South Street Seaport is a historic area of New York City, located where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District.

The Seaport is usually considered a historical district, distinct from the neighboring Financial District. It features some of the oldest architecture in downtown Manhattan. This includes renovated original mercantile buildings from the early 19th century, renovated sailing ships, the former Fulton Fish Market, and modern tourist malls featuring food, shopping and nightlife, with a view of Brooklyn Bridge.

South Street Seaport Museum was founded in 1967 by Peter and Norma Stanford. When originally opened as a museum the focus of the Seaport Museum conservation was to be an educational historic site, with "shops" mostly operating as reproductions of working environments found during the Seaport's heyday - 1820 to 1860.

The oiginal intent of the Seaport development was the preservation of the block of buildings known as Schermerhorn Row which were threatened with destruction from neglect or future development, at a time when the history of New York City's sailing ship industry was not valued, except by some antiquarians. Early historic preservation efforts focused on these buildings and the acquisition of several sailing ships.
The buildings on Fulton Street were across from the main Fulton Fish Market building, which had become a large plain garage-type structure, and has now been rebuilt as an upscale shopping mall.


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