Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The tunnel squatters under Grand Central lived in the siding under the Waldorf, as it is largely a storage area, in the 1970s.
New Netherland became New York in 1664 when Charles II's brother, the Duke of York, claimed the land in the name of the English Crown. Since Peter Stuyvesant was unable to raise a militia to defend the colony, New Amsterdam and surrounding New Netherland came under English rule in a blockers takeover.
There is a house on the UWS, the Schinasi Mansion, that had a private tunnel to the river as the owner had business interests on the river and used it to facilitate travel. It has been sealed off, and the majority if it has likely been obliterated by subsequent construction in the area.
Did you know Pearl Street was named after all the seashells that used to line its shore? Yes, it was once on the water. That was where the original shoreline was. When the businesses in the area wanted to widen the island with landfill, the city let them do it at their own cost. Water Street then became the new shoreline, then Front Street, and then South Street. Very enterprising businessmen down there at the time, eh? They knew that being on the waterfront would give them many advantages for commerce, so if they had the money, they expanded the city and recreated the shoreline! This all happened before the 18th century was over. There are several sunken ships and other types of structures submerged as landfill in that area (the South Street Seaport vicinity). Sometimes mud can preserve a boat pretty well -- I know a captain in Maine who refurbished a schooner he had found buried in mud.
Getting back to the shoreline of NYC, of course the East River Drive was built by Robert Moses (begun in the 1930s) and it was later renamed FDR Drive. Up in the East 60's, 70's, and 80's, all those older apartment buildings used to have boat slips before the FDR was built. There was a huge outcry about it! Imagine being a wealthy New Yorker with your own boat on the river just outside your art deco apartment building, and having to give it up for the sound of cars whooshing by all day and night. If you walk along the path that leads to Carl Schurz Park and look down, you can tell in some instances where those slips once were.
Did you know Pearl Street was named after all the seashells that used to line its shore? Yes, it was once on the water. That was where the original shoreline was. When the businesses in the area wanted to widen the island with landfill, the city let them do it at their own cost. Water Street then became the new shoreline, then Front Street, and then South Street. Very enterprising businessmen down there at the time, eh? They knew that being on the waterfront would give them many advantages for commerce, so if they had the money, they expanded the city and recreated the shoreline! This all happened before the 18th century was over. There are several sunken ships and other types of structures submerged as landfill in that area (the South Street Seaport vicinity). Sometimes mud can preserve a boat pretty well -- I know a captain in Maine who refurbished a schooner he had found buried in mud.
Getting back to the shoreline of NYC, of course the East River Drive was built by Robert Moses (begun in the 1930s) and it was later renamed FDR Drive. Up in the East 60's, 70's, and 80's, all those older apartment buildings used to have boat slips before the FDR was built. There was a huge outcry about it! Imagine being a wealthy New Yorker with your own boat on the river just outside your art deco apartment building, and having to give it up for the sound of cars whooshing by all day and night. If you walk along the path that leads to Carl Schurz Park and look down, you can tell in some instances where those slips once were.
Actually, it was extended again when the WTC was built. The World Financial Center is built on landfill created from the WTC bathtub.
Actually, it was extended again when the WTC was built. The World Financial Center is built on landfill created from the WTC bathtub.
Yes, I know, but I was thinking more of the olden days.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
