East 20s Waterfront, 1930
From the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, the waterfront
in Rose Hill and Kips Bay was lined with piers that served the numerous factories
and plants located in this area. Passenger ferries also departed from terminals
at East 23rd and 34th Streets for Brooklyn and Queens. The appearance of the
waterfront was significantly altered by construction of the East River Drive
(now FDR Drive) in the 1940s, which necessitated the demolition of many of the
piers along the East River.
