South Street Seaport

South Street Seaport
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
South Street Seaport, with the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges
Location	South Street at Fulton Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York
NRHP reference No.	72000883
Added to NRHP	October 18, 1972

The South Street Seaport (or South Street Seaport Historic District) is a historical area located in lower Manhattan, New York City. The seaport is situated where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. It features some of the oldest architecture in downtown Manhattan and includes the largest concentration of restored early 19th-century commercial buildings in the city. The seaport also includes mercantile buildings and sailing ships from the early colonial period, as well as retail and commercial sites such as the former Fulton Fish Market and the Pier 17 shopping mall.

South Street Historic District and Extension

The South Street Seaport Historic District Extension consists of the block bounded by Pearl Street, Water Street, Peck Slip and Dover Street. It is an intrinsic part of an historic area that records the growth and evolution of a section of the city from a small cluster of wharves in the mid-18th century to an important part of the leading port of the nation in the mid- 19th century. The South Street Seaport Historic District and its Extension are important reminders of the rise of New York City as an international center of commerce. With one exception, the buildings within the Extension span the 19th century from the early 1820s to the mid-1880s, the period of the area's greatest growth and development. The buildings are straightforward, utilitarian' structures reflecting the original uses of the buildings as warehouses, lofts and commercial storage spaces. The block was included within the boundaries of the South Street Seaport Historic District as heard by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1976 and designated in May, 1977. Subsequent to designation (July, 1977), the boundaries of the Historic District were modified by the Board of Estimate to exclude the block. The South Street Seaport Historic District including this block is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

History

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Early days of shipping and commerce in the seaport area

From the first settlement of Manhattan by the Dutch, the East River shoreline of the island was recognized as the natural mooring site for ships. It was safer to land there than to attempt the more treacherous western shore of the island along the Hudson, and the narrowness of the East River also provided a more sheltered mooring for the small ships of the 17th century. The Dutch also began reshaping the shoreline of the island by means of landfill, a practice continued over the centuries to the present day. Pearl Street marks the original shoreline and its name is derived from the myriad of pearly oyster shells which washed ashore. The intersection of Pearl Street with Dover Street (within the Extension) is the landing site of the first ferry between Manhattan and Brooklyn which was established in 1638. Water Street and Front Street were created by landfill in the 18th century, and South Street was created in 1810. Peck Slip, named for Benjamin Peck, was one of the principal wharves in the city in the late 18th century until it was filled in at the time of the creation of South Street.

The harbor, from its early development, provided an important source of revenue for the city. The shipping trade, both coastal and trans-Atlantic, thrived during the 18th' century. A number of New York merchant families historically connected with the South Street Seaport Historic District and the Extension, such as the Schermerhorns, the Beekmans and the Waltons, accumulated great wealth from the shipping trade. William Walton whose mansion stood on Pearl Street between Peck Slip and Dover Street (on a site within the Historic District Extension) made a fortune from the coastal trade, enjoying an almost exclusive contract with the Spanish in St. Augustine, Florida. The house, erected in 1752, was built of Holland brick with a 50 foot frontage along Pearl Street and stood three stories high with a dormered pitched roof. It was ornamented with brownstone watertables and lintels and the central entrance was crowned by the Walton family crest. Its roof line was enhanced by balustrades and its interior by handsome carved mahogany. At the rear of the property on the East River was the Walton dock. Walton died without issue and left the mansion to his nephew, also named William, who had married Mary DeLancey, a member of one of the most influential families in the colony. The nephew was one of the founders of the Chamber of Commerce and active in a number of pre-Revolutionary activities in the city. It was in this house that the daughter of Governor Clinton married Edmond Charles Genet, known in American history as Citizen Genet, a controversial figure in the early days of the Republic. The house was the first headquarters for the Bank of New York. Later, it was converted for commercial purposes as the nature of the area changed and, for a time before its demolition in 1881, it served as a warehouse and a section of it as a lodging house for immigrants.

Schermerhorn Row; early 19th c. mercantile buildings

During the Revolution, while New York was occupied by the British, the harbor lost most of its domestic trade. After the war, New York's traditional trading links with Britain were cut forcing its merchants to seek new markets. One endeavor was the opening up of trade with the Orient. Another significant factor that added impetus to the rise of the New York port as a leading commercial center was the founding of the "packet lines" in 1813. These square-rigged liners sailed from South Street just below Peck Slip and were the first vessels to establish regular service between New York and Liverpool and other European ports. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 also increased the city's commercial significance by making it the focal point for the export of American agricultural products and for the import of foreign goods to be shipped back along the Canal to the Midwest. In the 1840's, the packet lines were replaced by speedier clipper ships and these, in turn, by steamships, all of which were instrumental in securing New York's position in world trade.

During the 19th century, the port of New York was famous as the center for shipbuilding in this country. The traditional location for this industry was north of the Historic District and Extension and north of the present site of the Brcoklyn Bridge along both ,the Manhattan and Brooklyn shorelines of the East River. New York's shipyards produced America's merchant navy in the 19th century and, as a center for shipbuilding, was rivalled only by the Clyde in Scotland.

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Fulton Fish Market

The buildings in the Historic District and the Extension housed businesses involved in shipping, trade, and related activities. Pearl Street was the center for the dry goods trade, making the area a burgeoning mercantile district with many of the buildings providing storage space for goods in transit. They also provided office space for the commission merchants who served as middle men between the merchants proper and the brokers for trade goods. The area also boasted many hotels, bearding houses, and taverns catering to the businessmen, seaman and immigrants who poured into the area during the mid-19th century.

The 1850s was the decade when the East River port was at its peak as a shipping center. After this period the clipper ships ware eclipsed by the advent of steamships. Their greater size demanded deeper berths and wider maneuvering space which the Hudson provided. The expansion of the railroads and the opening of the Panama Railway reduced demand for seme shipping and with the rapid growth of the city, the commercial canter moved northward. Yet the area continued to serve as an important transportation hub for the city. The Fulton Ferry which connected Fulton Street in Manhattan with Fulton Street in Brooklyn carried millions of commuters each year. Other major ferries and steamers to Connecticut and Massachusetts as well as Eastern Long Island landed at the piers, bringing thousands of travellers to the area. As shipping moved out of the area, businesses catering to the domestic traveller and others related to the seafood industry filled the empty warehouses. The Fulton Market Fishmongers Association, organized in the 1860s, was an important institution in the area. The fish market continues to function today however it has moved to a new location outside of Manhattan in the Bronx.

State and Municipal authorities and the South Street Seaport Museum, founded in 1967, have been highly instrumental in the preservation and rehabilitation of the area. The work of the Rouse organization has stimulated new construction, restoration, and revitalization in the larger area. Today, the South Street Seaport Historic District, with the Extension, is one of the City's major tourist attractions.

Seaport timeline from 1600's to present

• 1675-1676 - The Great Dock built between Whitehall Slip and Coenties Slip. It was the only significant place of dockage for large vessels until 1750.
• 1680's - Wheat and flour shipped to Newfoundland fisheries and West Indies plantations become a staple of New York trade.
• 1713 - Treaty of Utrecht, temporarily suspending European imperial wars, marks the start of major commercial growth for New York.
• 1719 - Gerardus Beekman receives first water lot grant east of Pearl St., between the present Fulton and Beekman streets, on which he builds a public slip. Later Ann, William, and John streets will be named for Beekman’s children.
• 1747-1762 - The number of vessels owned by city residents increases from 99 to 447; number of employed seamen grows from 755 to 3,552.
• 1775-1783 - The American Revolution. New York harbor is occupied by the British for most of the war, making the city a haven for Loyalists. After the war, New York adopts a gradual emancipation law; slavery would finally end in New York in 1827.
• 1789 - Water St. is paved between Coenties and Peck slips.
• 1793 - Peter Schermerhorn consolidates Beekman Slip water lots (later Fulton St. & Schermerhorn Row). First steam-powered boat, invented by John Fitch of Philadelphia, makes 6 knots upstream on the Delaware River. Fitch also demonstrates the boat on Collect Pond in Lower Manhattan.
• 1797 - New York becomes leading American port, surpassing Philadelphia's import and export volume for first time. Front St. is laid out between Beekman Wharf (Fulton St.) and Crane Wharf (Beekman St.).
• 1807 - After a trial on the East River, Robert Fulton's steamboat North River makes its first trip up Hudson to Albany. Fulton creates a prosperous monopoly ferry service and begins to experiment with torpedos, underwater mines, and ironclad boats.
• 1810-1812 - South St. becomes city's waterfront from the Battery to former Beekman Slip; Peter Schermerhorn constructs Schermerhorn Row.
• 1812-1815 - War of 1812. Port participates through privateering and shipbuilding. American seamen pressed into British navy, precipitating American involvement in the war. End of the Napoleonic Wars ushers in new era of profitable and relatively safe trans-Atlantic shipping.
• 1816 - Fulton Street, incorporating the old Partition and Fair Streets, and Beekman Slip, is named for Robert Fulton (d. 1815).
• 1817-1825 - Erie Canal opens in stages starting in 1820, significantly enhancing the port's economy, and reestablishing the link made by native tribes between the harbor and the Great Lakes. Coal begins to arrive in New York on the Erie, the Morris, and the Lehigh canals.
• 1818 - Black Ball Line, first regularly scheduled transatlantic packet, begins New York-to-Liverpool service. Immigration from Europe becomes cheaper thanks to regular shipping schedules.
• 1822 - Fulton Market opens at Pearl St. and Maiden Lane, with its east wing a fish market. Pearl Street becomes the headquarters of merchants shipping goods out to the expanding frontier.
• 1838- First transatlantic steam vessels arrive in New York from Britain.
• 1844-1845 - Clipper Ship era opens. Houqua, the first streamlined ship, is designed for A.A. Low & Bros. The first true extreme clipper, Rainbow, is launched at Smith & Dimon, New York shipyard (1845). Famine in Ireland induces massive migration to the United States, with many of the ships docking in New York. Castle Garden is the main intake point for new arrivals. Irish immigrants, mostly poor and Roman Catholic, face considerable discrimination and prejudice.
• 1849- The A.A. Low building is erected on John St. Low spent his early career in China, choosing and shipping merchandise to New York. He later made his own fortune in trade with China. Discovery of gold in California creates a new lucrative business for clippers, which race around the Horn to San Francisco with settlers and supplies.
• 1851 - Clipper Flying Cloud sails between New York and San Francisco in a record 89 days. Clipper ships were so fast that they could profitably carry ice to China. Owners’ willingness to pay high prices for colorful advertisements spurred great creativity among seaport printers.
• 1862- Ironclad U.S.S. Monitor, built in New York, sails south to engage the Merrimack in Virginia. Sailors on board said they had never heard anything like the din of the guns reverberating within the metal hull. Both ironclads were disabled. The turret of the Monitor, which sank after the battle, was recovered from the water in 2001.
• 1882- Thomas Edison opens world's first central power plant on Pearl Street. South Street becomes first commercial area with electric light, which significantly reduces the risk of fire in the crowded city.
• 1883 - Brooklyn Bridge, under construction since 1870, opens on May 24. Sailors hung the cables of the bridge since they could be counted on to work accurately high above the water.
• 1939- Fulton Ferry Hotel closes its doors. Buildings in Schermerhorn Row abandoned. Nearly fifty million people visit the New York World’s Fair. The Trylon and Perisphere, symbols of the Fair’s vision of progress, were soon melted down to make weapons for World War II.
• 1941-44- U.S. enters World War II and New York becomes nerve center for transatlantic crossings.
• 1952-53- Third Fulton Market building erected. Approximately 430,000 people work in port-related jobs in New York Port.
• 1967- South Street Seaport Museum founded.
• 1976-1978- Rouse Corp. begins South Street redevelopment.
• 1983-1985- Redeveloped Seaport opens with dozens of shops and expanded museum programs.
• 2003- Schermerhorn Row reopens to the public after $20 million renovation project as exhibit galleries for the South Street Seaport Museum.
• 2005 - Fulton Fish Market closes its Lower Manhattan operations and reopens in climate controlled facilities in the Bronx.

Museum

W. O. Decker and Ambrose

The South 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 — 1820 to 1860.

The original intent of the Seaport development was the preservation of the block of buildings known as Schermerhorn Row which were threatened with destruction from neglect or future development, at a time when the history of New York City's sailing ship industry was not valued, except by some antiquarians. Early historic preservation efforts focused on these buildings and the acquisition of several sailing ships. The buildings on Fulton Street were across from the main Fulton Fish Market building, which had become a large plain garage-type structure, and has now been rebuilt as an upscale shopping mall.

In 1982, redevelopment began to turn the museum into a greater tourist attraction via development of modern shopping areas. The pier's old platforms were demolished and a new glass shopping pavilion raised in its place, which opened in August 1983.

Designated by Congress as America’s National Maritime Museum in 1998, South Street Seaport Museum sits in a 12 square-block historic district that is the site of the original port of New York City. The Museum is 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. Included in this fleet are:

• Peking, a 1911, four-masted barque ³
• Wavertree, an 1885, fully-rigged cargo ship ³
• Pioneer, an 1885 schooner ¹ ³
• Lettie G. Howard, an 1893 schooner ¹ ²
• Ambrose, a 1908 lightship ²
• Helen McAllister, a 1900 tugboat
• W.O. Decker, a 1930 tugboat ¹ ³
• Marion M., a 1932 chandlery lighter

¹During favorable weather, these vessels take the public out into New York City’s waterways.

²These vessels have been designated National Historic Landmarks by the National Parks Service.

³These vessels have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Parks Service.

Design and planning

Almost all buildings and the entire Seaport neighborhood are meant to transport the visitor back in time to New York's mid-1800s, to demonstrate what life in the commercial maritime trade was like. Docked at the Seaport are a few historical sailing vessels, including the Flying P-Liner, Peking and museum ships. A section of nearby Fulton Street is preserved as cobblestone and lined with shops, bars, and restaurants. The Seaport itself now operates primarily as a mall and tourism center, built on Pier 17 on the East River. Visitors may choose from among many shops and a food court. Decks outside allow views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn Heights.

The South Street Seaport

Sunset viewed from Pier 17

In pop culture

Christmas celebration

The original Sub Pop version of Nirvana's In Bloom video was filmed here in 1990. The video features Kurt, Krist and Chad clowning around inside the South Street Mall as well as Wall Street. The seaport is also a crucial location in the movie I Am Legend.

See also

• List of maritime museums in the United States
• List of museum ships

External links

• Official Site
• South Street Seaport Museum
• Interactive Map of the Seaport - Seaport Cultural Association
• http://www.albanyny.org/pdfs/p90_100.pdf
• A digital history of South Street Seaport by Fordham University students
• Video profile of the historic Fulton Ferry Hotel at South Street Seaport