Drilling

Tuesday, January 18th, 2005

Uh oh, is Park Fast about to become another hi-rise? They are doing some sort of drilling in and around the parking lot at Houston and Ludlow Streets. I think they are taking samples at various depths to investigate what sort of foundation would be needed for building on this lot. This whole area is moraine (essentially the loose rubble left behind after the ice age glaciers receded)”The total area of [Manhattan] is 301.5 square miles… Some of this area has been created by landfill (notably, Battery Park City).For many years, heights of the skyscrapers was determined on the underlying geology of the island, with the rocky substratum in the north part dipping deep below the surface moraine around 30th Street and not resurfacing until below Lower Manhattan’s financial district. Thus, few skyscrapers are found in these areas. With new building and landfill technology in the 1960?s skyscrapers and Battery Park City were built on landfill.”- citidex.com

[EHoustonStreet]

Filed under: Architecture, Lower East Side, Photos- , , - by gamma
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Congregation Anshei Meseritz

Tuesday, January 18th, 2005

Congregation Anshei Meseritz Synagogue, East Sixth Street. I’ve always assumed the surrounding buildings grew up around it, but it could just as well be that it was nestled into an empty lot.. According to NY Songlines, it dates back to 1910. I’ve found little else about it on the web. Though it had nothing about Anshei Meseritz, Synagogues of the Lower East Side from Everything NY gives some history and photos. Click to see larger version of photo.

Filed under: Architecture, East Village, Photos- - by gamma
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