Gansevoort Market Historic District

Where the irregular grid pattern of Greenwich Village meets the 1811 Commissioner's Plan street grid, immense open intersections and unique public spaces are created. More than just defining this district as a unique neighborhood, these Belgian-brick-paved streets were the site of early food markets. Known as the meatpacking district, this mixed-use area is architecturally rich, representative of the city's mercantile and working waterfront history.

Just prior to the War of 1812, the only fort ever erected in Greenwich Village was constructed on pilings in the Hudson River and named for Revolutionary War hero Peter Gansevoort. By 1851, landfill had extended the area west, and the district's oldest surviving buildings were constructed. At 3, 5, and 7 Ninth Avenue, three Greek Revival houses stand, built in 1849 by the Estate of John G. Wendel and remaining in the family until 1943.

An open air market was started in 1884 on Gansevoort Street, and three years later the West Washington Street Market opened, spurring the construction of many warehouses and market buildings, with their distinctive metal awnings. In 1890, a subterranean cold-water pipe was installed, providing early refrigeration for meat and poultry in the market buildings. By 1934, an elevated freight railway was completed, facilitating the boom of the industry prior to World War II.

Today, meatpacking companies still operate in the area, making unlikely neighbors to some of New York's most popular boutiques and restaurants. The 1.34-mile-long High Line Park, the abandoned West Side Line elevated railway converted to open public space, runs from Gansevoort Street to West 30th Street. The remarkable park, which opened in June 2009, received over two million visitors in the first year, and has spurred substantial new development in the surrounding area. ©2014