The demolition of the South Street Seaport Mall at Pier 17 is now fully underway.
On Thursday, attendees of the 2014 Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Conference boarded a Hornblower Cruise boat in the East River and watched as plumes of dust rose from the site, according to Untapped Cities.
On board, speakers discussed the 19th century South Street Seaport Historic District, which Jonathan Boulware, president of the South Street Seaport Museum, described as “truly at one point the front door to the United States of America.”
Currently, the Howard Hughes Corporation hopes to replace the mall with another mixed-use development with two stories of retail and open space on top, a spokesperson told The Real Deal. Just north of that site, a 50-story condominium and hotel tower project is planned. However, neighbors of the South Street Seaport recently voiced their opposition to the development at a Community Board 1 meeting and a task force has been assembled to search for a compromise. [Untapped Cities] — Christopher Cameron