the BNY Mellon Building) is a skyscraper in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City, on the eastern side of Broadway between Wall Street and Exchange Place. 1 Wall Street, designed in the Art Deco style, is 654 feet (199 m) tall and consists of two sections. The original 50-story building was designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of the firm Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker and constructed between 1929 and 1931, while a 36-story annex to the south was designed by successor firm Voorhees, Walker Smith Smith & Haines and built from 1963 to 1965. The facade, made of limestone, contains slight inwardly-curved bays with fluting to resemble curtains. On the lower stories are narrow windows with mullions, as well as ornate entrances. The massing of 1 Wall Street incorporates numerous small setbacks, and the top of the original building consists of a freestanding tower. The corners of the original building consist of chamfers, while the top of the tower has fluted windowless bays. The facade of the annex is designed in a style evocative of the original structure. Inside is an ornate main lobby with colored mosaics. 1 Wall Street had been constructed for Irving Trust, one of the larger banks in New York City in the early 20th century. At the time of its construction, the building occupied what was then considered one of the most valuable plots in the city. The building replaced three previous structures, including the Manhattan Life Insurance Building, once the world's tallest building. After Irving Trust was acquired by The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) in 1988, 1 Wall Street subsequently served as BNY Mellon's global headquarters through 2015. After the building was purchased by Harry Macklowe, it has been undergoing a renovation since 2018, which is converting the interior to residential use with some commercial space. The building is regarded as one of New York City's Art Deco landmarks, despite initially remaining ignored in favor of such buildings as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the original portion of the building as a city landmark in 2001. It is also a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District, a National Register of Historic Places district created in 2007.

The parish of Trinity Church has three separate burial grounds associated with it in New York City. The first, Trinity Churchyard, is located in Lower Manhattan at 74 Trinity Place, near Wall Street and Broadway. Alexander Hamilton, Albert Gallatin, and Robert Fulton are buried in the downtown Trinity Churchyard.The second Trinity parish burial ground is the St. Paul's Chapel Churchyard, which is also located in lower Manhattan (roughly 440 yards (400 m)), six blocks north of Trinity Church. It was established in 1766. Both of these churchyards are closed to new burials. Trinity's third place of burial, Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum, located in Hamilton Heights in Upper Manhattan, is one of the few active burial sites in Manhattan. Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum is listed on the National Register of Historic places and is the burial place of notable people including John James Audubon, John Jacob Astor IV, Mayor Edward I. Koch, Governor John Adams Dix, and Eliza Jumel. In 1823 all burials south of Canal Street became forbidden by New York City due to city crowding, yellow fever, and other public health fears.After considering locations in the Bronx and portions of the then-new Greenwood Cemetery, in 1842 Trinity Parish purchased the plot of land now bordered by 153rd street, 155th street, Amsterdam, and Riverside to establish the Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum. The cemetery is located beside the Chapel of the Intercession that Audubon co-founded in 1846, but this chapel is no longer part of Trinity parish. James Renwick, Jr., is the architect of Trinity Church Cemetery and further updates were made by Calvert Vaux. The uptown cemetery is also the center of the Heritage Rose District of New York City. A no-longer-extant Trinity Parish burial ground was the Old Saint John's Burying Ground for St. John's Chapel. This location is bounded by Hudson, Leroy and Clarkson streets near Hudson Square. It was in use from 1806 to 1852 with over 10,000 burials, mostly poor and young. In 1897, it was turned into St. John's Park, with most of the burials left in place. The park was later renamed Hudson Park, and is now James J. Walker Park. (This park is different from a separate St. John's Park, a former private park and residential block approximately one mile to the south that now serves as part of the Holland Tunnel access.)

Rector Street IRT station was a station on the demolished IRT Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It had three tracks and two side platforms. It opened on June 5, 1878, served by trains from the IRT Sixth Avenue Line, and was one block east of Rector Street El Station on the IRT Ninth Avenue Line. In 1918, Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company built the Broadway Subway through Manhattan and added a station at Rector Street, which served as competition for the 6th Avenue Line station. The el station closed on December 4, 1938. The next southbound stop was Battery Place on the IRT Ninth Avenue Line. The next northbound stop was Cortlandt Street.

The Rector Street station is a local station on the BMT Broadway Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the corner of Rector Street and Trinity Place in Financial District, Lower Manhattan, the station is served by the R train at all times except late nights, when the N train takes over service. The W train also serves this station on weekdays.

The Rector Street station is a station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Rector Street and Greenwich Street in Lower Manhattan, it is served by the 1 train at all times. The station was built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the Dual Contracts with New York City, and opened on July 1, 1918. The station's platforms were lengthened in the 1960s, and the station was renovated after being out of service for a year in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The Adams Express Building is an office building at 61 Broadway in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. The building's primary frontage is on 57-61 Broadway, with additional frontage along 33–41 Trinity Place. Architect Francis Kimball designed the 32–story building for the Adams Express Company. Construction began in 1912 at which point the cost was estimated at $2,000,000 (equivalent to $53,634,483 in 2020). Upon completion in 1914, the building was the seventh tallest structure in Manhattan. As of 2014 it is owned by RXR Realty.

The Tower Building was a structure in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, located at 50-52 Broadway on a lot that extended east to New Street. It was arguably New York City's first skyscraper, and the first building with a steel skeleton structure.