Midtown West Update: Hell’s Kitchen Earned it’s Name 450 Million Years Ago…

For those of you familiar with the DeWitt Clinton Park at West 52nd Street and 12th Avenue, there is an astonishing work of natural sculpture (see photographs below).  The rock formation has smooth curves and bubbly folds, which was formed as a result of one tectonic plate that has been sutured into another.  The only other evidence of this rock formation is in Pelham Bay in the Bronx.  This collision took place 450 million years ago (ok, so maybe Hell’s Kitchen did not get its name because of this).

How is this relevant to New Yorkers?  Well, this phenomenon has actually shaped the way our New York skyline developed.  There are generally two locations in New York where there is enough bedrock close enough to the street level that towers could be anchored to it: Midtown and Downtown.  Next time you are near these rock formations in DeWitt Clinton Park or the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, look towards Midtown and Downtown and appreciate how these rock formations shaped our beautiful skyline.

See the full story here: 

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/450-million-years-ago-hells-kitchen-earned-its-name/