This 32-year-old diorama, found in the Kearny Library attic, showed how part of the Kearny brackish marsh could be converted to office parks.

    In the photo at left, you can see where the eastern spur of the Turnpike crosses the Hackensack River.

The office park (and one to the west)  would have been placed on filled wetlands next to a railroad siding near the river.
      
    This was in the waning days of an era where planners thought wetlands were swamps, to be filled and developed.

     These days, almost everyone understands that marshes are vital parts of the eco-system, providing everything from wildlife habitat and the filtering of impurities in water to flood control.

     More on the value of the Meadowlands' marshes here.

    (Thanks to the Kearny Public Library for passing along the diorama.)