Girl-in-Red-copyright-1973–2007-by-Shelley-Seccombe

The Hudson River Park Trust is hanging a display of historical photos from the 1970s to today that show the transformation of the Westside waterfront over the decades. The images, printed on vinyl, will go up on the chain link fence between piers 25 and 26 at the end of N. Moore on May 29 so consider this a sneak peek.

Copyright-Irene-Liberman-1973

Some background: After the sharp decline in maritime cargo transport in Manhattan in the 1970s and the demise of the ill-fated Westway plan in the 1980s, much of Manhattan’s Hudson River waterfront was largely a derelict landscape of barbed wire, crumbling piers, asphalt parking lots and decaying warehouses. Even so, people were still drawn to the river’s edge.

The show, called “Hudson River Park: Then & Now,” includes some never-before-seen photographs from Tribeca’s own Carl Glassman, the conceptual artist Gordon Matta-Clark, photographers Alvin Baltrop, Shelley Seccombe, Andreas Sterzing, Irene Liberman and Darleen Rubin.

Icarus-by-Paolo-Buggiani-in-the-Great-Hall-1983-©-Andreas-Sterzing

The-Piers-open-window-1975–1986-©-2025-The-Alvin-Baltrop-Trust-Artists-Rights-Society-ARS-New-York

Teres-Wydler-Installing-Her-Work-in-the-Great-Hall-1983-©-Andreas-Sterzing

Pier-52-1975–1986-©-2025-Estate-of-Gordon-Matta-Clark-Artists-Rights-Society-ARS-New-York

copyright-1973–2007-by-Shelley-Seccombe