The Bleecker Street Line was a
public transit line in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
,
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 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, running mostly along
Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street is an east–west street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightlife, nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood popular today for music venues and comedy as well as a ...
,
Crosby Street, and
Lafayette Street from the
West 14th Street Ferry in
Chelsea to the
Fulton Ferry in the
Financial District. It was the last
horse car line in New York City, and was not replaced with a
trolley line or
bus route when it was abandoned in 1917.
History
The Bleecker Street and Fulton Ferry Railroad was chartered December 12, 1864 and began operations in April 1865. Eastbound cars ran along
14th Street,
Hudson Street,
Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street is an east–west street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightlife, nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood popular today for music venues and comedy as well as a ...
,
Crosby Street,
Howard Street,
Lafayette Street,
Reade Street,
Centre Street,
Park Row, and
Beekman Street. Westbound cars returned from the ferry on
Fulton Street,
Gold Street, and
Ann Street to Park Row, and also used
MacDougal Street,
8th Street,
Greenwich Avenue, and
12th Street rather than part of Bleecker Street. The
Twenty-Third Street Railway leased the company on January 10, 1876, and was subleased to the
Houston, West Street and Pavonia Ferry Railroad on April 25, 1893 and to the
Metropolitan Street Railway on November 29, 1893.
By 1907, the line had been abandoned east of the crossing of
Broadway, and only ran west to 14th Street; the trackage on 14th Street was used by the
14th Street-Williamsburg Bridge Line. Service was terminated on July 26, 1917.
"New York Loses its Last Horse Car" New York Times; Friday, July 29, 1917. Page 12 (Cable Car Lines in New York and New Jersey)
/ref>
References
{{NYC streetcar transit
Streetcar lines in Manhattan
Horse-drawn railways
Railway lines opened in 1864
Railway lines closed in 1917