Original Cistern of New Amsterdam Era

"I truly wish that people with no appreciation for history or archaeology would simply NOT write a review or provide a rating. In this case and with the nearby "Remnant of Lovelace Tavern, Old New York" and "Portal Down Into Old New York" these are actually some of the oldest remains yet uncovered in New York. It also is the first large scale example of an urban archaeology project in Lower Manhattan, which went on in 1979-1980. You can actually read the multi-hundred page typed final report published in 1987 at the NY Landmark Preservation Commission website: http://archaeology.cityofnewyork.us/collection/map/stadt-huys-block/project/stadt-huys-block-ny-ny . The outline of the cistern here represents where a large one stood back in the mid-1600s. Various parts of Manhattan have had problems with keeping a clean supply of freshwater on hand, so cisterns for collecting rainwater were important, even back in Dutch times. During excavations of the Stad Huys block on what is now 85 Broad they found the remains of four cisterns, three privies and one well. The glass-covered excavation sites date back to the mid-1980s and with the amount of foot traffic over them it is not difficult to believe that they are now hard to see through. Hopefully, they will be replaced or polished at some point but this costs money, something that tends to be hard to come by when it comes to historic or archaeological preservation."

"Historic, nothing special"

"You'll need to be observant to notice the outline."