Saint Johns

What if a park became a bustling freight depot? Here at what was once St. John’s Park, that very transformation took place. This now inaccessible area in Tribeca, once known for its elegant townhouses and lush greenery, holds a captivating story of change. St. John’s Park began as part of a plantation, later owned by the English Crown and then Trinity Church. The church envisioned a London-style square, building St. John’s Chapel and townhouses around a private park, New York City’s first such development. By 1827, St. John’s Park became a fashionable address, complete with gaslights, curbstones, and beautiful landscaping. Residents received keys to the gated park, which even featured an ice-skating rink in winter. It was hailed as a spot of “Eden loveliness,” a stark contrast to the busy city surrounding it. However, the arrival of the Hudson River Railroad in 1851 marked the beginning of the end for St. John’s Park’s elegance. Wealthy residents fled uptown, disturbed by the noise and commotion. Townhouses became boarding houses. St. John’s Park itself was sold to Cornelius Vanderbilt’s railroad company in 1866 for a substantial sum. The park’s trees were felled, replaced by the St. John’s Park Freight Depot, a massive red brick structure with Romanesque details and, interestingly, a bronze statue of Vanderbilt himself. This terminal transformed the area. Warehouses, stockyards, and stables sprang up, catering to the flow of goods. While some saw this as progress, others mourned the loss of a peaceful retreat. Even St. John’s Chapel was demolished in 1918. The freight depot, later renamed St. John’s Freight Terminal, served as a crucial transportation hub. It was eventually demolished in 1927 to make way for the Holland Tunnel exits. Today, what remains of St. John’s Park is a teardrop-shaped roadway within the Holland Tunnel Exit Plaza, a reminder of the park’s intriguing journey from a secluded oasis to a vital part of the city’s infrastructure. Though not accessible, its history remains, hidden beneath the constant flow of traffic.