Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Explore This 1930s Boat-Turned-Art Gallery On The Hudson River
By
Scott Lynch
Published May 21, 2015
Modified May 21, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Scott Lynch / Gothamist
View all 35
By
Scott Lynch
Published May 21, 2015
Modified May 21, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The last remaining steam-powered lighthouse tender in the country is currently berthed (and slowly being restored) at Pier 25 in Tribeca. Her name is Lilac, she was built in 1933, and you can clamber around her steampunky chambers as much as you want, all summer long.
There's art, too! For the second straight season the Lilac functions as a gallery as well, with more than a dozen site-specific pieces throughout the vessel, from the deck to the galleys to the dank depths of her rusty heart. And this isn't the the first time the Lilac was used for cultural purposes; last year it was a floating library, and in 2009 the phenomenal site-specific play The Confidence Man was performed throughout the vessel.
(Scott Lynch/Gothamist)
The art's pretty cool—Jackie Mock's cleverly humorous conceptual stuff, Rhys Hecox's video down in the hold, and Lavinia Roberts's Mad Max-esque masks were the standouts for me—but the real attraction here is Lilac herself.
A lighthouse tender was responsible for resupplying and repairing lighthouses and buoys, and Lilac did her job in these waters for nearly 40 years before being decommissioned in 1972. That was also the last time her steam engines were fired up, and by none other than
Pratt Institute's Chief Engineer Conrad Milster, who knows a thing or two about steam power. As does the Liliac's amiable engine-room docent Gerry Weinstein, who will be happy to give you a tour of the area when you visit.
(Scott Lynch/Gothamist)
And visit you should! Boarding the Lilac, poking around, checking out the art, relaxing on the deck... it's all completely free, though donations are graciously accepted for the long-term restoration of the vessel.
The Lilac is berthed at Pier 25 in Hudson River Park, across West Street from North Moore Street. The Liliac is open starting May 23 and running through October on Thursdays from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sunday from 2:00 until 7:00, weather permitting.
Tagged
boat
hudson river
lighthouse tender
Lilac
original
Scott Lynch
Photojournalist, food writer, preschool receptionist. Love NYC.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .