The west side of Manhattan is lined with parks and a running and cycling path that is used for recreation. It’s one of my favorite places to run in fact. But the West Side Greenway has a few ghosts… reminders of a different time.

*Pier 59 looking south (where Chelsea Piers is today). Also of note, the old West Side Elevated Highway or Miller Highway that has since been demolished. - Photo: NYPL Digital Archives*

Unrecognizable today, the west side of Manhattan was lined north to south with massive piers, home to a prosperous shipping industry. In 1912 the Titanic (a White Star Line ship) was making its fateful course toward New York City from England and was set to dock at Pier 59. After hitting the infamous iceberg and sinking, the 706 survivors were rescued by the RMS Carpathia, which was a Cunard Line ship. Therefore, the Carpathia docked at Pier 54 instead of Pier 59 where thousands of people gathered for its arrival and news of loved ones.

*The RMS Carpathia docked at Pier 54 unloading the survivors of the RMS Titanic in 1912. - Photo: NYPL Digital Archives*

*Pier 54 - Photo: NYPL Digital Archives*

Three years later Pier 54 was home to another maritime disaster. The RMS Lusitania set off for England on May 1st, 1915 and was torpedoed and sank 11 miles off the southern coast of Ireland by a German U-boat. This incident would help push the US into World War I.

*Passengers boarding the Lusitania at Pier 54 in 1915. - Photo: Getty Images*

Today, Pier 54 is home to one of New York City’s newest parks, Little Island. It was created after Hurricane Sandy as a revitalization of Piers 54 and 55, which were deteriorating. You may not have noticed it, but the entrance to the Cunard Lines shipping facility still stands today. Like a window into a different time, it’s a reminder of an industry that used to dominate our New York City waters.

Pier 54

Delmonico’s

The Central Park Casino