When 326 Spring Street, site of the famous Ear Inn bar, was built in 1817, it was at the edge of the Hudson River, which had been filled in for docks in 1766. The practice of filling in Manhattan's shoreline has continued for centuries, and now there is almost a quarter mile of land beneath this spot and the Hudson River.
As you can see the site of the shoreline is marked on the wall of the tavern. Another date is listed as well - 2012. During Hurricane Sandy, flooding was so severe that the Hudson briefly returned to it's 1766 domain.
Cool history. I've always been fascinated by landfills and seeing before and after photos.
ReplyDelete