 Federal building at 201 Varick Street, home of theEnvironmental Measurements Laboratory and Village Station post office | |
 | |
| Location | Manhattan, New York City, United States |
|---|---|
| North end | Seventh Avenue |
| South end | West Broadway |
Varick Street runs north–south primarily in theHudson Square district ofLower Manhattan inNew York City, New York. Varick Street's northern terminus is in theWest Village, where it is a continuation ofSeventh Avenue South south of Clarkson Street. It continues downtown throughHudson Square andTriBeCa until it reachesLeonard Street, where it merges withWest Broadway. Motor traffic is one-way southbound. Major east–west streets crossed includeHouston Street andCanal Street. ApproachingBroome Street, the two rightmost lanes of Varick Street are reserved for traffic entering theHolland Tunnel, where backups often occur at rush hour.
Varick Street is named forRichard Varick, an earlyNew York lawmaker and themayor of New York City from 1789 to 1801, who owned property in the area.[1]
In 1853,Heinrich Englehard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway)[2] founded the first AmericanSteinway & Sons factory in a loft at the back of 85 Varick Street.[3]
Varick Street was widened during the southward extension ofSeventh Avenue in 1917. A number of old buildings were torn down during the widening project, includingSt. John's Chapel, which facilitated construction of theNew York City Subway'sIRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and opened up a new vehicular route betweenMidtown and lower Manhattan.[4]
The downtownM20 bus route runs the entire length of Varick Street (uptown buses useHudson Street). Additionally, the crosstownM21 bus intersects Varick Street atHouston Street in the westbound direction and atSpring Street in the eastbound direction. TheHouston Street,Canal Street, andFranklin Street subway stations on the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line (1 and 2 trains) are located under Varick Street.
Notes
An extension of Seventh Avenue leading south from Clarkson Street, Varick Street got its name from Richard Varick, who served as the mayor of the city from 1791 to 1801.
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