Hunter's Point South Park Extension

The ground you are walking on was once entirely underwater. Two centuries ago, this entire area was a series of tidal wetlands, marshes, and meadows. In the mid-nineteenth century, developers physically transformed the site by bulldozing massive hills into the East River to create new land for factories, rail yards, and sugar refineries. This industrial history is why the land beneath your feet is essentially human-made, created by layering landfill to serve the demands of a growing city.