South Street Seaport | |
.jpg) South Street and Brooklyn Bridge (c. 1900) | |
      | |
| Location | Bounded by Burling (John St.) and Peck Slips, Water St. andEast River inNew York City,United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°42′22″N74°0′12″W / 40.70611°N 74.00333°W /40.70611; -74.00333 |
| Area | 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) |
| Architect | multiple |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000883[1] |
South Street Seaport Historic District | |
| Location | Roughly bounded by East River, Brooklyn Bridge, Fletcher Alley, and Pearl and South Streets,Manhattan,New York City,United States |
| Area | 41 acres (17 ha) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival,Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 78001884[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 12, 1978 |
| Added to NRHP | October 18, 1972 |
TheSouth Street Seaport is a historic area in theNew York Cityborough ofManhattan, centered whereFulton Street meets theEast River, within theFinancial District ofLower Manhattan. The Seaport is adesignated historic district. It is part ofManhattan Community Board 1 inLower Manhattan, and is next to the East River to the southeast and theTwo Bridges neighborhood to the northeast.
The district features some of the oldest buildings in Lower Manhattan, and includes the largest concentration of restored early 19th-century commercial buildings in the city. This includes renovated original mercantile buildings, renovated sailing ships, the formerFulton Fish Market, and modern tourist malls featuring food, shopping, and nightlife.
The first pier in the area appeared in 1625, when theDutch West India Company founded an outpost there.[2] With the influx of the first settlers, the area was quickly developed. One of the first and busiest streets in the area was today'sPearl Street, so named for a variety of coastal pearl shells.[3] Due to its location, Pearl Street quickly gained popularity among traders.[4][5] The East River was eventually narrowed. By the second half of the 17th century, the pier was extended to Water Street, then toFront Street, and by the beginning of the 19th century, toSouth Street.[2] The pier was well reputed, as it was protected from the westerly winds and ice of theHudson River.[3]
In 1728, theSchermerhorn Family established trade with the city ofCharleston, South Carolina. Subsequently,rice andindigo came from Charleston.[6] At the time, the port was also the focal point of delivery of goods fromEngland. In 1776, during theAmerican Revolutionary War, the British occupied the port, adversely affecting port trade for eight years. In 1783, many traders returned to England, and most port enterprises collapsed.[2] The port quickly recovered from the post-war crisis. From 1797 until the middle of 19th century, New York had the country's largest system of maritime trade.[2] From 1815 to 1860 the port was called the Port of New York.
On February 22, 1784, theEmpress of China sailed from the port toGuangzhou and returned toPhiladelphia on May 15, 1785,[7] bringing along, in its cargo,green andblack teas,porcelain, and other goods.[8] This operation marked the beginning of trade relations between the newly formed United States and theQing Empire.[9]
On January 5, 1818, the 424-ton transatlantic packetJames Monroe sailed fromLiverpool, opening the first regular trans-Atlantic voyage route, the Black Ball Line.[10] Shipping on this route continued until 1878.[11] Commercially successful transatlantic traffic has led to the creation of many competing companies, including theRed Star Line in 1822.[12][13] Transportation significantly contributed to the establishment New York as one of the centers of world trade.[2]
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One of the largest companies in the South Street Seaport area was theFulton Fish Market, opened in 1822. The Tin Building opened within the market in 1907; it is one of two remaining structures from the market and the only one that is officially designated as a landmark.[14] In 2005, the market moved toHunts Point, Bronx.[15][16]
In November 1825, theErie Canal, located upstate, was opened.[17] The canal, connecting New York to thewestern United States, facilitated the economic development of the city.[18][19] However, for this reason, along with the beginning of the shipping era, there was a need to lengthen the piers and deepen the port.[20]
On the night of December 17, 1835, a large fire in New York City destroyed 17 blocks,[21] and many buildings in the South Street Seaport burned to the ground. Nevertheless, by the 1840s, the port recovered, and by 1850, it reached its heyday:[2]
Looking east, was seen in the distance on the long river front fromCoenties Slip to Catharine Street [sic], innumerable masts of the many Californian clippers and London and Liverpool packets, with their long bowsprits extending way over South Street, reaching nearly to the opposite side.[22]
At its peak, the port hosted many commercial enterprises, institutions, ship-chandlers, workshops, boarding houses, saloons, and brothels. However, by the 1880s, the port began to be depleted of resources, space for the development of these businesses was diminishing, and the port became too shallow for newer ships. By the 1930s, most of the piers no longer functioned, and cargo ships docked mainly on ports on theWest Side and inHoboken.[3] By the late 1950s, the oldWard Line docks, comprising Piers 15, 16, and part of 17, were mostly vacant.[citation needed]
TheSouth Street Seaport Museum was founded in 1967 by Peter and Norma Stanford. When originally opened as a museum, the focus of the Seaport Museum conservation was to be an educational historic site, with shops mostly operating as reproductions of working environments found during the Seaport's heyday.
In 1982, redevelopment began to turn the museum into a greatertourist attraction via development of modern shopping areas. According toKenneth Schuman, New York City Commissioner for Economic Development, “It would allow New Yorkers to rediscover the long-obliterated, but historic, link between the city and its waterfront.”[23] The project was undertaken by the prominent developerJames Rouse, and was modeled on the concept of a "festival marketplace," a leading revitalization strategy throughout the 1970s.[24] On the other side of Fulton Street from Schermerhorn Row, the main Fulton Fish Market building, which had become a large plain garage-type structure, was rebuilt as an upscaleshopping mall. Pier 17's and Pier 18's old platforms were demolished and a new glass shopping pavilion raised in its combined place, which opened in August 1984.
In 1982, the Museum acquired a collection of 285 Van Rypership models and archival materials fromCharles King Van Riper's son, Anthony K. Van Riper. The collection comprised models crafted between approximately 1938 and 1950, known as "pattern models." The archival materials encompassed research content about steamships, photographs, deck plans, postcards, and advertising brochures from steamship companies.[25]
The original intent of the Seaport development was the preservation of the block of buildings known asSchermerhorn Row on the southwest side of Fulton Street, which were threatened with neglect or future development, at a time when the history of New York City's sailing ship industry was not valued, except by someantiquarians. Early historic preservation efforts focused on these buildings and the acquisition of several sailing ships. Almost all buildings and the entire Seaport neighborhood are meant to transport the visitor back in time to New York's mid-19th century, to demonstrate what life in the commercial maritime trade was like. Docked at the Seaport are a few historical sailing vessels, including theWavertree. A section of nearby Fulton Street is preserved as cobblestone and lined with shops, bars, and restaurants. TheBridge Cafe, which claims to be "The Oldest Drinking Establishment in New York" is in a building that formerly housed a brothel.
In late October 2012,Hurricane Sandy heavily damaged the Seaport. Tidal floods of up to 7 feet (2.1 m) deep inundated much of the Seaport, causing extensive damage that forced an end to plans to merge the Seaport Museum with theMuseum of the City of New York.[26] Many of the businesses closed, and the remaining businesses suffered from a severe drop in business after the storm.[27] The South Street Seaport Museum re-opened in December 2012.The Howard Hughes Corporation, announced that it would tear down the Seaport's most prominent shopping area, Pier 17, as part of a broader redevelopment of the neighborhood. The new pier contains restaurants on its ground floor, and the Rooftop at Pier 17, an outdoor concert venue five-stories above the East River.[28][29] It reopened in July 2018.[30][31] Subsequently, the Tin Building was raised and relocated 32 feet (9.8 m) east in a project that started in 2018, with an expected completion date of 2021.[14] In addition, Marvel Architects andBeyer Blinder Belle redesigned the A. A. Thomson & Co. Warehouse at 213–215 Water Street, renovating it into the South Street Seaport Museum in 2025.[32]
Pier 17, the Fulton Market Building, the Tin Building, and many other commercial spaces at the seaport are currently owned and managed bySeaport Entertainment Group.[33] Formerly, they were owned byGeneral Growth Properties, which acquired Pier 17's longtime owner,The Rouse Company, in 2004.[34] The Seaport was included in the 2010 spinoff of theHoward Hughes Corporation from General Growth, and then in the 2024 spinoff of Seaport Entertainment from Howard Hughes.[35][36] In January 2025, over 100 workers were terminated after a surprise check of identity and employment authorization just before the new year.[37]
Peck Slip, which occupies the area between present-day Water and South streets, served as an active docking place for boats until 1810, and even served as a temporary hideout for George Washington and his troops in April 1776 when they fled from theBattle of Long Island. Then, in 1838, the first steam-powered vessel to make a transatlantic voyage, theS.S. Great Western, docked in Peck’s Slip to the cheers of a quickly growing crowd of onlookers.[38] Today, the median of the street serves as an open space for the community with Brooklyn Bridge views, often displaying public art installations and gatherings, such as fairs and concerts.[39] Peck Slip is also home to the neighborhood's K-5 elementary school The Peck Slip School, P.S. 343.[40] In 2018, plans were revealed for the redevelopment of the parking lot at250 Water Street, across from the school.[41][42]
Designated by Congress in 1998 as one of several museums which together make up "America's NationalMaritime Museum", South Street Seaport Museum sits in a 12 square-block historic district that is the site of the original port of New York City.[43] The Museum has over 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) of exhibition space and educational facilities. It houses exhibition galleries, a working 19th-century print shop, an archeology museum, a maritime library, a craft center, a marine life conservation lab, and the largest privately owned fleet of historic ships in the country.
The museum has five vessels docked permanently or semi-permanently, four of which have formal historical status.
| Name | Year of launch | Type | Description | Picture | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Lightship LV-87 | 1908 | Lightship | LV-87 is a lightship 135 feet (41 m) long and 29 feet (8.8 m) wide, built inCamden, New Jersey, in 1907. It was stationed at the entrance toAmbrose Channel and became the third lightship there since 1854. In 1932 the ship was replaced by the newLV-111 ship and moved to the Scotland Station. LV-87 was retired in 1966 and sent to the South Street Seaport in 1968. In 1989 it gainedNational Historic Landmark status. |  | [44][45][46][47][48][49][50] |
| Lettie G. Howard | 1893 | Schooner | The fishing schooner was launched inEssex, Massachusetts. The vessel is 125 feet (38 m) long overall and 21 feet (6.4 m) wide. The schooner was used for fishing mostly off the coast ofYucatan. In 1989 it was given National Historic Landmark status. |  | [51][52][53][54] |
| Pioneer | 1885 | Schooner | The schooner was launched inMarcus Hook, Pennsylvania. Initially, it was rigged as asloop, but in 1895 it was rerigged as a schooner. The vessel is 102 feet (31 m) long. Its hull was originallywrought iron but was rebuilt in steel in the 1960s. It was used for transportation of various goods: sand, wood, stone, bricks and oyster shells. Now it is used for educational tours ofNew York Harbor. |  | [55][56] |
| W. O. Decker | 1930 | Tugboat | The 52 foot (16 m) steam tug was built inLong Island City,Queens and first named Russell I. Subsequently, the engine was replaced by a 175 horsepower (130 kW)diesel engine. In 1986 the boat was transferred to the South Street Seaport museum. In 1996 it was entered in theNational Register of Historic Places. |  | [57][58][59] |
| Wavertree | 1885 | Freighter | The ship was launched inSouthampton. It is 325 feet (99 m) long including spars and 263 feet (80 m) on deck. The ship is the largest remaining wrought iron vessel. Initially it was used for transportingjute from eastIndia toScotland, and then was involved in thetramp trade. In 1947 it was converted into a sandbarge, and in 1968 it was acquired by the South Street Seaport Museum. In 1978 the ship was entered in the National Register of Historic Places. |  | [60][61][62] |
Legend:
ThePioneer andW. O. Decker operate during favorable weather.
Pier 17 was reconstructed in the 2010s and reopened in June 2018.[63] Decks outside on pier 15[64] allow views of the East River,Brooklyn Bridge, andBrooklyn Heights. The Paris Cafe, within the South Street Seaport historic area, is claimed to be one of the oldestbars inNew York City.[65]
Pier 17 consists of different restaurants on its ground floor, and The Rooftop at Pier 17 on the top floor, a 3,500-capacity open-air concert venue that hosts summer concerts between May and October.[66]
At the entrance to the Seaport is theTitanic Memorial lighthouse.[67]
Sports broadcasterESPN opened a radio and television studio at Pier 17 in April 2018, covering 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2).[68]
South Street Seaport is served by theM15 andM15 SBSNew York City Bus routes.[69]
New York Water Taxi directly serves South Street Seaport on Fridays, weekends, and holidays during the summer, while other New York Water Taxi,NYC Ferry, andSeaStreak ferries serve the nearbyferry slip atPier 11/Wall Street daily.[70]
TheFulton Street/Fulton Center station complex (2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, E, J, N, R, W, and Z trains) is the closestNew York City Subway station.[71] A new subway station, provisionally calledSeaport, has been proposed as part of the unfunded Phase 4 of theSecond Avenue Subway. Although this station will be located only 3 blocks from theFulton Street station, there are no plans for a free transfer between them.[72]
![Peck Slip US Post Office, now reused as school[82]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPeck_Slip_PO_jeh.JPG)
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