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An opportunity to learn about everyday Jewish life in colonial New York was lost when a construction project in lower Manhattan was begun this year before archaeologists could examine the site.
"It could have been a first for the United States," said Sherene Baugher, an archaeologist for the city Landmarks Preservation Commission. "Even though we know there was a Jewish population that came to New York City in the 1600s and was a very active community, there haven't been any archaeological sites of Jewish families.
"This might have been our first look at the everyday life of a Jewish settler here," Baugher said. "It would have added a rich dimension to our New York City heritage."
Lawyers for developer Melvyn Kaufman, managing partner of the joint venture by the William Kaufman Organization of New York and JMB Realty of Chicago, blamed "a long and tortured odyssey of bureaucratic miscommunication" for the lost archaeological opportunity.
The developer is building a 41-story office tower at 17 State St., costing more than $100 million.The site is bounded by Pearl Street to the north and State Street to the south and west and is across from Battery Park. The building still needs special zoning permits from the city.
"As far as I know, this it the first time a site had been...