40°44′24″N74°00′41″W / 40.74°N 74.01140°W /40.74; -74.01140
Thirteenth Avenue was a street in theNew York Cityborough ofManhattan,New York City. It was built in 1837 along theHudson River. The avenue was later removed in the early 20th century to make way for theChelsea Piers.
Thirteenth Avenue was built in 1837 onlandfill along the Hudson River, becoming the westernmost avenue in downtown and lower-midtown Manhattan.[1] An 1891 map published by G. W. Bromley shows Thirteenth Avenue heading north from11th Street to around29th Street, where it merged into12th Avenue.
In the early 20th century, New York wanted to build longer piers along the Hudson to accommodate bigger ships such as theRMSLusitania and theRMSTitanic. However, the United States government, which controls thebulkhead line, refused to allow longer piers to be built. The shipping companies were reluctant to build longer piers further uptown because existing infrastructure such as the tracks of theNew York Central Railroad and the23rd Street ferry station were already in place downtown. To solve this problem, the city took the unusual step of removing the section of landfill on which Thirteenth Avenue ran south of22nd Street so theChelsea Piers could be constructed to handle the liners.
A small section of the landfill north ofGansevoort Street, the West Washington Market, was left as an exception, becoming what was known as the "Gansevoort Peninsula", later the location of a salt-storage facility of theNew York City Department of Sanitation, acrossWest Street fromGansevoort Street. The small space between Gansevoort Street and Bloomfield Street, and the approximate place where Thirteenth Avenue once ran, was used as a parking lot for garbage trucks and employees' vehicles. An adjacent stretch of cobblestone is all that remains of the original Thirteenth Avenue, which has apparently been de-mapped by the city. It does not appear on the officialGeographic Information System map.[2] Proposals have been made for a sandy beach, or for a garbage transfer pier.[3]
In 2016, the city began demolishing the Department of Sanitation building as part of a plan for the creation of a new public park on the land.[4] In January 2019, it was announced that the 5.5-acre (2.2 ha) park – which was to be developed by theHudson River Park Trust – would be designed byJames Corner Field Operations, which designed theHigh Line elevated park in Manhattan andDomino Park in Brooklyn. The space would include a public art project to be commissioned by theWhitney Museum, and Manhattan's first public beach. The construction of the park, which would serve as agreen space, was expected to take two years. The construction was funded by New York state, New York City, and private interests, as well as $152 million secured by the Trust through the sale of air rights. The 4-mile (6.4 km) long, 550-acre (220 ha), Hudson River Park.[5]Hudson River Park, which is located on the Gansevoort Peninsula, between Gansevoort Street and Little West 12th Street, in theMeatpacking District,[6][7] across from theWhitney Museum of American Art, between Gansevoort and Little West 12th streets,[6][8] which affords it remarkable views of theLower Manhattan skyline.[6]
The $73 million park includes a beach with 1,200 short tons (1,100 long tons) of sand. It opened on October 2, 2023.[6][9] It amenities include a sports field, sunning lawn, promenades, two dog runs, a picnic area, fitness equipment, and a beachfront kayak launch for non-motorized boats, although swimming and wading are not permitted.[7][9][10][11][12] Gansevoort Peninsula was advertised as having "the first public beachfront in Manhattan", thoughThe New York Times wrote that there were other small beaches on Manhattan island, including inFort Washington Park and nearSpuyten Duyvil Creek.[12]
