A 1781 map, developed during theRevolutionary War, that refers to the "North River or Hudson River", using both names interchangeably
In the early 17th century, the entire watercourse was named the North River (Dutch: Noort Rivier") by theDutch colonial empire; by the early 18th century, the term fell out of general use for most of the river's 300+ mile course.[7] The name remains in limited use among local mariners and others[8][9][10] and on somenautical charts[11] and maps. The term is also used to describe infrastructure on and under the river, including the North River piers,North River Tunnels, andRiverbank State Park.
The origin of the name North River is generally attributed to the Dutch.[12] In describing the major rivers in theNew Netherland colony, they called the present-day Hudson River the "North River", the present-dayConnecticut River the "Fresh River", and theDelaware River the "South River".[13] Another theory is that the North River andEast River were so named for the direction of travel they permitted once having entered theUpper New York Bay.[14]
The river's history is strongly connected to theshipping industry in thePort of New York and New Jersey, which shifted primarily toPort Newark in the mid-20th century due to the construction of theHolland Tunnel and other river crossings and the advent ofcontainerization.[16] Throughout this multi-century history, the name for the lower portion of the river has remained interchangeable with bothNorth River andHudson River used to describe it.
In 1808,U.S. Secretary of the TreasuryAlbert Gallatin issued a report of proposed locations for transportation and communicationinternal improvements of national importance. The North River figured prominently among his proposals as the best route toward western and northern lands; similar routes were chosen for theErie Canal and other early canals built by theNew York state.
Gallatin noted the following in reference to the North andHudson Rivers, writing:[17]
What is called the North River is a narrow and long bay, which in its northwardly course from theharbor of New York breaks through or turns all the mountains, affording a tide navigation for vessels of eighty tons toAlbany andTroy, one hundred and sixty miles aboveNew York. This peculiarity distinguishes the North River from all the other bays and rivers of the United States. The tide in no other ascends higher than the granite ridge or comes within thirty miles of theBlue Ridge or eastern chain of mountains. In the North River it breaks through the Blue Ridge atWest Point and ascends above the eastern termination of theCatskill or great western chain.A few miles above Troy, and the head of the tide, the Hudson from the north and theMohawk from the west unite their waters and form the North River. The Hudson in its course upwards approaches the waters ofLake Champlain, and the Mohawk those ofLake Ontario.
Hagstrom Maps, formerly the leading mapmaker in theNew York metropolitan area and known for occasional quirky and anachronistic names, features, and artifacts on their maps, has labeled all or part of the Hudson adjacent to Manhattan as "North River" on several of its products. For instance, on a 1997 HagstromMap of Manhattan, the stretch of river betweenHudson County, New Jersey, andLower Manhattan, roughly corresponding to the location of the North River piers, was labeled "North River", with the label "Hudson River" used aboveMidtown Manhattan.
On a 2000 map of "Northern Approaches to New York City" included in Hagstrom'sNew York [State] Road Map, the entire river adjacent toManhattan was labeled "Hudson River (North River)" with the river further north atTappan Zee labeled the "Hudson River".
Piers along the Hudson shore of Manhattan were formerly used for shipping and berthing ocean-going ships.[23] In shipping notices, they were designated as, for example, "Pier 14, North River". As with the river, the name "North River piers" has largely been supplanted by "Hudson River piers", or just by a pier and number, e.g., "Pier 54". Pier 40 is located at Houston Street, and the numbering of the piers to the north correspond to the nearest numbered street plus 40 – thus, for example, North River Pier 86 is at West 46th Street.
Most of the piers that once existed in lower Manhattan fell into disuse or were destroyed in the later half of the 20th century. The remaining piers arePier A atthe Battery and piers ranging from Pier 25 atNorth Moore Street to Pier 99 at59th Street. Many of these piers and the waterfront between them are part of theHudson River Park which stretches from59th Street tothe Battery. The park, a joint project betweenNew York City andNew York State commenced in 1998, consists of several non-contiguous parcels of land and piers totaling 125 acres (0.51 km2), plus another 400 acres (1.6 km2) of the river itself.[24] Several piers were rebuilt for adaptive re-use as part of the park project, with approximately 70% of the planned work complete by 2011.[25]
Pier A is a designated national and New York City landmark. The building on the pier dates to 1886, and was used by the city's Department of Docks, Harbor Police, and was later afireboat station. The pier was closed and renovated from 1992 to November 2014, after which it reopened as a restaurant.[26]
Pier 25 is a sports and docking facility at the foot ofNorth Moore Street with a mini golf course.[27]
Pier 26 was rebuilt over 2008–2009 and is home to a new park designed byOLIN andRafael Viñoly and opened in September 2020, featuring a sports court and an engineered wetland.[28]
Pier 34, at Canal Street, contains a ventilation shaft for theHolland Tunnel.[29]
The term "Christopher Street Pier" usually refers specifically to Pier 45 opposite West 10th Street inGreenwich Village. However, it refers to three other piers as well, between Piers 42–51.[35] Pier 51 houses a water-themed playground, part of Hudson River Park.[36]
Piers 52 and 53, also known as Gansevoort Peninsula, were formerly aNew York City Department of Sanitation facility used for shipping trash out of Manhattan.[37] They are being converted into a public park, expected to be complete in 2023.[38][39] Also at the end of Pier 53 is theFDNY's Marine 1fireboat facility, occupying a new building completed in 2011.[40][41]
Pier 54 and Pier 55, part of Hudson River Park since its creation in 1998, was closed in 2011 when it was deemed structurally unsound.[42] Plans were unveiled in November 2014 for a new park designed byHeatherwick Studio and costing $130 million.[43] The project was temporarily canceled in 2017 after costs had grown to $250 million,[44] but was later revived as part of an agreement to complete the remainder of Hudson River Park.[45] The new park, dubbed "Little Island," took the place of the now-dismantled Piers 54 and 55, and opened in May 2021.[46][47]
Pier 57, at 15th Street and 11th Avenue, formerly served as a terminal for shipping and storage of cargo for theGrace Line.[48] Between 1969 and 2003, Pier 57 housed theHudson Pier Bus Depot for theNew York City Transit Authority.[49][50] After its abandonment, plans created in 2009 called for an improved pier design for commercial use, initially dubbed the SuperPier by its developer.[51] The renovated pier reopened to the public in April 2022, featuring office space forGoogle,[52] a food hall, and a rooftop park.[53]
Piers 59–62 are used asChelsea Piers, which were originally a passenger ship terminal in the early 1900s that was used by theRMS Lusitania and was the destination of theRMS Titanic.[54] The Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex opened at the site in 1995.[55]
Pier 84 served as a concert venue from the formerSchaefer Music Festival.[66] The pier also houses a water-themed playground within Hudson River Park,[66][67] is a stop forNew York Water Taxi, and has a bicycle rental shop and other businesses serving primarily tourists.[66]
Pier 94 was formerly also part of the Passenger Ship Terminal, and until 2020 housed the "UnConvention Center", the second-largestexhibition hall in New York City.[74][75] It was redeveloped into a film studio that opened in 2026.[76]
Pier 96 is part of Hudson River Park. It is the home of Manhattan Community Boathouse, an all-volunteer non-profit organization that offers free kayaking to the public each summer.[77]
Pier 97 is part of Hudson River Park. It was until 1975 the home of theSwedish American Line passenger ship terminal.[78] The terminal was demolished some time after 1984 and the pier has since been used for various purposes, including many years as a Sanitation Department parking lot and a brief period as a live event venue sponsored byJBL andLive Nation.[79] In November 2019, it was announced that the pier would be converted into a park, with construction expected to start in September 2020.[80] As of September 2020, the pier is now expected to reopen in March 2024.[81]
Pier 98 is used for Con Edison employee car parking, a training facility and delivery by barge and storage of fuel oil.[82]
Pier I and most of Riverside Park South were originally part of the abandoned Penn Central railyard between 59th and 72nd Streets. These lettered piers were built at a 55-degree angle to the shore to facilitate the transfer of rail cars from their tracks to a waiting barge. Pier I is the only remaining rail pier.[83] The69th Street Transfer Bridge of theNew York Central Railroad is still extant and has been listed on theNational Register of Historic Places since 2003.[84]
The last crossing to be built was the south tube of the Lincoln Tunnel in 1957, but in 1962, another deck was added to the George Washington Bridge.[87] Since 2003, various proposals have been made to add a new train line. This includes an extension of the completed7 Subway Extension, the canceledAccess to the Region's Core, and the ongoingGateway Program.
^McCarten, John (July 4, 1959)."Harbor Display".The New Yorker. RetrievedJanuary 27, 2011.
^Steinhauer, Jennifer."F.Y.I",The New York Times, May 15, 1994. Accessed January 17, 2008. "The North River was the colonial name for the entire Hudson River, just as the Delaware was known as the South River. These names went out of use sometime early in the century, said Norman Brouwer, a historian at the South Street Seaport Museum."
^Roberts, Sam."Brooklyn Murders, Depression Love, a Glamorous Librarian",The New York Times, June 24, 2007. Accessed January 6, 2008. "You may even be directed to the sewage treatment plant in West Harlem, practically the last vestige of the name that, legend has it, the Dutch bestowed on the tidal estuary navigated by Henry Hudson to distinguish it from the South River, now known as the Delaware."
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