The area is called "Long Wharf" because there was once a wharf there that projected out of the juncture of Water St. and Union Ave. that continued to grow into New Haven Harbor until it finally reached a length of 3/4 of a mile, making it the longest wharf in the country. Along it stood the Customs House, warehouses and other businesses. It was destroyed in the late 1940s to early 1950s when the harbor was partially filled in to construct Interstate Highways 91 and 95, dramatically moving the waterfront and creating this district.