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Tribeca’s name is derived from its location, Triangle Below Canal (Street)…now you
know! It’s bounded by Canal Street on the north, Chambers Street on the south, Broadway
on the east and the Hudson River on the west. Situated on the lower West Side of
Manhattan, it’s sandwiched between SoHo and the Financial District.
When one thinks of Tribeca, one thinks of warehouses and well worn loading docks…JFK
Jr. being chased by photographers while attempting to sneak out of his loft…haphazardly
paved streets, trash bag tumbleweeds and little triangle shaped parks. It’s also
home to Robert DeNiro’s many restaurant ventures, a top-rated grade school (PS 234)
and old grocery stores with tall tin ceilings. Actually, some New Yorkers don’t
ever think of Tribeca…they simply don’t know where it is and haven’t been there.
And that’s much of the charm of the place. It’s quiet and unassuming, yet brimming
with creative types and media bigwigs who don’t bang their drums..at least not at
home. It’s the sort place where if you didn’t make a point of going there, you might
never get off at its subway stop or experience it firsthand. The big red tourist
buses and the Hard Rock Café-ers don’t have Greenwich Street or North Moore on their
maps…and that’s exactly why residents like it.
Wandering through the area, it’s hard to believe that Tribeca was once a neighborhood
of elegant homes with a large private park accessible only to the wealthy living
on Hudson Square. Instead, today you’ll find the Holland Tunnel exit encompassed
by cast iron and sandstone industrial facades where the luxurious enclave of St.
John’s Park once stood. Old warehouses, factories and the scarred storefronts that
remain were a part the commercial boom that occurred in Lower Manhattan in the mid-1800s
and continued well into the 20th Century. Situated on both on the Hudson River and
the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad lines, Tribeca became a hub for shipping,
manufacturing and produce.
While residents still might wake to the rumble of an occasional delivery truck,
most manufacturers and warehouse based businesses have left the area for cheaper
spaces outside of the city. With increased demand for residential lofts and its
wealth of vacant industrial space, developers are taking a close look at the neighborhood.
Tribeca’s residents aren’t about to let outsiders run amok here as they did in SoHo,
however. Many residents from “the triangle” remember how SoHo fell victim to the
commercialization and overdevelopment of its community…and want to make sure that
Tribeca doesn’t suffer the same fate. There is a history of outspokenness here:
from demands for increased workplace safety after Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911,
to its inhabitants’ ongoing battle to preserve residential loft laws. While local
opinions can be heard The Tribeca Trib, a neighborhood newspaper, the best source
is from the residents themselves. Walk into any store on one of Tribeca’s side streets
and ask what people think of the latest controversy. You’ll get an earful.
Outdoor enthusiasts who want to get out of the docking bay shadows can wander to
nearby Battery Park City, where they can grab a piece of grass and sit in the sun
or jog along Hudson River Park.
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Metropolis Real Estate of Manhattan | 167 Lexington Avenue, Suite 100 | New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212.696.1900, Fax: 212.696.0220 | Email: info@metropolisre.com
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