View source for Varick Street

{{Short description|Street in Manhattan, New York}}
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{{Infobox street
| name                    = Varick Street
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| image                   = Village Sta USPS 10014 at 201 Varick jeh.jpg
| caption                 = Federal building at 201 Varick Street, home of the [[Environmental Measurements Laboratory]] and Village Station post office
| image_map               = {{maplink-road}}
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| location                = [[Manhattan]], New York City, United States
| client                  = 
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| coordinates             = 
| direction_a             = North
| terminus_a              = [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue]]
| direction_b             = South
| terminus_b              = [[West Broadway]]
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}}

'''Varick Street''' runs north–south primarily in the [[Hudson Square]] district of [[Lower Manhattan]] in [[New York City]], United States. Varick Street's northern terminus is in the [[West Village, Manhattan|West Village]], where it is a continuation of [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue South]] south of Clarkson Street. It continues downtown through [[Hudson Square]] and [[TriBeCa]] until it reaches [[Leonard Street (Manhattan)|Leonard Street]], where it merges with [[West Broadway (Manhattan)|West Broadway]]. Motor traffic is one-way southbound. Major east–west streets crossed include [[Houston Street (Manhattan)|Houston Street]] and [[Canal Street (Manhattan)|Canal Street]]. Approaching [[Broome Street (Manhattan)|Broome Street]], the two rightmost lanes of Varick Street are reserved for traffic entering the [[Holland Tunnel]], where backups often occur at rush hour.

== History ==
Varick Street is named for [[Richard Varick]], an early [[New York (state)|New York]] lawmaker and the [[mayor of New York City]] from 1789 to 1801, who owned property in the area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/downtown_street_names_and_44900.aspx |title=Downtown Street Names and the Stories They Tell |work=Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center |date=December 27, 2004 |quote=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. |access-date=August 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313050623/http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/downtown_street_names_and_44900.aspx |archive-date=March 13, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In 1853, [[Henry E. Steinway|Heinrich Englehard Steinweg]] (later known as Henry E. Steinway)<ref name="German New York City">{{cite book |first=Richard |last=Panchyk |title=German New York City |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7385-5680-2 |page=50}}</ref> founded the first American [[Steinway & Sons]] factory in a loft at the back of 85 Varick Street.<ref>{{cite book|author=Goldenberg, Susan |year=1996|title= Steinway: From glory to controversy; the family, the business, the piano|location= Oakville, Ontario|publisher= Mosaic Press|page= 20| ISBN =978-0-88962-607-2}}</ref>

Varick Street was widened during the southward extension of [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue]] in 1917. A number of old buildings were torn down during the widening project, including [[St. John's Chapel (New York City)|St. John's Chapel]], which facilitated construction of the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line]] and opened up a new vehicular route between [[Midtown Manhattan|Midtown]] and lower Manhattan.<ref>{{cite news |title=Seventh Avenue Extension Will Create Great Business Revival in Old Greenwich |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D06EFDB163CE633A25757C2A96F9C946096D6CF |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 24, 1911 |page=X9 |access-date=May 29, 2010}}</ref>

==Transportation==
The downtown [[M20 (New York City bus)|M20]] bus route runs the entire length of Varick Street (uptown buses use [[Hudson Street (Manhattan)|Hudson Street]]). Additionally, the crosstown [[M21 (New York City bus)|M21 bus]] intersects Varick Street at [[Houston Street (Manhattan)|Houston Street]] in the westbound direction and at [[Spring Street (Manhattan)|Spring Street]] in the eastbound direction. The [[Houston Street (IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line)|Houston Street]], [[Canal Street (IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line)|Canal Street]], and [[Franklin Street (IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line)|Franklin Street]] subway stations on the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line ({{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh south local}}) are located under Varick Street.

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.nysonglines.com/7av.htm 7th Avenue With Varick Street: A New York Songline] – virtual walking tour

{{Streets of Manhattan|
West = [[West Side Highway]] |
East = Essex Street/Rutgers Street |
state=expanded
}}

[[Category:Streets in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Hudson Square]]


{{NYC-road-stub}}