Downtown North
Collection MetadataTitle
Downtown North
Description
Jersey City's role as the region's prime railroad center was vital to the operation of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Goods shipped east by train were transferred to New York and New Jersey piers by lighters and by car floats, introduced in 1866, or else loaded onto some of the few freighters which docked on the New Jersey side of the port. The pictures shown here were taken in 1954, in the waning years of the city's railroad industry. In the 1960s and 1970s, the interstate highway system expanded truck transit and container shipping changes the requirements of port facilities, making the railyards of the Jersey City waterfront obsolete.
By the end of the 20th century, all traces of the railyards that defined the downtown Jersey City waterfront for a century had vanished, save for a couple of piers and the semi-submerged footings of several more. In their place are the modern developments that have redefined the city's "Gold Coast." The Erie and Lackawanna yards, north of the Holland Tunnel have been the last sections to be developed. As of 2020 development at the end of the former Lackawanna Pier is still being designed, amidst some controversy over public vs. private space.
Date
11/16/1954
- Collection: Downtown North
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Lackawanna RR Terminal - Pier 8 as viewed from Water
Margaret Jeffers, Nov. 16, 1954
Lackawanna RR Terminal - Pier 10 as viewed from Water
Margaret Jeffers, Nov. 16, 1954
Lackawanna RR Terminal - View of Piers 8 & 9 as seen from Water
Margaret Jeffers, Nov. 16, 1954
Lackawanna RR Terminal - General view as seen from Water
Margaret Jeffers, Nov. 16, 1954
Erie RR Terminal - 3 Electric Float Bridges as viewed from Water
Margaret Jeffers, Nov. 16, 1954
Erie RR Terminal - Southerly side of Piers as viewed from Water
Margaret Jeffers, Nov. 16, 1954
Erie RR Terminal - Pier 4 as viewed from Water
Margaret Jeffers, Nov. 16, 1954
Erie RR Terminal - Ferry slips as viewed from Water
Margaret Jeffers, Nov. 16, 1954
Erie RR Terminal - General view of Marine repair Yard as seen from Water
Margaret Jeffers, Nov. 16, 1954