South Street Seaport - History

History

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.

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. The Museum 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 barque³
• Wavertree, an 1885, fully rigged cargo ship³
• Pioneer, an 1885 schooner¹ ³
• Lettie G. Howard, an 1893 schooner¹ ²
• Ambrose, a 1908 lightship²
• Helen McAllister, a 1900 tugboat
• W.O. Decker, a 1930 tugboat¹ ³
• Marion M., a 1932 chandlery lighter

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

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

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

The original intent of the Seaport development was the preservation of the block of buildings known as Schermerhorn Row on the southwest side of Fulton Street, which were threatened with 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.

Almost all buildings and the entire Seaport neighborhood are meant to transport the visitor back in time to New York's mid-19th century, 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 Bridge Cafe, which claims to be "The Oldest Drinking Establishment in New York" is in a building that formerly housed a brothel.