Fulton Ferry District
Why it's listed
Fulton Ferry District occupies a point of land on Brooklyn's East River shore, opposite lower Manhattan. It was the core of Brooklyn's early commercial center, tied to a ferry crossing first established in 1642. The district follows lower Fulton Street and Water Street and holds commercial and warehouse buildings dating from 1830 to 1895, mostly brick and two to four stories tall. Notable examples include the 1830s buildings at 85 Water Street and 5-7 Front Street, a row of 1837-1839 buildings on Fulton Street, the 1860-61 Brooklyn City and Newtown Railroad Company Building, an 1869 cast-iron bank facade, the Empire Stores coffee and sugar warehouses designed by Thomas Stone, and the seven-story Eagle Warehouse by Frank Freeman, built in 1893. After the Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, the ferry declined and the waterfront became a warehouse and light industrial area. City plans called for preserving its character and reusing its buildings.
Significance in brief: The district preserves architectural evidence of the commercial waterfront activity that flourished in the 19th century around the Brooklyn-Manhattan ferry, which dates to 1642. It was once the thriving business center of the City of Brooklyn. Its buildings illustrate several 19th century architectural styles used for varied commercial purposes, and it is an unusual survival in intensely redeveloped New York City.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 74001251, listed June 28, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by the East River and Washington, Water, Front, and Doughty Sts., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Brooklyn |
| Listed | June 28, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001251 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 19th Century |
| Architect / builder | Thomas Stone (Empire Stores); Frank Freeman (Eagle Warehouse) |
| Architectural style | Commercial 19th century styles, including cast-iron classical and Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked good; mixed occupied and unoccupied. Some buildings used as warehouses, the Marine Fireboathouse is vacant, and the district is slated for rehabilitation and adaptive re-use. |
| Acreage | 16 |
| Coordinates | 40.70332, -73.99258 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 74001251.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5508430
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.