 The street is named for Hendrik Doyer, an 18th-century Dutch immigrant who bought the property facing the Bowery in 1791 and operated a distillery where the post office is now sited and the "Plough and Harrow" tavern near the corner with Bowery.From 1893 to 1911, 5–7 Doyers Street was the site of the first Chinese language theater in New York City.The theater was converted into a rescue mission for the homeless.