south street seaport neighborhood south street seaport real estate development downtown nyc
South Street Seaport Neighborhood & Real Estate Development
An Historical Site and Shopping, Dining & Tourist Destination in NYC
January 28, 2016 / Tribeca Neighborhood & Downtown NYC / Manhattan History / Manhattan Buzz NYC.
I have visited the South Street Seaport several times over the past year and I have found it to have enough of the blend of old and new to merit several or more visits. In this report I will take you on a brief tour of the South Street Seaport to show you what you can find along the East River, looking up at the Brooklyn Bridge from the southern downtown neighborhood in Manhattan.
South Street Seaport Neighborhood
Many subway lines traverse the downtown area, so it’s not hard to get to from most other parts of Manhattan. And many subway lines from the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn traverse or terminate in lower Manhattan, where the South Street Seaport is located.
The South Street Seaport neighborhood has a number of dimensions to it. To be sure it’s a tourist destination as one can sit along the East River wining or dining while looking out at the Brooklyn Bridge. There are plenty of shops and restaurants in the neighborhood, so it’s not hard to find ways to feed or amuse oneself.
A new real estate development of the South Street Seaport is currently in process. The planning for it was decided upon in 2013 and it is expected to be completed in 2017. The renovation is expected to free up the East River waterfront to more pedestrian activity.
Click here to read about the history of the South Street Seaport neighborhood & real estate development.
South Street Seaport
An Historical Site and Shopping, Dining & Tourist Destination in NYC
January 28, 2016 / Tribeca Neighborhood & Downtown NYC / Manhattan History / Manhattan Buzz NYC. Continued.
South Street Seaport Museum & NYC Seaport History
There’s a museum [South Street Seaport Museum] dedicated to what was once one of New York City’s thriving industries – shipping. Cornelius Vanderbilt made his fortune first in the shipping business and then in trains. And New York State Governor DeWitt Clinton was credited with having the foresight to build the Erie Canal [1817 – 1821], which enhanced and sealed New York City’s position as the premier shipping destination.
The Erie Canal enabled natural resources from all along the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes to be relatively quickly and inexpensively be shipped to New York and then onto destinations around the world. And the converse was true, because the Erie Canal also enabled Midwesterners to access foreign made goods from around the world by way of the Erie Canal and New York City.
The museum is the South Street Seaport Museum, which is open from 11 am to 5 pm at 12 Fulton Street. They offer historic ship tours for $6 per adult and free to children under 12. The museum has a collection of about 30,000 items including prints, drawings, photographs, manuscripts, folk art, paintings, ship models and other items from around the neighborhood. It’s well worth a visit or two.
South Street Seaport - Titanic Memorial
There’s a landmark, the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse, commemorating the brave crewmen and passengers who heroically gave their seats in the lifeboats to women and children when the Titanic hit an iceberg on April 14, 1912 and then proceeded to sink on April 15, 1912. The company running the ship didn’t have enough lifeboats for the 2,200 people on board so only 700 women and children survived. Heirs to the Astor, Guggenheim and Straus fortunes died on the Titanic.
And there are the ships. Along the East River there are also numerous ships. As mentioned above, you can arrange to tour some of them through the South Street Seaport Museum. The South Street Seaport Museum occupies a building that was once one of the primary edifices of the Fulton Street Fish market, which is 2005 moved up to Hunts Point in the Bronx.
South Street Seaport Neighborhood & East River Real Estate Development
I have heard that the plans to erect a large, skyscraping hotel in place of the old Fulton Fish Market have gone back to the drawing boards due to community opposition. And it’s worth mentioning that a couple years ago there was an effort to preserve the old Fulton Fish Market building, which failed because the building didn’t meet the criteria set by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The South Street Seaport also hosts a number of festivals and events which pretty much run through most of the year. There was a holiday market, complete with tented shops, Christmas carolers and a very large Christmas tree. Earlier in the Fall there was the Taste of the Seaport, which was an event showcasing the restaurants in the South Street Seaport neighborhood. They also do film events, food events and street fairs during the course of the year.
South Street Seaport Neighborhood NYC - Manhattan Related Info
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