Home | Search | Fraud Prevention | Get Email Updates | Media Center | Information Library | Contact Us | Navigating This Site
Lower Manhattan - Information to Build On
Search > Advanced Search
 
Recommended Favorites
> Get Email Updates
> Construction Contacts
> Latest Advisories
> Visualization Tour
> Rebuilding Timeline
> About Lower Manhattan
> Lower Manhattan Logistics Presentation
Did You Know Printer Friendly Version

Island's Expanding Shoreline

« back  

Did you know that Lower Manhattan's original shoreline sat where Pearl and Greenwich Streets are today?

Once dotted with coves, marshes and creeks, the landscape of Lower Manhattan was originally much narrower than it is today. The curve of Pearl Street, which is named for the pearly shells found on the shore at the time, marked the island's eastern waterfront, while Greenwich Street bordered the Hudson River to the west. Although the early Dutch settlers expanded the island between one and four blocks on each side, it was not until the 20th century that Lower Manhattan's geography underwent a dramatic transformation.

In 1934, construction of the East River Drive began, expanding Manhattan to the east. Running 9.5 miles from Lower Manhattan's Battery to the Triborough Bridge, the highway is built on a combination of landfill and pile-supported relieving platforms. In 1945, the East River Drive was renamed the Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive in honor of the late president; today it is most commonly referred to as FDR Drive.

By 1976, Lower Manhattan had expanded an additional 23.5 acres with the creation of Battery Park City along the Hudson River. With 1.2 million cubic yards of earth and rock excavated for the World Trade Center as its foundation, Battery Park City is now home to a residential neighborhood, great schools and five public parks.

Did You Know Archive

40 Wall Street -- World's Tallest Building
AT Stewart Department Store
Abercrombie & Fitch
African Burial Ground
Brooks Brothers
Castle Clinton
Columbia University
Downtown Theater District
Edison's Power Plant
Elizabeth Ann Seton
First Passenger Safety Elevator
First Public Brewery
Fraunces Tavern
Frederick Douglass
George Washington's First Thanksgiving
Gertrude Ederle
Hell's Hundred Acres
Holland Tunnel
Island's Expanding Shoreline
Jack London
Lillian Wald -- Henry Street Settlement Founder
LowerManhattan.info launch
New Year's Eve at Trinity Church
New-York Historical Society Exhibit of WTC Relics
Singer Building
Staten Island Ferry's Start
Subway Centennial
The 14 Wall Street Restaurant
Trinity Churchyard
Washington
Yankee Ferry
Special Feature
> Downtown Virtual Tour
> Downtown Public Art
> History Timeline
> The Museums of Lower Manhattan
> Explore Chinatown
Headline
- West St Narrows for Stairway Move and Utility Work
- Nassau Street Water Main Work
- M9 and M20 Bus Stops Close in BPC South
- Installation of Calatravas Pre-Cast Arches Begins
- WTC Rebuilding Heads Address Downtown Community
- Warren Street Closed in Battery Park City
- Extended Work Hours on Park Place
Community Happenings

Current Construction | Programs in Lower Manhattan | Get It Fast Latest Advisories | News and Image Gallery | About the LMCCC
Home | Search | Fraud Prevention | Get Email Updates | Media Center | Information Library | Contact Us | Navigating This Site

© 2008 Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center/LMDC

RSS Feed - Really Simple Syndication RSS Feed