On February 22, 1784, the Empress of China sailed from the port to Guangzhou and returned to Philadelphia on May 15, 1785,[7] bringing along, in its cargo, green and black teas, porcelain, and other goods.

[8] This operation marked the beginning of trade relations between the newly formed United States and the Qing Empire.

[9] On January 5, 1818, the 424-ton transatlantic packet James Monroe sailed from Liverpool, opening the first regular trans-Atlantic voyage route, the Black Ball Line.

[11] Commercially successful transatlantic traffic has led to the creation of many competing companies, including the Red Star Line in 1822.

[20] On the night of December 17, 1835, a large fire in New York City destroyed 17 blocks,[21] and many buildings in the South Street Seaport burned to the ground.

Nevertheless, by the 1840s, the port recovered, and by 1850, it reached its heyday:[2] Looking east, was seen in the distance on the long river front from Coenties Slip to Catharine Street [sic], innumerable masts of the many Californian clippers and London and Liverpool packets, with their long bowsprits extending way over South Street, reaching nearly to the opposite side.

[22]At its peak, the port hosted many commercial enterprises, institutions, ship-chandlers, workshops, boarding houses, saloons, and brothels.

By the 1930s, most of the piers no longer functioned, and cargo ships docked mainly on ports on the West Side and in Hoboken.

In 1982, redevelopment began to turn the museum into a greater tourist attraction via development of modern shopping areas.

Almost all buildings and the entire Seaport neighborhood are meant to transport the visitor back in time to New York's mid-19th century, to demonstrate what life in the commercial maritime trade was like.

The Howard Hughes Corporation, announced that it would tear down the Seaport's most prominent shopping area, Pier 17, as part of a broader redevelopment of the neighborhood.

[30][31] Subsequently, the Tin Building was raised and relocated 32 feet (9.8 m) east in a project that started in 2018, with an expected completion date of 2021.

Then, in 1838, the first steam-powered vessel to make a transatlantic voyage, the S.S.  Great Western, docked in Peck’s Slip to the cheers of a quickly growing crowd of onlookers.

[37] Today, the median of the street serves as an open space for the community with Brooklyn Bridge views, often displaying public art installations and gatherings, such as fairs and concerts.

It houses exhibition galleries, a working 19th-century print shop, an archeology museum, a maritime library, a craft center, a marine life conservation lab, and the largest privately owned fleet of historic ships in the country.

The Paris Cafe, within the South Street Seaport historic area, is claimed to be one of the oldest bars in New York City.

[66] Sports broadcaster ESPN opened a radio and television studio at Pier 17 in April 2018, covering 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2).