Tag Archives: Staten Island

Old New York In Photos #168 – New York’s Waterfront 1898

New York City Skyline, Waterfront & Staten Island Ferry 1898

From an approaching boat we see a busy waterfront and the budding skyline of lower Manhattan. Our photo comes from the Detroit Publishing Company archive.

The ship the photographer is aboard is pulling in, and the ferry Stapleton is about to head to Staten Island. Other boats with passengers are docked at their moorings.

The most notable building Continue reading

Old New York In Photos #55 – Staten Island Ferry Terminals

Staten Island Ferry And Terminals – 1960

Staten Island Ferry Terminal aerial April 5 1960

This aerial photograph taken April 5, 1960 shows one of the boats of the Staten Island Ferry in motion while the other ferry boat is idle. The Whitehall or South Ferry terminal (originally named the Municipal Ferry Terminal) was built between 1908-1909 by architects Richard A. Walker and Charles Morris. The terminal was stripped to its steel skeleton and reconstructed in 1957.

Original ferry waiting room 1909 Architects' and Builders' Magazine

Original ferry waiting room Architects’ and Builders’ Magazine November 1909

The Staten Island Ferry used this utilitarian structure until September 8, 1991, when a mysterious fire badly damaged the building. An interim terminal was set up in the lower portion of the terminal which operated for many years while plans for a new terminal were bandied about for years. Finally the new Whitehall Terminal was constructed and rededicated in 2005.

The 25 minute crossing to Staten Island offers one of the great bargain viewing sites of the city from the harbor: in essence, a cruise for free.

When the fare was established in 1897 Continue reading