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Pier 99: The 59th Street Marine Transfer Station
Pier 99 is home to the 59th Street Marine Transfer Station, a still-operational facility that has been the site of two artist's installations. These photographs illustrate the pier's reconstruction in the 1980s.
Pier 99 (59 Street Marine Transfer Station)
The 59th Street Marine Transfer Station is one of the few of its kind still operational today. While it once had the capacity to hold two barges, one for paper and one for garbage, today it only receives one barge for recyclables.
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Pier 99 (59 Street Marine Transfer Station)
Pier 99 was built in 1901 to receive passenger ships. This may account for its decorated street-facing facade, which alludes to classical Greek architecture. The structure was renovated by the WPA in 1934 and converted to a marine transfer station — tasked with transporting waste — in the 1950s.
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Pier 99 (59 Street Marine Transfer Station)
In the 1980s, the 59th Street Marine Transfer Station was slated for demolition. Artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles staged a multimedia installation titled "Touch Sanitation Show" both on the pier and at Feldman Gallery. It was the culmination of her year-long residency at the Department of Sanitation.
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Pier 99 (59 Street Marine Transfer Station)
After the Transfer Station's reconstruction in the 1990s, artist Stephen Antonakos installed neon lights that trace the outline and windows of the shipping station, which is visible from the Hudson River.
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Pier 99 (59 Street Marine Transfer Station)
Today, the 59th Street Marine Transfer Station is where paper recyclables are transferred to Pratt Industries on Staten Island, to be processed for recycling.
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Pier 99 (59 Street Marine Transfer Station)
The Greek Revival facade of the original station was kept in place for decades to serve as an entrance gate for the facility. It was removed sometime between 2013 and 2016.
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