FISHPORT, Red Hook

A sign pointing to Red Hook’s abandoned Fishport could still be found on Columbia Street near Halleck, at least in 2008. The sign pointed the way to an ambitious fish wholesaling project that never got off the ground in the Erie Basin area. Between 1983 and 1989 the city renovated the boat basin and built refrigeration plants in hopes of providing an addition to the Fulton Fish Market, then located at South and Fulton Street at the Seaport. The project was a flop, as no tenants were signed, as rents were triple what they were at the Fulton market.

The end of Columbia Street today features a few wholesalers, the east end of the massive IKEA parking lot, an impoundment area for the NYPD and a bike path, but the Fishport is a dim memory, except for this sign.

4/10/13