New York City's piers have served an important role in the city's history. They historically served industrial purposes and as the main reception area for immigrants to the city, but many have been converted into public parks with deindustrialization.[1]

History

New York City's piers and wharves were the most valuable assets of the New York City government in the 1860s,[2] worth almost $15.8 million without any repairs in 1867.[3] Nevertheless, by that time they had been in such a poor state of repair as to drive steamboat companies to other nearby cities such as Hoboken and Jersey City.[4] Money to maintain them was appropriated by the New York State Legislature in 1866, but such money failed to receive the approval of the Governor, leaving no money for such repairs.[5] At the beginning of 1867 $100,000 of rent owed to the city from the piers and other port structures was withheld due to the city's negligence in keeping those structures in good repair.[5] A report ordered by the city government subsequent to such development found that several of the piers owned by the city had been claimed to be under private ownership.[4]

Manhattan's Hudson River waterfront had become deindustrialized and derelict by the 1980s.[6] The Hudson River Park, which would later subsume several of the piers on the Hudson River, was established in 1998.[6]

List of piers

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2020)
Piers of New York City by number, borough, location, opening and closing dates, and notes
Number Borough Location Opened Closed Notes
1 Brooklyn
2 Brooklyn
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park Roller Rink
3 Brooklyn
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park Green Space Plaza
4 Brooklyn
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach and Boathouse
5 Brooklyn
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park Sports fields, Picnicking, & Promenade
6 Brooklyn
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park Liberty Lawn
7 Brooklyn
8 Brooklyn
9 Manhattan Old Slip, south side
  • Dismantled
9A Brooklyn Kane St
9B Brooklyn Degraw St.
10 Brooklyn North edge of Atlantic Basin
11 Brooklyn East edge of Atlantic Basin
11 Manhattan  Wall Street
  • East River Ferry
12 Brooklyn South edge of Atlantic Basin 2006
15 Manhattan South and Fletcher Sts.
16 Manhattan South and Fulton Sts.
17 Manhattan
25 Manhattan West St. and N. Moore St.
26 Manhattan West St. and N. Moore St.
34 Manhattan West St. and Canal Sts. 1927[10]
35 Manhattan South and Jefferson Sts.
36 Manhattan 299 South St.
  • Event Space
40 Manhattan West St. Houston Street
  • Parking garage and sports facility
45 Manhattan West St. and W. 10th St.
46 Manhattan West St. and Charles St.
51 Manhattan West St. and Jane St.
52 Manhattan West St. and Gansevoort St.
53 Manhattan Bloomfield St.
54 Manhattan
55 Manhattan
57 Manhattan West 15th Street 1954[12] 2004
  • Replaced a wooden pier #57 that stood from 1907 to 1947
  • Currently part of the Hudson River Park
59 Manhattan
60 Manhattan West 20th Street
61 Manhattan
A Manhattan 1886
C Brooklyn
D Manhattan West 64th Street 1880s[13] 1971[13]
  • Formerly serving New York Central Railroad[13]
  • Dismantled in 2011[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c Warerkar, Tanay (July 17, 2018). "How NYC's abandoned piers are being transformed into public spaces". Curbed New York. Curbed. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  2. ^ 1868 Report, p. 3
  3. ^ 1868 Report, p. 15
  4. ^ a b 1868 Report, p. 2
  5. ^ a b 1868 Report, p. i
  6. ^ a b "Waterfront Transformation". Hudson River Park. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  7. ^ "Pier 1". Brooklyn Bridge Park. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Brooklyn Port Authority Marine Terminal" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Pier 15, South Street Seaport". NYC Tourism. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Tunneling Into Pier 34's History". Hudson River Park. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  11. ^ Lehrer, Jeremy. "Why You Should Visit Pier 35 on the East River". NYC Tourism.
  12. ^ Doswell, John (September 24, 2003). "Pier 57's construction was an engineering marvel". The Villager. No. 21. Archived from the original on November 29, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c Dunlap, David. "Pier D Stands Out in the West Side's Industrial Past". New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  14. ^ LaFarge, Annik. "Farewell Pier D". LivintheHighLine. Retrieved June 29, 2023.

Works cited



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