Broadway Lights
by Alex Hiemstra
Title
Broadway Lights
Artist
Alex Hiemstra
Medium
Photograph
Description
Broadway was originally the Wickquasgeck Trail, carved into the brush of Manhattan by its Native American inhabitants. This trail originally snaked through swamps and rocks along the length of Manhattan Island.
Upon the arrival of the Dutch, the trail soon became the main road through the island from Nieuw Amsterdam at the southern tip. The Dutch explorer and entrepreneur David de Vries gives the first mention of it in his journal for the year 1642 ("the Wickquasgeck Road over which the Indians passed daily"). The Dutch named the road "Heerestraat". Although current street signs are simply labeled as "Broadway", in a 1776 map of New York City, Broadway is explicitly labeled "Broadway Street". In the mid-eighteenth century, part of Broadway in what is now lower Manhattan was known as Great George Street.[5]
In the 18th century, Broadway ended at the town commons north of Wall Street, where traffic continued up the East Side of the island via Eastern Post Road and the West Side via Bloomingdale Road. The western Bloomingdale Road would be widened and paved during the 19th century, and called "The Boulevard" north of Columbus Circle. On February 14, 1899. the name "Broadway" was extended to the entire Broadway/Bloomingdale/Boulevard road.
Uploaded
August 8th, 2014
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Comments (11)
Debra and Dave Vanderlaan
A very cool and artsy image Alex! We added our Like! Celebrate life, Debra and Dave
Alex Hiemstra replied:
Thanks Debra and Dave, i hope to go back to the big apple some times to make some new shots...