South Street Seaport

The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, centered where Fulton Street meets the East River, within the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The Seaport is a designated historic district. It is part of Manhattan Community Board 1 and is next to the East River to the southeast and the Two 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 former Fulton Fish Market, and modern tourist malls featuring food, shopping, and nightlife.

History

Early history

17th and 18th centuries

The first pier in the area appeared in 1625, when the Dutch West India Company founded an outpost there.<ref name="report ">Template:Cite web</ref> With the influx of the first settlers, the area was quickly developed. One of the first and busiest streets in the area was today's Pearl Street, so named for a variety of coastal pearl shells.<ref name=encnyc>Template:Cite encnyc, pp. 1214–1215</ref> Due to its location, Pearl Street quickly gained popularity among traders.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The East River was eventually narrowed. By the second half of the 17th century, the pier was extended to Water Street, then to Front Street, and by the beginning of the 19th century, to South Street.<ref name = "report" /> The pier was well reputed, as it was protected from the westerly winds and ice of the Hudson River.<ref name=encnyc/><ref name=nrhpdoc>Template:Cite report (Template:NationalArchivesNote)</ref>

In 1728, the Schermerhorn family established trade with the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Subsequently, rice and indigo came from Charleston.<ref>Kroessler 2002, pp. 36–37</ref> At the time, the port was also the focal point of delivery of goods from England. In 1776, during the American 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.<ref name = "report" /> 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.<ref name = "report" /> From 1815 to 1860 the port was called the Port of New York.

On February 22, 1784, the Empress of China sailed from the port to Guangzhou and returned to Philadelphia on May 15, 1785,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> bringing along, in its cargo, green and black teas, porcelain, and other goods.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> This operation marked the beginning of trade relations between the newly formed United States and the Qing Empire.<ref>Kroessler 2002, p. 52</ref>

Early and mid-19th century

On January 5, 1818, the 424-ton transatlantic packet James Monroe sailed from Liverpool, opening the first regular trans-Atlantic voyage route, the Black Ball Line.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Shipping on this route continued until 1878.<ref>Kroessler 2002, p. 70</ref> Commercially successful transatlantic traffic has led to the creation of many competing companies, including the Red Star Line in 1822.<ref>McKay 1969, p. 130</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Transportation significantly contributed to the establishment New York as one of the centers of world trade.<ref name = "report" />

The Fish Market during the Great Depression

The port in the late 1970s

One of the largest companies in the South Street Seaport area was the Fulton Fish Market, opened in 1822.<ref name="p1037918067">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Gill 2020">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2005, the market moved to Hunts Point, Bronx.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In November 1825, the Erie Canal, located upstate, was opened.<ref>Kroessler 2002, p. 74</ref> The canal, connecting New York to the western United States, facilitated the economic development of the city.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> However, for this reason, along with the beginning of the shipping era, there was a need to lengthen the piers and deepen the port.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

On the night of December 17, 1835, a large fire in New York City destroyed 17 blocks,<ref>Kroessler 2002, p. 81</ref> 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:<ref name = "report" />

Template:BlockquoteThe first Fulton Market burned down in 1878 and was replaced with a red-brick Victorian building four years later.<ref name="p1037918067" />

Late 19th to mid-20th centuries

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 the West Side and in Hoboken.<ref name="encnyc" /> The second Fulton Market was demolished in 1951 and replaced with a utilitarian building.<ref name="p1037918067" /> By the 1960s, the old Ward Line docks, comprising Piers 15, 16, and part of 17, were mostly vacant.<ref name="Phillips 1967">Template:Cite news</ref>

Late-20th century redevelopment

Creation of Seaport Museum

Part of Schermerhorn Row, early 19th-century mercantile buildings

Peter Stanford and his wife Norma cofounded the Friends of South Street in 1966.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The next year, Peter began advocating for the creation of a museum around South and Fulton streets.<ref name="Phillips 1967" /><ref name="n173066004">Template:Cite news</ref> The museum was tentatively planned to include a rigger docked permanently at Pier 16, as well as a series of buildings in a three-block area around South, Fulton, Front, and Beekman streets. At the time, the New York State Legislature had already passed legislation to permit a museum on Schermerhorn Row, near South and Fulton streets.<ref name="Phillips 1967" /> The newly-formed South Street Seaport Museum met in June 1967 to discuss the plans, which city officials viewed as a long-shot proposal due to the large number of approvals and permits required.<ref name="p915854596">Template:Cite news</ref> The Titanic Memorial, formerly mounted atop the Seamen's Church Institute building near Coenties Slip, was gifted to the museum in 1968,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> though the memorial would not be dedicated for another eight years.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Meanwhile, the museum's supporters bought up property surrounding Schermerhorn Row and the Fulton Fish Market. By 1968, Stanford and his associates had discovered that real-estate developers were buying up some of the property that the museum wanted to acquire, with the intent of demolishing these buildings.<ref name="n173282904">Template:Cite news</ref> The museum also began obtaining vessels with the acquisition of the Lightship Ambrose, the fishing schooner Caviar,<ref name="nyt-1969-01-12">Template:Cite news</ref> and the iron-hulled ship Wavertree.<ref name="nyt-1969-01-12" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The restoration was planned to cost $20 million by 1969, at which point the museum was to cover Template:Convert.<ref name="n173066004" /> by then, the museum owned four ships and had a small exhibit space.<ref name="p915854596" /> Restoration of the first building officially began on May 15, 1969.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the New York City Planning Commission approved the South Street Seaport Museum's plans for the site the same month,<ref name="nyt-1969-05-27">Template:Cite news</ref> the museum's sponsors acquired two blocks of Schermerhorn Row that July.<ref name="nyt-1969-07-04">Template:Cite news</ref> Atlas-McGrath, which had wanted to redevelop Schermerhorn Row, eventually agreed to give the buildings to the museum in exchange for the sites' air rights.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, the museum had to spend millions of dollars in legal fees related to Schermerhorn Row.<ref name="nyt-1998-03-29">Template:Cite news</ref>

By the early 1970s, the Seaport Museum operated an exhibit hall, a bookstore–art gallery, piers 15 and 16, and six ships.<ref name="p366839309" /> The museum regularly hosted cultural events at the seaport,<ref name="nyt-1972-04-17">Template:Cite news</ref> including sea shanty songs<ref name="p366839309" /><ref>See, for example: Template:Cite news</ref> and miniature folk festivals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The museum had a half-million annual visitors, and Friends of the South Street Seaport had grown to include 17,000 members.<ref name="nyt-1972-04-17" /> In March 1972, city mayor John V. Lindsay and state governor Nelson Rockefeller announced that the Seaport would be expanded to Template:Convert as part of the construction of Manhattan Landing, a $1.2 billion development on the East River shoreline.<ref name="nyt-1972-04-132">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n1738754112">Template:Cite news</ref> There were plans for the Seaport to include several additional museums, stores, hotels, and a functional shipyard.<ref name="p366839309">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1972-04-17" /> The City Planning Commission approved Manhattan Landing that May<ref name="nyt-1972-05-18">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> and voted to create a special planning district for the Seaport the next month.<ref name="nyt-1972-06-01">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n173874767">Template:Cite news</ref> Despite the approvals, the Manhattan Landing project had stalled by 1975.<ref name="nyt-1975-04-17">Template:Cite news</ref>

The city acquired four blocks of the Seaport area in July 1973, while the Seaport Museum continued to operate these sites under a leaseback arrangement. This enabled the city to sell the blocks' air rights to the New York Telephone Company, which was erecting a skyscraper nearby.<ref name="nyt-1973-07-30">Template:Cite news</ref> That October, the museum announced that it would renovate three blocks of the Seaport;<ref name="nyt-1973-10-20">Template:Cite news</ref> this was part of a restoration that was planned in advance of the United States Bicentennial.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Stanford left the Seaport Museum in 1976.<ref name="nyt-1998-03-29" /> The museum's leadership, which by then had barely enough money to keep the Seaport buildings in good shape,<ref name="nyt-1981-12-13">Template:Cite news</ref> decided to seek a commercial partner to help them redevelop the South Street Seaport.<ref name="nyt-1998-03-29" /><ref name="n173878737">Template:Cite news</ref> The city government, which had recently recovered from a fiscal crisis, would not be eligible for loans from many banks, requiring the involvement of a private developer.<ref name="n173878737" /> In December 1977, the Seaport Museum and real-estate developer the Rouse Company each agreed to spend $250,000 on a feasibility study for a possible redevelopment of the Seaport area.<ref name="nyt-1978-02-12">Template:Cite news</ref>

1980s commercial redevelopment

Wednesday Night Skate NYC stopping by Pier 16 in front of Wavertree

In September 1979, the Rouse Company, the New York State Urban Development Corporation, the New York City government, and the South Street Seaport Museum tentatively agreed on a plan to redevelop the South Street Seaport.<ref name="nyt-1979-09-28">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p963757731">Template:Cite news</ref> The project was likened to Harborplace in Baltimore and Faneuil Hall in Boston, which Rouse had previously completed.<ref name="p1037918067" /><ref name="nyt-1983-07-15">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n173364764">Template:Cite news</ref> Subsequently, in June 1980, the New York City Board of Estimate gave city officials permission to request a $28 million federal grant for the redevelopment.<ref name="nyt-1980-06-25">Template:Cite news</ref> The Board of Estimate approved the commercial-district plan that November,<ref name="Haberman 1980" /><ref name="n173853890">Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n173853990">Template:Cite news</ref> despite concerns over substantial rent increases and a lack of public access.<ref name="p134532924">Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, it was expected to cost about $203 million<ref name="n173878737" /> or $211 million and create 4,600 jobs.<ref name="n173853890" /><ref name="n173853990" /> Key components of the proposal included a Template:Convert commercial, hotel, and office building,<ref name="n173853890" /> as well as a new Fulton Market building covering Template:Convert.<ref name="p134532924" /> That December the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development approved a $20,45 million grant for the project.<ref name="nyt-1980-12-25">Template:Cite news</ref>

Though some local business owners had concerns that they would be forced out due to rent increases,<ref name="nyt-1981-12-13" /><ref name="n173878737" /> Kenneth Schuman, the New York City Commissioner for Economic Development, said the project "would allow New Yorkers to rediscover the long-obliterated, but historic, link between the city and its waterfront".<ref name="Haberman 1980">Template:Cite news</ref> Developers began converting two buildings in the Seaport district into residential structures in 1981,<ref name="nyt-1984-01-06">Template:Cite news</ref> and the Board of Estimate gave final approval to the project that October.<ref name="nyt-1981-10-23">Template:Cite news</ref> By that year, the Seaport Museum had spent $9 million on ship restoration in the preceding twelve years.<ref name="nyt-1981-10-16">Template:Cite news</ref> Seaport Museum subsidiary South Street Seaport Corporation took a 99-year lease on the site in 1982<ref name="nyt-1985-12-22">Template:Cite news</ref> and became the Fulton Market's landlord.<ref name="nyt-1994-03-27">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p232172071">Template:Cite news</ref> Also in 1982, the museum acquired 285 mid-20th-century Van Ryper ship models and archival materials from Charles King Van Riper's son, Anthony K. Van Riper.<ref name="Museum">Template:Cite web</ref>

The first phase of the South Street Seaport redevelopment was completed on July 28, 1983,<ref name="p1037918067" /><ref name="n173364764" /><ref name="nyt-1983-07-29">Template:Cite news</ref> covering four blocks of the South Street Seaport U.S. historic district.<ref name="nyt-1983-07-15" /><ref name="p294224955">Template:Cite news</ref> This project included construction of the fourth Fulton Market, a three-story building designed by Benjamin Thompson,<ref name="p1037918067" /><ref name="nyt-1983-07-29" /> with about Template:Convert of space.<ref name="p1445557702">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The project also included a renovation of 14 buildings in the South Street Seaport Museum and 12 buildings in Schermerhorn Row.<ref name="nyt-1983-07-15" /> Within a few months of its completion, the first phase of the redevelopment was credited with helping attract commercial activity to the area.<ref name="p533695114">Template:Cite news</ref> The second phase was to include another structure on Pier 17 with Template:Convert.<ref name="p1445557702" /> The Pier 17 mall opened on September 11, 1985;<ref name="p1474445010">Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> the original Pier 17 mall included an office building and a three-story shopping pavilion.<ref name="Tavy w457">Template:Cite web</ref>

Late 1980s and 1990s

After Pier 17 was completed, it initially suffered from low patronage,<ref name="nyt-1985-12-22" /> but it was approaching full occupancy by early 1986.<ref name="p285339839">Template:Cite news</ref> The city government also allocated $500,000 for repairs to Pier 15 to make it suitable for commercial ferry service.<ref name="p219151420">Template:Cite magazine</ref> By the late 1980s, a Gallup poll had found that the South Street Seaport was the tourist attraction that New York City residents favored the most.<ref name="p277995810">Template:Cite news</ref> Nonetheless, visitation continued to be lower than expected, and Rouse Company subsidiary Seaport Marketplace Inc. announced plans in 1988 to rebuild some of the retail space.<ref name="p1445572584">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1989, the New York City government made an agreement with developers Metropolis Group and N. M. Palermo Inc. to redevelop a block on Front Street.<ref name="n173411725">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1989-01-19" /> The Template:Convert project was to include ground-level shops, offices, and apartments.<ref name="nyt-1989-01-19">Template:Cite news</ref> A 4-to-6-story hotel on Front Street was approved later that year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Milstein Properties, which also wanted to develop a high-rise building at 250 Water Street near the Seaport, repeatedly submitted plans for that site in the late 20th century without success.<ref name="nyt-1997-03-23">Template:Cite news</ref>

The Seaport Museum ceded the Fulton Market to the city government in 1993, citing difficulties in collecting rent,<ref name="nyt-1994-03-27" /> and most of the Fulton Market's tenants were forced to leave after their leases expired.<ref name="p219134849">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Tin Building was severely damaged in a 1995 fire.<ref name="Dailey x693">Template:Cite web</ref> The Fulton Market building was almost entirely vacant by the late 1990s.<ref name="nyt-1998-03-29" /><ref name="p219134849" /> At that point, most of the small businesses in Pier 17 had been replaced with chain stores, and there were only a few maritime stores even though the Seaport was required to promote tenants who sold "maritime and sea-related activities and products".<ref name="nyt-1998-03-29" />

21st century

2000s

Following several attempts to redevelop 250 Water Street, Manhattan Community Board 1 voted in favor of rezoning the South Street Seaport in 2002, restricting the area to lower-density development.<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, the South Street Seaport Museum built its first permanent-exhibition space,<ref name="p219128262">Template:Cite magazine</ref> which was part of a $21 million renovation of Schermerhorn Row.<ref name="nyt-2003-07-03">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2004, General Growth Properties Inc. (GGP) acquired the Rouse Company's assets, including the South Street Seaport.<ref name="Dealbook p196">Template:Cite web</ref> The Fulton Fish Market moved from the Seaport to the Bronx in 2005,<ref name="Geller u900">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> at which point the neighborhood was being redeveloped as a residential area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

By 2007, GGP wanted to redevelop South Street Seaport as an upscale shopping area to cater to the growing local population.<ref name="Moin g785">Template:Cite web</ref> GGP proposed a mixed-use tower and a community center on the Fulton Market site, but it withdrew these plans in early 2008 following community objections.<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> In June 2008, GGP proposed replacing the Pier 17 mall with a 42-story tower, several 2-story store buildings, and a 4-to-6-story hotel designed by SHoP Architects.<ref name="Dunlap 2008">Template:Cite news; Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web;</ref><ref name="Murdock s513">Template:Cite web</ref> To make room for the tower, the Tin Building would have been relocated.<ref name="Dunlap 2008" /> This plan also faced opposition from local residents and elected officials,<ref name="Murdock s513" /><ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite web</ref> and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, which had to approve changes to the Tin Building and other landmarked structures on the site, rejected the plans in November.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite web</ref> GGP placed the South Street Seaport for sale in late 2008,<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> although it is unclear whether the company actually intended to sell the complex.<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> GGP filed for bankruptcy in 2009,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Plestis s879">Template:Cite web</ref> and the next year, it agreed to transfer South Street Seaport and other properties to a subsidiary.<ref name="Baltimore Sun y962">Template:Cite web</ref> The Seaport was thus taken over by the Howard Hughes Corporation,<ref name="Baltimore Sun y962" /><ref name="wsj-2016-11-13">Template:Cite news</ref> which paid $305 million to lease the site.<ref name="Geller u900" /> After Howard Hughes took over the Seaport, GGP's original development plans were canceled.<ref name="Plestis s879" />

2010s

The South Street Seaport Museum closed in March 2011,<ref name="Osterhout z537">Template:Cite web</ref> having owed $3 million and being 10 years behind on rent payments.<ref name="Osterhout z537" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation gave the museum $2 million,<ref name="nyt-2012-01-25">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Vartanian q320">Template:Cite web</ref> it reopened in January 2012 following a three-month renovation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) also agreed to operate the Seaport Museum.<ref name="Osterhout z537" /><ref name="nyt-2012-01-25" /> The Howard Hughes Corporation announced plans that August to redevelop Pier 17,<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> and it also exercised an option to redevelop the Tin Building and Fulton Market Building.<ref name="Geiger d842">Template:Cite web</ref> Howard Hughes's Pier 17 redevelopment was part of a broader $785 million plan for the Seaport,<ref name="Kreuzer i716">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="nyt-2017-07-27">Template:Cite news</ref> which was to include seven commercial and entertainment buildings.<ref name="Viladas t792">Template:Cite web</ref> During Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012, many of the businesses closed, and the remaining businesses suffered from a severe drop in business after the storm.<ref name="Fishbein t604">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Evelly 2012">Template:Cite web</ref> The Seaport Museum reopened in December 2012,<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> but the museum's galleries on Fulton Street were forced to close in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The building on Pier 17 was damaged, though the pier itself was found to be in decent condition.<ref name="Evelly 2012" /><ref name="nyt-2012-12-25">Template:Cite news</ref> The plans to merge MCNY and the Seaport Museum were also canceled.<ref name="Pogrebim">Template:Cite news</ref>

The city government approved the redevelopment of Pier 17 in February 2013,<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> and the shopping mall there closed permanently that September;<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite web</ref> reconstruction of Pier 17 began the next month.<ref name="Geiger d842" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That November, SHoP Architects announced plans for a 50-story tower on Pier 17.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite web</ref> The proposed tower was downsized following community opposition,<ref name="Dailey x693" /><ref name="Davidson b150">Template:Cite web</ref> and continued opposition to the tower caused the Seaport's redevelopment to be stalled.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite web</ref> The Federal Emergency Management Agency gave the Seaport $10.4 million in 2015 to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> That December, the Seaport tower was canceled due to continued community opposition.<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> As a result of the development plans, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the Seaport on its 2015 list of America's Most Endangered Places.<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web; Template:Cite news</ref>

The iPic theater opened within the Fulton Building in 2016,<ref name="Kis k939">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Plagianos d695">Template:Cite web</ref> becoming the first long-term tenant to move in after the Seaport's redevelopment.<ref name="nyt-2017-07-27" /> A new four-story structure on Pier 17, designed by SHoP Architects,<ref name="Velasco t174" /> opened in July 2018;<ref name="Ferry 2018">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ABC7 New York 2018">Template:Cite web</ref> the Pier 17 project had cost $425 million.<ref name="nyt-2015-02-17">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Morris o5392">Template:Cite web</ref> At the time, Howard Hughes wanted to redevelop the Seaport into a tourist destination, with attractions such as a food market, movie theater and rooftop concert venue and event space.<ref name="wsj-2016-11-13" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2018, the city government approved the demolition of a vacant Fulton Market building, which had been built in 1939 and was extremely decrepit.<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, the Tin Building was raised and relocated slightly,<ref name="Gill 2020" /><ref name="wsj-2016-11-13" /> and a Template:Convert food hall was built there.<ref name="McCart v682">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Palmieri h726" /> During that decade, Howard Hughes also proposed redeveloping the long-vacant site at 250 Water Street.<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref>

2020s to present

The band Rilo Kiley performs at the Rooftop at Pier 17 in September 2025, with the Empire State Building visible in the background.

The Tin Building's food hall, operated by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, opened in 2022<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> at a total cost of $200 million.<ref name="McCart v682" /> Howard Hughes hired JLL in 2023 to lease out the storefronts that it owned along South Street.<ref name="Palmieri h726" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Howard Hughes proposed transferring the South Street Seaport's operations to a new subsidiary, Seaport Entertainment Group, the same year;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the split was approved in July 2024.<ref name="Seaport Entertainment July 2024">Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> Marvel Architects and Beyer Blinder Belle redesigned the A. A. Thomson & Co. Warehouse at 213–215 Water Street, renovating it for the South Street Seaport Museum in 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By the same year, many of the shops in the Tin Building's food hall had closed;<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> in addition, the 250 Water Street development had been placed on hold.<ref name="Davidson g277">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The surrounding area had also become more residential.<ref name=":0" /> There was a proposal in mid-2025 to add a glass canopy to Pier 17, converting it into a year-round entertainment venue,<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> but plans for the canopy were later canceled.<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref>

Ownership and management

Commercial spaces

Pier 17, the Fulton Market Building, the Tin Building, and many of the other commercial spaces at the seaport are owned and managed by Seaport Entertainment Group as of 2024.<ref name=s1p7>Template:Cite report</ref> Formerly, they were owned by General Growth Properties, which acquired Pier 17's longtime owner, The Rouse Company, in 2004.<ref name=NREI04>Template:Cite news</ref> The Seaport was included in the 2010 spinoff of the Howard Hughes Corporation from General Growth,<ref name="Baltimore Sun y962" /> and then in the 2024 spinoff of Seaport Entertainment from Howard Hughes.<ref name="Seaport Entertainment July 2024" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Museum

The South Street Seaport Museum was formed as a nonprofit organization to redevelop the area,<ref name="nyt-1969-05-27" /> first convening in 1967.<ref name="p915854596" /> Designated by Congress in 1998 as one of several museums which together make up "America's National Maritime 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.<ref>America's National Maritime Museum Designation Act Template:Webarchive, TheOrator.net. Accessed September 18, 2007.</ref> Template:As of, the museum spans across the Schermerhorn Row buildings, several other structures on Fulton Street, the A. A. Thompson Warehouse, and Pier 16.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Museum has over Template:Convert 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.

Ships in the port

The museum has five vessels docked permanently or semi-permanently, four of which have formal historical status. Template:Clear

Name	Year of launch	Type	Description	Picture	Notes
United States Lightship LV-87	1908	Lightship	LV-87 is a lightship Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide, built in Camden, New Jersey, in 1907. It was stationed at the entrance to Ambrose Channel and became the third lightship there since 1854. In 1932 the ship was replaced by the new LV-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 gained National Historic Landmark status.		<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web; Template:Cite book</ref>
Lettie G. Howard	1893	Schooner	The fishing schooner was launched in Essex, Massachusetts. The vessel is Template:Convert long overall and Template:Convert wide. The schooner was used for fishing mostly off the coast of Yucatan. In 1989 it was given National Historic Landmark status.		<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite book; Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref>
Pioneer	1885	Schooner	The schooner was launched in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. Initially, it was rigged as a sloop, but in 1895 it was rerigged as a schooner. The vessel is Template:Convert long. Its hull was originally wrought 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 of New York Harbor.		<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref>
W. O. Decker	1930	Tugboat	The Template:Convert steam tug was built in Long Island City, Queens and first named Russell I. Subsequently, the engine was replaced by a Template:Convert diesel engine. In 1986 the boat was transferred to the South Street Seaport museum. In 1996 it was entered in the National Register of Historic Places.		<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref>
Wavertree	1885	Freighter	The ship was launched in Southampton. It is Template:Convert long including spars and Template:Convert on deck. The ship is the largest remaining wrought iron vessel. Initially it was used for transporting jute from east India to Scotland, and then was involved in the tramp trade. In 1947 it was converted into a sand barge, 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.		<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite book; Template:Cite book</ref>

Legend:

• Template:Color box – Designated National Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places
• Template:Color box – On the National Register of Historic Places

The Pioneer and W. O. Decker operate during favorable weather.

The museum's collection also contained the four-masted barque Peking from 1974 until 2016, when the ship was given to the German Port Museum in Hamburg, Germany.<ref>Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> The sidewheeler Alexander Hamilton was shipped to the Seaport in 1972 for use as a restaurant barge,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> was never used for that purpose and later acquired by a New Jersey organization.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Streets

Since 1972, all vehicles except for emergency vehicles have been banned from six blocks within the Seaport.<ref name="nyt-1972-06-01" />

Peck Slip

PS 343, the Peck Slip School

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 the Battle of Long Island. Then, in 1838, the first steam-powered vessel to make a transatlantic voyage, the S.S.  Great Western, docked in Peck's Slip to the cheers of a quickly growing crowd of onlookers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Peck Slip is also home to the neighborhood's K-5 elementary school The Peck Slip School, P.S. 343,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as a post office.<ref name=nyt-1987-12-20/>

Other structures

Pier 17

Pier 17 was reconstructed in the 2010s and reopened in July 2018.<ref name="Ferry 2018" /><ref name="ABC7 New York 2018" /> The modern-day Pier 17 was designed by SHoP Architects. It is variously described as having Template:Convert<ref name="Viladas t792" /> or Template:Convert,<ref name="Velasco t174">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Palmieri h726">Template:Cite web</ref> spread across four stories.<ref name="nyt-2018-07-19">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Palmieri h726" /> Sports broadcaster ESPN opened a radio and television studio at Pier 17 in April 2018,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> covering Template:Convert.<ref name="Kurz j210">Template:Cite web</ref> Pier 17 also includes different restaurants on its lower stories;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Clark, Roger. "The Rooftop at Pier 17 offers concerts with a view", NY1, June 2, 2023. Accessed January 23, 2024. "The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport in Manhattan, which started welcoming concerts and fans in 2018, offers a view of the city and music.... The rooftop is five stories above the East River, with panoramic views of the river and city landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge."</ref> these eateries are scattered across Template:Convert floor slabs with movable large glass partitions that can be closed during inclement weather.<ref name="Architect f586">Template:Cite web</ref> On the roof is The Rooftop at Pier 17, a 3,500-capacity open-air concert venue that hosts summer concerts between May and October.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The rooftop space, covering Template:Convert, is open throughout the year and is decorated with a large artwork designed by Achim Menges.<ref name="nyt-2017-07-27" /><ref name="Hojnicki e826">Template:Cite web</ref>

Other points of interest

Decks outside on Pier 15<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> allow views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge, and Brooklyn Heights. The Paris Cafe, within the South Street Seaport historic area, is claimed to be one of the oldest bars in New York City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Fulton Building includes the iPic theater, which includes eight auditoriums.<ref name="Kis k939" /><ref name="Plagianos d695" /> Each of the auditoriums has between 43 and 143 seats,<ref name="Plagianos d695" /> including a group of two-person pod seats in each auditorium.<ref name="Kis k939" />

The Titanic memorial

At the entrance to the Seaport is the Titanic Memorial lighthouse.<ref>About the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse, South Street Seaport Museum. Accessed January 24, 2024.</ref>

Transportation

South Street Seaport is served by the Template:NYC bus link New York City Bus routes.<ref>Template:Cite NYC bus map</ref>

A regular ferry service, the Fulton Ferry, ran between Pier 16 and the Fulton Ferry pier in Brooklyn until 1924.<ref name="Cudahy p. 229">Template:Cite book</ref> In 1973, the South Street Seaport Museum proposed operating a ferry service from the seaport to Brooklyn.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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, and SeaStreak ferries serve the nearby ferry slip at Pier 11/Wall Street daily.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Fulton Street/Fulton Center station complex (Template:NYCS trains) is the closest New York City Subway station.<ref>Template:NYCS const</ref> A new subway station, provisionally called Seaport, has been proposed as part of the unfunded Phase 4 of the Second Avenue Subway. Although this station will be located only 3 blocks from the Fulton Street station, there are no plans for a free transfer between them.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Reception and landmark designations

After Pier 17 reopened in 2018, a writer for The Telegraph wrote that the South Street Seaport retained its original charm despite the redevelopment.<ref name="Morris o5392" /> Justin Davidson of Curbed wrote in 2025 that the Seaport was not only vulnerable to economic changes but also "suffers from a chronic sense of not being real", in spite of the various redevelopment proposals throughout the years.<ref name="Davidson g277" />

An 11-block swath of the South Street Seaport is designated as a city historic district.<ref name="Curbed r118">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Carlson p609">Template:Cite web</ref> The original district, bounded by John, Front, Pearl, Dover, and South streets and piers 15 through 17, was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1977;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> however, the landmark designation did not prohibit high-rise buildings from being constructed in the area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Block 106 (between Peck Slip and Water, Dover, and Pearl streets) was initially excluded from the district, as it was set aside for redevelopment;<ref name=nyt-1987-12-20>Template:Cite news</ref> the historic-district designation was expanded to this block in 1989.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> Schermerhorn Row, which is part of the South Street Seaport Historic District, was separately designated as a city landmark in late 1968.<ref name="n173282904" /><ref name="nyt-1968-11-14">Template:Cite news</ref> A larger area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Gallery

• 
  Aerial view
• 
  Fulton Market
• 
  Pier 17
• 
  Corner of Front and Beekman Streets
• 
  Peck Slip US Post Office, now reused as school<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• East River Esplanade
• List of maritime museums in the United States
• List of museum ships

Bibliography

• Template:Cite encnyc
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

Further reading

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

External links

• Seaport District
• South Street Seaport Museum
• The Old Seaport Alliance
• Interactive Map of the Seaport – Seaport Cultural Association
• A digital history of South Street Seaport by Fordham University students
• Video profile of the historic Fulton Ferry Hotel at South Street Seaport
• Image gallery
• Template:HAER