Ferries have transported New Yorkers from Manhattan to Staten Island since the 1700s. These boats were individually or privately owned. After a major accident in 1901, the city acquired the Staten Island Ferry.

Once the city gained ownership of the Staten Island Ferry, they condemned other private ferry companies from using their terminal.

The Whitehall Terminal was nearly identical to the Governor's Island Ferry Terminal (baring the formal name "Battery Maritime Building"), which still survives today. The facade of the original Whitehall Terminal was destroyed by a fire in 1919.

The first new terminal, which opened in 1956, was described by the AIA as "the world's most banal portal to joy," a squat, pale sea-green hulk that is "a blight on the celebration of arrival and departure at a great city."

The Whitehall terminal was renovated again in the late 1990s after another major fire. The new terminal handles around 70,000 passengers on a day to day basis.

The run between Whitehall Terminal and St. George Terminal is approximately 5.2 miles.

Prior to colonization, Lenape Native Americans would traverse this waterway. Once settlers arrived in the 18th century, private individuals sailed "periaugers" across the water for a fee.

The wooden terminal on St. George Landing was designed by Carrere & Hastings, who also designed the main branch of the New York Public Library.

Back on the Manhattan side, let's take a look at Whitehall's twin terminal - the Battery Maritime Building.

The Battery Maritime Building was once the terminus point for ferries traveling to Brooklyn's 39th Street. Today, it's the launching pad of ferries traveling to Governor's Island.

Today, a 25-minute ride gives you views of the Manhattan Shoreline and Statue of Liberty for no cost. What a deal!