A tiny triangle of land. That’s all it is. Yet the Pebblestone Triangle holds a surprisingly big story. Right here in the heart of Manhattan at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street. This unassuming patch of ground is a testament to stubbornness. A tiny battleground won by a family from Philadelphia.
The Pebblestone Triangle is no ordinary piece of real estate. It’s a 500-square-inch plot of privately owned land. A defiant mosaic plaque marks it. It boldly proclaims “Property of the Hess Estate which has never been dedicated for public purposes”. This small triangle is the lasting legacy of a land dispute. A dispute that began over a century ago.
The story starts with the Hess family. They owned the Voorhis a five-story apartment building. In the early 1910s the city needed to widen Seventh Avenue. They also needed space to expand the IRT subway. The city invoked eminent domain. They seized and demolished 253 buildings to make room for their project. The Hess family fought back. They fought in court. They exhausted all their legal options. By 1913 it seemed the city had won.
But the Hess heirs were persistent. They discovered a crucial detail. The city’s survey had missed a small corner of Plot 55. This was the tiny triangle now known as the Pebblestone Triangle. They asserted their right to this land. The city pleaded with the family to donate it. The family refused. On July 27 1922 they installed the mosaic plaque. A permanent symbol of their victory.
In 1938 the tiny plot sold to the neighboring Village Cigars store. This was for the sum of US$100. Yeshiva University later owned the property. In 1995 it sold to 70 Christopher Realty Corporation. Through all these changes the plaque remains. It remains a quirky reminder of a tenacious family. A family who stood their ground against a powerful city.
So next time you stroll along this sidewalk. Take a moment. Look down at the Pebblestone Triangle. Remember the story. Remember the Hess family’s remarkable defiance. A story etched not in stone but in the very ground you stand on. A true New York City legend.