By the end of the 19th century, the Chelsea waterfront emerged as a center of economic growth with the development of Chelsea Piers for transatlantic travel and shipping. During this period, the Gansevoort area was the site of a bustling market, and the Gansevoort Piers was the place where Herman Melville worked for many years as a customs agent.

Chelsea’s history is tied to some of the most fascinating moments in our country’s maritime past. In 1912, The Titanic was scheduled to arrive at Pier 54, but, as we all know, its maiden voyage ended when it hit an iceberg and sunk, killing the majority of the passengers on board. Instead, the Carpathia, the Cunard liner, arrived at the Pier with the Titanic survivors. Pier 54 is also the spot where, in 1916, the Lusitania departed on its final voyage before being torpedoed by a German U-Boat.