The Hoboken Piers

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North German Lloyd Piers, Hoboken, N. J.

"The German liner piers, shared by what were then two of the world's biggest and busiest shippers, the Hamburg-American Line and the North German Lloyd, were built just after the turn of the century. Slender "finger" piers, which extended more than 900 feet out into the Hudson, they were built on the site of the ruins of the previous docks, which were destroyed in the devastating Hoboken Pier Fire of 1900........... After a string of ruinous fires over the years (including 1944), the last of these docks served the American Export Lines until 1970, then collapsed in 1993 and was finally demolished in 1997."

Hoboken History, the Magazine of the Hoboken Historical Museum, issue no. 23, 1999


Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck

North German Lloyd docks.

Post marked 1909


North German Lloyd Docks, Hoboken, N.J.

Post marked 1911


Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck

North German Lloyd Piers, Hoboken, N.J.,

Post marked 1906

View from the river.

The story was told in the Land family that Law Land and his son, Percy, had moved from Detroit, Michigan to Hoboken to rebuild the piers after they had burned. The problem with this story is that the Lands were living in Hoboken by the 1890s and had already moved to Smithtown Long Island by the time the piers burned in 1900. It is almost certain that Law Land returned from Long Island to work on the rebuilding of the piers. It is known that he was in Hoboken in 1901 and 1902. The story also goes that Percy Land met his future wife, Meta Petermann, in Hoboken. By the time the Lands moved to Smithtown in 1900 Percy was only 15 years old. Percy and Meta married in 1908. The rebuilding of the piers was completed just a few years after they burned, probably too soon for Percy to have taken much of a part. However, the train terminal burned in 1905 and was rebuilt by 1907. It is highly likely that Percy met Meta when he returned to Hoboken to work on the rebuilding of the train station. He is known to have been in Hoboken in 1906.

When the new train station was built, the use of wood and other combustible materials was kept to an absolute minimum to prevent a reoccurrence of fire. Most of the construction was metal and cement. Law and Percy were carpenters by trade. Despite the major use of steel and concrete in the reconstruction of both the piers and train terminal there must have been a fair amount of work for carpenters.

In the building of the train station wood was used:

  • As a nailing surface for copper ornamentation under the cornices and gutters.
  • For the bridges in the ferry house
  • For the racks that the ferryboats used for docking
  • For trim and floors in offices. Most of the furniture was made of metal.

Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck

North German Lloyd Piers, Hoboken, N. J.

Post card dated October 26, 1903

This postcard shows both the riverside and (in the insert on the left) the land side of the piers. However, the area in front of the land entrance could not have been as large as it appears on this depiction.


Print collection of Maggie Land Blanck

North German Lloyd new Piers, Hoboken, N. J.

Harper's Weekly - No date


The Hamburg American Docks, Hoboken, N.J.,

Print collection of Maggie Land Blanck

"LOOKING SOUTH FROM STEVENS INSTITUTE, HOBOKEN

The Hamburg-American docks." September 1909 unknown publication.

While it says "Hamburg American" docks I believe that these were the North German Lloyd docks


Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck

Hamburg-American Steamship Line, Docks at Hoboken, N. J.


Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck

Hamburg-American Steamship Company Hoboken, N. J.

Founded 1882

General Office, 37 Broadway, N. Y.


Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck

Hamburg-American Piers, Hoboken, N.J. posted 1910/td>


Docking a Liner, Hoboken, N.J.,

Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck

Post marked 1907

This card shows the block long opening along the water between 4th and 5th Streets. The North German Lloyd Piers are on the right and the Netherland-American Pier is on the left. The buildings in between are various boat clubs and a public bath, but I don't know enough at this stage to say for sure exactly which buildings are which.


Steamship Lines Docking at Hoboken, N. J.

Not posted

Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck


Hoboken Docks, Hoboken, N. J.

Not posted

Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck


New York from Hoboken, N. J.

Not posted

Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck


If you have any suggestions, corrections, information, copies of documents, or photos that you would like to share with this page, please contact me at maggie@maggieblanck.com

Connecting Hoboken Pages

CHURCHES WAYS TO THE HEIGHTS HUDSON STREET
NEWARK STREET OTHER STREETS PARKS
JUNE 30, 1900 FIRE PHOTOS OF THE FIRE THE PIERS
HOBOKEN MAIN PAGE TRAIN STATION STEVENS INSTITUTE
TUNNEL WASHINGTON STREET