New York City's piers were once a hive of activityof the maritime kind. Lining the shores of the Hudson and East Rivers and New York Harbor in endless rows, they jutted out into the water to allow passenger ships, cargo-bearing goliaths, small vessels, and tons of other crafts to come and go, bringing both vital supplies and population-booming immigrants and tourists that keep the city ticking. Sure, there was an element of recreation, but their presence was an economic necessity.

Today, what's left ranges from decayed remnants of stumpy pilings to completely renovated complexesthink Chelsea Piers. Now that the city's business life no longer hinges on all things nautical, the reinvention and revitalization of our waterfront is a key goal for everyone from politicians to urban planners to joggers Kayakers, sunbathers, soccer players, and heliports have in many cases replaced the industrial piers of yore, soon to be joined by renovations-in-progress that promise, among other things, hip eateries (at Pier A) and a shopping mall made of shipping containers (at Pier 57). Don't even get us started on changes coming to the Seaport! Given the parking-lot status of some of southern Brooklyn's former piers, this evolution is another lens through which to track the city's gentrification. So dip into New York's past with these old photos of the city's shoreline mainstays, and what they look like now. And if we've missed any of your favorites, hit up the tipline and let us know.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Piers

Then...

... and Now

Bush Terminal

1917

Today

Canarsie Pier

1958

Today

Chelsea Piers

1918

Today

Coney Island Pier

Way Back When

Today

58th Street Pier in Sunset Park

1937

Today

Pier 5 in Brooklyn

1936

Today

Pier 6 (East River)

1930

Today

Pier A

1900

1936

Today

Future

Sheepshead Bay

1958

2010

South Street Seaport

1920

1935

1938

Today (at least, pre-Sandy)

Future

Piers 95-98

1937

Today (Pier 96, to be precise)

Pier 88

1937

Today

Piers 85 and 86

1930

Today (Pier 86, home of the Intrepid)

Pier 57

1931

Today

Future (made of shipping containers!)

Pier 46

1920

Today

Brooklyn Navy Yard

1945 1959

Today

Brooklyn Heights Esplanade

1961

Today

· Museum of the City of New York Collections [official]

· Brooklyn Visual Heritage [official]

· Flashbacks archive [Curbed]