In the early 17th century, the entire watercourse was named the North River (Dutch: Noort Rivier") by the
Dutch colonial empire; by the early 18th century, the term fell out of general use for most of the river's 300+ mile course.[7] The name remains in limited use among local mariners and others[8][9][10] and on some
nautical charts[11] and maps. The term is also used to describe infrastructure on and under the river, including the North River piers,
North River Tunnels, and
Riverbank State Park.
The origin of the name North River is generally attributed to the Dutch.[12] In describing the major rivers in the
New Netherland colony, they called the present-day Hudson River the "North River", the present-day
Connecticut River the "Fresh River", and the
Delaware River the "South River".[13] Another theory is that the North River and
East River were so named for the direction of travel they permitted once having entered the
Upper New York Bay.[14]
The river's history is strongly connected to the
shipping industry in the
Port of New York and New Jersey, which shifted primarily to
Port Newark in the mid-20th century due to the construction of the
Holland Tunnel and other river crossings and the advent of
containerization.[16] Throughout this multi-century history, the name for the lower portion of the river has remained interchangeable with both North River and Hudson River used to describe it.
19th century
In 1808,
U.S. Secretary of the TreasuryAlbert Gallatin issued a report of proposed locations for transportation and communication
internal improvements of national importance. The North River figured prominently among his proposals as the best route toward western and northern lands; similar routes were chosen for the
Erie Canal and other early canals built by the
New York state.
Gallatin noted the following in reference to the North and
Hudson Rivers, writing:[17]
What is called the North River is a narrow and long bay, which in its northwardly course from the
harbor of New York breaks through or turns all the mountains, affording a tide navigation for vessels of eighty tons to
Albany and
Troy, one hundred and sixty miles above
New York. This peculiarity distinguishes the North River from all the other bays and rivers of the United States. The tide in no other ascends higher than the granite ridge or comes within thirty miles of the
Blue Ridge or eastern chain of mountains. In the North River it breaks through the Blue Ridge at
West Point and ascends above the eastern termination of the
Catskill or great western chain.
A few miles above Troy, and the head of the tide, the Hudson from the north and the
Mohawk from the west unite their waters and form the North River. The Hudson in its course upwards approaches the waters of
Lake Champlain, and the Mohawk those of
Lake Ontario.
Hagstrom Maps, formerly the leading mapmaker in the
New York metropolitan area and known for occasional quirky and anachronistic names, features, and artifacts on their maps, has labeled all or part of the Hudson adjacent to Manhattan as "North River" on several of its products. For instance, on a 1997 Hagstrom Map of Manhattan, the stretch of river between
Hudson County, New Jersey, and
Lower Manhattan, roughly corresponding to the location of the North River piers, was labeled "North River", with the label "Hudson River" used above
Midtown Manhattan.
On a 2000 map of "Northern Approaches to New York City" included in Hagstrom's New York [State] Road Map, the entire river adjacent to
Manhattan was labeled "Hudson River (North River)" with the river further north at
Tappan Zee labeled the "Hudson River".
North River piers
Piers along the Hudson shore of Manhattan were formerly used for shipping and berthing ocean-going ships.[23] In shipping notices, they were designated as, for example, "Pier 14, North River". As with the river, the name "North River piers" has largely been supplanted by "Hudson River piers", or just by a pier and number, e.g., "Pier 54". Pier 40 is located at Houston Street, and the numbering of the piers to the north correspond to the nearest numbered street plus 40 – thus, for example, North River Pier 86 is at West 46th Street.
Most of the piers that once existed in lower Manhattan fell into disuse or were destroyed in the last half of the 20th century. The remaining piers are
Pier A at
the Battery and piers ranging from Pier 25 at
North Moore Street to Pier 99 at
59th Street. Many of these piers and the waterfront between them are part of the
Hudson River Park which stretches from
59th Street to
the Battery. The park, a joint project between
New York City and
New York State commenced in 1998, consists of several non-contiguous parcels of land and piers totaling 125 acres (0.51 km2), plus another 400 acres (1.6 km2) of the river itself.[24] Several piers were rebuilt for adaptive re-use as part of the park project, with approximately 70% of the planned work complete by 2011.[25]
Status
Pier A is a designated national and New York City landmark. The building on the pier dates to 1886, and was used by the city's Department of Docks, Harbor Police, and was later a
fireboat station. The pier was closed and renovated from 1992 to November 2014, after which it reopened as a restaurant.[26]
Pier 25 is a sports and docking facility at the foot of
North Moore Street with a mini golf course.[27]
Pier 26 was rebuilt over 2008–2009 and is home to a new park designed by
OLIN and
Rafael Viñoly and opened in September 2020, featuring a sports court and an engineered wetland.[28]
Pier 34, at Canal Street, contains a ventilation shaft for the
Holland Tunnel.[29]
The term "
Christopher Street Pier" usually refers specifically to Pier 45 opposite West 10th Street in
Greenwich Village. However, it refers to three other piers as well, between Piers 42–51.[35] Pier 51 houses a water-themed playground, part of Hudson River Park.[36]
Piers 52 and 53, also known as Gansevoort Peninsula, were formerly a
New York City Department of Sanitation facility used for shipping trash out of Manhattan.[37] They are being converted into a public park, expected to be complete in 2023.[38][39] Also at the end of Pier 53 is the
FDNY's Marine 1
fireboat facility, occupying a new building completed in 2011.[40][41]
Pier 54 and Pier 55, part of Hudson River Park since its creation in 1998, was closed in 2011 when it was deemed structurally unsound.[42] Plans were unveiled in November 2014 for a new park designed by
Heatherwick Studio and costing $130 million.[43] The project was temporarily canceled in 2017 after costs had grown to $250 million,[44] but was later revived as part of an agreement to complete the remainder of Hudson River Park.[45] The new park, dubbed "
Little Island," took the place of the now-dismantled Piers 54 and 55, and opened in May 2021.[46][47]
Pier 57, at 15th Street and 11th Avenue, formerly served as a terminal for shipping and storage of cargo for the
Grace Line.[48] Between 1969 and 2003, Pier 57 housed the
Hudson Pier Bus Depot for the
New York City Transit Authority.[49][50] After its abandonment, plans created in 2009 called for an improved pier design for commercial use, initially dubbed the SuperPier by its developer.[51] The renovated pier reopened to the public in April 2022, featuring office space for
Google,[52] a food hall, and a rooftop park.[53]
Piers 59–62 are used as
Chelsea Piers, which were originally a passenger ship terminal in the early 1900s that was used by the
RMS Lusitania and was the destination of the
RMS Titanic.[54] The Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex opened at the site in 1995.[55]
Pier 66 is part of Hudson River Park, It is located at
26th Street and is used for sailing and paddle sports.[59][60]
Pier 76, formerly the NYPD impound lot, was reopened by the Hudson River Park Trust on June 9, 2021 as a park and cultural space. The $31 million project also includes environmental abatement, repaving, interpretive panels relay the history of the area, including the indigenous Lenape people of Mannahatta and the evolution of the city’s shipping industry. The pier also features a 30-ton propeller from the passenger liner SS United States, which in 1952 set the Atlantic crossing speed record for passenger liners.[61]
Pier 78 is the only Hudson River pier that is privately owned,[62] and is used for sightseeing cruises.[63]
Pier 84 served as a concert venue from the former
Schaefer Music Festival.[66] The pier also houses a water-themed playground within Hudson River Park,[66][67] is a stop for
New York Water Taxi, and has a bicycle rental shop and other businesses serving primarily tourists.[66]
Pier 94 was formerly also part of the Passenger Ship Terminal, and until 2020 housed the "UnConvention Center", the second-largest
exhibition hall in New York City.[74][75] As of 2023, it is slated to be redeveloped into a film studio.[76]
Pier 96 is part of Hudson River Park. It is the home of Manhattan Community Boathouse, an all-volunteer non-profit organization that offers free kayaking to the public each summer.[77]
Pier 97 is part of Hudson River Park. It was until 1975 the home of the
Swedish American Line passenger ship terminal.[78] The terminal was demolished some time after 1984 and the pier has since been used for various purposes, including many years as a Sanitation Department parking lot and a brief period as a live event venue sponsored by
JBL and
Live Nation.[79] In November 2019, it was announced that the pier would be converted into a park, with construction expected to start in September 2020.[80] As of September 2020, the pier is now expected to reopen in March 2024.[81]
Pier 98 is used for Con Edison employee car parking, a training facility and delivery by barge and storage of fuel oil.[82]
Pier I and most of Riverside Park South were originally part of the abandoned Penn Central railyard between 59th and 72nd Streets. These lettered piers were built at a 55-degree angle to the shore to facilitate the transfer of rail cars from their tracks to a waiting barge. Pier I is the only remaining rail pier.[83] The
69th Street Transfer Bridge of the
New York Central Railroad is still extant and has been listed on the
National Register of Historic Places since 2003.[84]
The last crossing to be built was the south tube of the Lincoln Tunnel in 1957, but in 1962, another deck was added to the George Washington Bridge.[87] Since 2003, various proposals have been made to add a new train line. This includes an extension of the completed
7 Subway Extension, the canceled
Access to the Region's Core, and the proposed
Gateway Project.
^McCarten, John (July 4, 1959).
"Harbor Display". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
^Steinhauer, Jennifer.
"F.Y.I",The New York Times, May 15, 1994. Accessed January 17, 2008. "The North River was the colonial name for the entire Hudson River, just as the Delaware was known as the South River. These names went out of use sometime early in the century, said Norman Brouwer, a historian at the South Street Seaport Museum."
^Roberts, Sam.
"Brooklyn Murders, Depression Love, a Glamorous Librarian", The New York Times, June 24, 2007. Accessed January 6, 2008. "You may even be directed to the sewage treatment plant in West Harlem, practically the last vestige of the name that, legend has it, the Dutch bestowed on the tidal estuary navigated by Henry Hudson to distinguish it from the South River, now known as the Delaware."