__NOTOC__ Varick Street runs north–south primarily in the

Hudson Square Hudson Square is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by Clarkson Street to the north, Canal Street (Manhattan), Canal Street to the south, Varick Street (Manhattan), Varick Street to the east, and ...

district of

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York. Varick Street's northern terminus is in the

West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The West Village is bounded by the Hudson River to the west and 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to ...

, where it is a continuation of Seventh Avenue South south of Clarkson Street. It continues downtown through

and

TriBeCa Tribeca ( ), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Str ...

until it reaches Leonard Street, where it merges with

West Broadway West Broadway is a north-south street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, separated into two parts by Tribeca Park. The northern part begins at Tribeca Park, near the intersection of Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue), Walker Street ...

. Motor traffic is one-way southbound. Major east–west streets crossed include

Houston Street Houston Street ( ) is a major east–west thoroughfare in Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York. It runs the full width of the island of Manhattan, from FDR Drive along the East River in the east to the West Side Highway along the Hudson ...

and Canal Street. Approaching

Broome Street Broome Street is an east–west street in Lower Manhattan. It runs nearly the full width of Manhattan island, from Hudson Street in the west to Lewis Street in the east, near the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge. The street is interrupted ...

, the two rightmost lanes of Varick Street are reserved for traffic entering the

Holland Tunnel The Holland Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel under the Hudson River that connects Hudson Square and Lower Manhattan in New York City in the east to Jersey City, New Jersey, in the west. The tunnel is operated by the Port Authority of New York an ...

, where backups often occur at rush hour.

History

Varick Street is named for Richard Varick, an early New York lawmaker and the

mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

from 1789 to 1801, who owned property in the area. In 1853, Heinrich Englehard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway) founded the first American Steinway & Sons factory in a loft at the back of 85 Varick Street. Varick Street was widened during the southward extension of Seventh Avenue in 1917. A number of old buildings were torn down during the widening project, including St. John's Chapel, which facilitated construction of the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

's IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and opened up a new vehicular route between Midtown and lower Manhattan.

Transportation

The downtown M20 bus route runs the entire length of Varick Street (uptown buses use Hudson Street). Additionally, the crosstown M21 bus intersects Varick Street at

in the westbound direction and at Spring Street in the eastbound direction. The

, Canal Street, and Franklin Street subway stations on the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line () are located under Varick Street.

References

Notes

External links

7th Avenue With Varick Street: A New York Songline
– virtual walking tour Streets in Manhattan Hudson Square {{NYC-road-stub