In 1858, Ward McAllister leased Hudson River waterfront property to the Central Railroad of New Jersey for use as a railroad depot and steamship landing. As railroad president, and master of all New York transportation, Cornelius Vanderbilt, signed off on the deal.
Ward McAllister (1827-1895) was an attorney and later co-creator of “The 400” guest list with Caroline Astor, which defined New York society for the duration of the Gilded Age. “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) ferry boat captain and founder of the New York Central Railroad fortune, was grandfather of the Newport Vanderbilt cottage owners who enjoyed the social position conferred on them by McAllister and Astor forty years later.
Image: Signature of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt on New York City property lease in 1858. From the NHS collections.