Working Coasts

Wetlands dominated Red Hook's waterfront until the mid-1800s, when commerce in New York City increased dramatically following the completion of the Erie Canal. Congestion and lack of storage at Manhattan ports led to the construction of two harbors in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn - the Atlantic and Erie Basins. The basins, built in 1841 and 1864 respectively, are deep-water "U" shaped ports that serviced large ships year-round. Docks were built surrounding the basins' edges and new warehouses stored raw materials and goods off loaded from ships.

 

Trade flourished and Red Hook became one of the busiest commercial ports in the United States for the next one-hundred years. Ships brought grain and raw materials to the basins from ports on the Great Lakes, Erie Canal and Hudson River for sale domestically and abroad. Manufactured goods and raw materials from European and other American ports made the reverse trip to the Great Lakes. By the 1950s, aging facilities and new hauling technologies devastated the New York City shipping industry and the transport of goods by ship virtually ceased in the Atlantic and Erie Basins in the 1960s.

Today, redevelopment of both Basins is revitalizing Red Hook's maritime economy. The Bargeport, operating out of Erie Basin, is home to more than 200 barges, tugs, ferryboats, water taxis and other working vessels in New York Harbor. The Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal, located in the Atlantic Basin, is the New York port of call for several major cruise lines. The Red Hook Container Terminal, an important freight and cargo transfer facility, also operates out of the Atlantic Basin. In the area surrounding the basins more than 500 manufacturing and industrial businesses complement Red Hook's maritime industries.

Submitted by @lampbane