Pier 63
Encyclopedia
Pier 63 was the name for a former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
railroad barge
on the Hudson River
in New York City
, on the West Side of the borough
of Manhattan
. It was originally located near 23rd Street
, adjacent to Chelsea Piers
and Hudson River Park
. It had been purchased from a used car salesman in Staten Island
by John Krevey in October 1996 and delivered by a tugboat
.
This barge formerly carried railroad boxcars across the Hudson River
before the advent of containerized freight or tunnels beneath the river. The land side of Pier 63 was formerly used as a freight transfer station for the Baltimore and Ohio railroad where freight was moved from the boxcars on the barges to local conveyance.
In the spring of 2007 the barge was relocated from 23rd Street to Pier 66
a at 26th Street, on the Hudson River, and was renamed Pier 66 Maritime. The barge currently has an Erie Lackawanna caboose on display.
Two historical boats are primarily located here: the lightvessel
FRYING PAN (lightship)
and the fireboat
John J. Harvey. Other historical and traveling ships also visit here, including the Anne, a two-masted schooner captained by the adventurer Reid Stowe
.
Manhattan Kayak Company is also on the pier where there are storage facilities for kayak
s, as well as a dock to launch.
New York Water Taxi
once had a stop on the Pier.
John Krevey, who ran Pier 66 Maritime, died 4 February 2011, at age 62, while on a vacation with his son in Santo Domingo
. Krevey was one of the earliest members of Friends of Hudson River Park
, the civic group advocating for the 5-mile-long waterfront park. He was a member of the Friends’ board of directors until 2010.
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
railroad barge
Car float
A railroad car float or rail barge is an unpowered barge with rail tracks mounted on its deck. It is used to move railroad cars across water obstacles, or to locations they could not otherwise go, and is pushed by a towboat or towed by a tugboat...
on the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, on the West Side of the borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. It was originally located near 23rd Street
23rd Street (Manhattan)
23rd Street is a broad thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is one of few two-way streets in the gridiron of the borough. As with Manhattan's other "crosstown" streets, it is divided at Fifth Avenue, in this case at Madison Square Park, into its east and west sections. Since...
, adjacent to Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers is a series of piers on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City that was a passenger ship terminal in the early 1900s that was used by the RMS Lusitania and was the destination of the RMS Titanic....
and Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park is a waterside park on the Hudson River that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Bicycle and pedestrian paths, including the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, span the park north to south, opening up the waterfront for...
. It had been purchased from a used car salesman in Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
by John Krevey in October 1996 and delivered by a tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
.
This barge formerly carried railroad boxcars across the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
before the advent of containerized freight or tunnels beneath the river. The land side of Pier 63 was formerly used as a freight transfer station for the Baltimore and Ohio railroad where freight was moved from the boxcars on the barges to local conveyance.
In the spring of 2007 the barge was relocated from 23rd Street to Pier 66
Pier 66
North River Pier 66 is a public boat house in Manhattan, New York, USA, located at 26th Street on the Hudson River.New York River Sports, located at Pier 66, comprises Hudson River Community Sailing, NY Kayak Polo, Manhattan Kayak Company and New York Outrigger who all share the facility.- External...
a at 26th Street, on the Hudson River, and was renamed Pier 66 Maritime. The barge currently has an Erie Lackawanna caboose on display.
Two historical boats are primarily located here: the lightvessel
Lightship
Lightship may refer to:* Lightvessel, a permanently moored ship that has light beacons mounted as navigational aids* Light displacement, a displacement figure that measures a ship complete in all respects, but without consumables, stores, cargo, crew, and effects*Lightship, a type of blimp operated...
FRYING PAN (lightship)
Frying Pan (lightship)
Frying Pan is a lightvessel moored at Pier 66a in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It served at Frying Pan Shoals, off Cape Fear in North Carolina, for over 30 years.-Frying Pan Shoals Station:...
and the fireboat
Fireboat
A fireboat is a specialized watercraft and with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment....
John J. Harvey. Other historical and traveling ships also visit here, including the Anne, a two-masted schooner captained by the adventurer Reid Stowe
Reid Stowe
William Reid Stowe is an American artist and mariner. Stowe grew up around sailboats on the East Coast, sailing on the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in his late teens and early 20's. By age 26, he had built two of his own sailboats with the help of his family and friends...
.
Manhattan Kayak Company is also on the pier where there are storage facilities for kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
s, as well as a dock to launch.
New York Water Taxi
New York Water Taxi
New York Water Taxi is a water taxi service based in Red Hook, Brooklyn offering commuter and sightseeing service mainly to points along the East River and Hudson River...
once had a stop on the Pier.
John Krevey, who ran Pier 66 Maritime, died 4 February 2011, at age 62, while on a vacation with his son in Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
. Krevey was one of the earliest members of Friends of Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park is a waterside park on the Hudson River that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Bicycle and pedestrian paths, including the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, span the park north to south, opening up the waterfront for...
, the civic group advocating for the 5-mile-long waterfront park. He was a member of the Friends’ board of directors until 2010.