North River (Hudson River)

North River (Dutch: Noort Rivier) is an alternative name for the southernmost portion of the Hudson River in the vicinity of New York City and northeastern New Jersey in the United States.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

History

Name

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.

• The entire Hudson River
• The approximately 160-mile portion of the Hudson below its confluence with the Mohawk River, which is under tidal influence
• The portion of it running between Manhattan and New Jersey^[15]
• The length flowing between Lower Manhattan and Hudson County, New Jersey.

The river's history is strongly connected to the

In 1808, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Albert 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.

20th century

In 1909, two tunnels were under construction: one was called the North River Tunnels, the other, the Hudson Tubes. That year the Hudson–Fulton Celebration was held, commemorating Henry Hudson, the first European to record navigating the river, and Robert Fulton, the first man to use a paddle steamer in America, named the North River Steamboat, to sail up it, leading to controversy over what the waterway should be called.^[18][19][20]

Much of the shoreline previously used for maritime, rail, and industrial activities has given way to recreational

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's current charts call the lower river the "Hudson",^[21] and the United States Geological Survey lists "North River" as an alternative name of the Hudson River without qualifying it as any particular portion of the river.^[22]

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 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]
• What little remained of Piers 1 through 21 were buried under landfill from the World Trade Center construction project in 1973 and turned into Battery Park City.
• 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]
• playing fields, long-term parking spaces and the Trapeze School of New York on the roof (during the summer).^[33][34]
• 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]
• FDNY's Marine 1 fireboat facility, occupying a new building completed in 2011.^[40][41]
• Little Island," took the place of the now-dismantled Piers 54 and 55, and opened in May 2021.^[46][47]
• 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
  RMS Titanic.^[54] The Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex opened at the site in 1995.^[55]
• railroad barge on the Hudson River to a floating jetty.^[58]
• 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.[61]
• Pier 78 is the only Hudson River pier that is privately owned,^[62] and is used for sightseeing cruises.^[63]
• Pier 79 is the West Midtown Ferry Terminal used by NY Waterway and NYC Ferry. Pier 79 connects to an Art Deco style ventilation shaft for the Lincoln Tunnel.^[64]: 59
• Pier 81 is site of North River Lobster and World Yacht
• Pier 83 is used by Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises.^[65]
• 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 86 at West 46th Street is home to the
  Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum,^[68] the centerpiece of which is the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier that served from World War II to the Vietnam War.^[68][69] This pier once served as the passenger ship terminal for the United States Lines.^[70]
• Piers 88–92 are part of the
  USS Lafayette (formerly SS Normandie) caught fire at Pier 88, remaining capsized there for a year.^[71][72] Pier 92 was subsequently used as an exhibition space, but closed in 2019 after the pier was found to be unsafe.^[73]
• 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 99 houses the West 59th Street Marine Transfer Station, used by the
  New York City Sanitation Department
  .
• 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]

Railroads and ferries

Prior to the opening of the

• Baltimore and Ohio and the Reading Company. The CRRNJ's main ferry ran to pier 11 at Liberty Street. The historic landmark is now a major feature of Liberty State Park and ferry terminal for service to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. The terminal is adjacent to the Big Basin of the Morris Canal (used to ship anthracite from the mines of Pennsylvania
  ) which entered the harbor at the river's mouth.
• Hudson and Manhattan Railroad tube station. The main ferry ran to Cortlandt Street. The district is now sometimes known as "Wall Street West" due to the concentration of financial concerns and skyscrapers located there. Today ferry service travels to Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, Pier 11 at Wall Street, and the West Midtown Ferry Terminal
  .
• Harsimus Cove. The Jersey City Terminal was also used by the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway. It was named after the seventeenth century New Netherland settlement of Pavonia. Ferry service began in the 1840s. The main Pavonia Ferry later ran to Chambers Street and 23rd Street. The Erie's Pavonia trains were moved to Hoboken Terminal between 1956 and 1958, and the ferries and terminal abandoned. The terminal and yards have now been developed into the residential and commercial district of Newport, Jersey City
  .
• Christopher Street and 23rd Street; these ferries operated until 1967. Today NY Waterway ferries travel to the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, Pier 11 at Wall Street and the West Midtown Ferry Terminal
  .
• Weehawken Port Imperial to the West Midtown Ferry Terminal, Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, and Wall Street
  .
• The
  Edgewater Landing to West Midtown Ferry Terminal
  .

Fixed crossings

Crossing	Carries	Location	Coordinates
Downtown Hudson Tubes	PATH	Exchange Place and World Trade Center
Holland Tunnel	I-78 Route 139	Jersey City and Lower Manhattan	40°43′39″N 74°01′16″W / 40.72750°N 74.02111°W / 40.72750; -74.02111
Uptown Hudson Tubes	PATH	Jersey City and Midtown Manhattan
North River Tunnels	New Jersey Transit	Weehawken and Midtown Manhattan	40°45′32″N 74°00′46″W / 40.75889°N 74.01278°W / 40.75889; -74.01278
(part of New York Tunnel Extension between North Bergen and Long Island City)
Lincoln Tunnel	NY 495	Weehawken and Midtown Manhattan	40°45′47″N 74°00′36″W / 40.76306°N 74.01000°W / 40.76306; -74.01000
George Washington Bridge	I-95 US 1 US 9 US 46	Fort Lee and Upper Manhattan	40°51′05″N 73°57′09″W / 40.85139°N 73.95250°W / 40.85139; -73.95250

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.

Gateway Project

.

See also

• List of bridges, tunnels, and cuts in Hudson County, New Jersey
• List of ferries across the Hudson River to New York City
• List of New Jersey rivers
• List of New York rivers
• New York Harbor
• New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary
• Timeline of Jersey City area railroads

References