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South Street Seaport Historic District Review

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South Street Seaport Historic District

Address: South Street Seaport, Lower Manhattan, New York, NY, 10038 | Map It
Phone: 212/732-7678 events and shopping information
www.southstreetseaport.com

Category: Neighborhoods/Streets
Location: Lower Manhattan

Write a review | Avg. member rating: 2.6/5

Fodor's Review:

Had this charming cobblestone corner of the city not been declared a historic district in 1977, we have no doubt you'd be glancing indifferently at yet more hyperdeveloped skyscrapers in this spot rather than at the city's largest concentration of early-19th-century commercial buildings. If you've been to either Boston's Quincy Market or Baltimore's Harborplace, you may feel a flash of déjà vu—the same company leased, restored, and adapted the existing buildings, preserving the commercial feel of centuries past. The result blends a quasi-authentic historic district with a homogenous shopping mall.

At the intersection of Fulton and Water streets, the gateway to the seaport, is the Titanic Memorial, a small white lighthouse that commemorates the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. Beyond the lighthouse, Fulton Street turns into a busy pedestrian mall. On the south side of Fulton is the seaport's architectural centerpiece, Schermerhorn Row, a redbrick terrace of Georgian- and Federal-style warehouses and countinghouses built from 1811 to 1812. Some upper floors house gallery space, and the ground floors are occupied by upscale shops, bars, and restaurants.

Also at 12 Fulton Street is the main lobby of the South Street Seaport Museum (212/748-8600. www.southstseaport.org. Apr.-Oct., Tues.-Sun. 10-6; Nov.-Mar., Fri.-Mon. 10-5), which hosts walking tours, hands-on exhibits, and fantastic creative programs for children, all with a nautical theme. You can purchase tickets ($10) at either 12 Fulton Street or Pier 16 Visitors Center.

Cross South Street, once known as the Street of Ships, under an elevated stretch of the FDR Drive to Pier 16, where historic ships are docked, including the Pioneer, a 102-foot schooner built in 1885; the Peking, the second-largest sailing bark in existence; the iron-hulled Wavertree; and the lightship Ambrose. The Pier 16 ticket booth provides information and sells tickets to the museum, ships, tours, and exhibits. Pier 16 is the departure point for various seasonal cruises.

To the north is Pier 17, a multilevel dockside shopping mall with national chain retailers such as Express and Victoria's Secret, among others. Weathered-wood decks at the rear of the pier make a splendid spot from which to sit and contemplate the river, with views as far north as Midtown Manhattan and as far south as the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

Cost: $5 to ships, galleries, walking tours, Maritime Crafts Center, films, and other seaport events
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, J, M, Z to Fulton St./Broadway Nassau

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Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by bachslunch from US on 12/14/08
This attraction consists of several redeveloped old commercial buildings, a few historic ships, and a small museum with whaling artifacts and such. It has become a very touristy milieu, with bad, overpriced restaurants and a shopping mall complex at Pier 17, though there is a pleasant enough view across the river here. Not a must-see and overpriced for what you get, but pretty good if you like ships and don't mind shopping malls. Don't even consider seeing the ships if it has rained, as they close these up at the least sign of dampness and keep them closed until they're sure of being dry, which can take several hours.