8. The Bialystoker Synagogue is Made of Manhattan Bedrock
Manhattan’s bedrock (also known as schist) is one of its notable natural characteristics, appearing in places like Central Park and deep below Grand Central Terminal in its secret M42 basement. It has also been used in the construction of many buildings, like the City College of New York campus, whose Manhattan schist was excavated in the construction of the subway. The original Willet Street Episcopal Church, which became the Bailystoker Synagogue, was built of Manhattan schist or fieldstone quarried from Pitt Street, nearby. It is also one of just four surviving fieldstone buildings dating from the Federal period in New York City.
