The Stadt Huys (an old Dutch spelling, meaning city hall) was the first city hall in New York City, United States. It was built in 1642 by the Dutch, when the settlement was named New Amsterdam. The building was used until 1697, when the structure was no longer deemed safe for occupants. The structure was located at present 71 Pearl Street (now demolished) in the modern-day Financial District of Lower Manhattan.
The Stadt Huys block archaeology project took place in 1979–1980 and was New York City's first large-scale archaeological excavation. At the time, it was one of the most expensive and most productive projects of urban archeology undertaken in an American city. Many logistical procedures for urban archaeology had to be developed as the project evolved. Most of these procedures have become a model for performing large-scale excavations in the city.[1]