In 1906, the City’s main decision-making body, the Board of Estimate, appointed a three-person commission to evaluate the conditions of Jamaica Bay and report on improvements to the Bay and the City’s waterfront. In 1907, the commission issued its report, and in 1909 and 1910 issued updates on the status of the Jamaica Bay estuary. A copy of the combined reports is housed in the Municipal Library, with slight water damage but otherwise in good condition. In addition to the analysis, the reports contain several maps of Jamaica Bay.
Map of Jamaica Bay, Jamaica Bay Improvement Commission. Reports on the General Improvement and Development of Jamaica Bay in the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, 1907-1909. Municipal Library.
The commission reviewed the capacity of the piers for the Port of New York and compared its operations to those of European port cities such as Rotterdam, Bremen, Hamburg and Marseille. The Port of New York received 38 per cent of all foreign shipping to the United States, or 18,942,380 tons in 1905. Nevertheless, the Commission concluded that the operations of Manhattan’s port including docking receiving and transferring goods from the docks to vehicles for delivery was costly and inefficient.
Their recommendation was that Jamaica Bay be developed as a major international shipping port and industrial center. Because much of the Bay was shallow, dredging to accommodate large cargo ships would be required. Additional improvements were required—piers, bulkheads, trainlines to transport cargo to the interior. The costs were to be borne by the City of New York and the federal War Department. New York State hedged its bets—it authorized the conveyance of the land under the Bay after the City had invested $1 million; and the City would need to purchase land for warehouses.
West Portion of Jamaica Bay, New York, Jamaica Bay Improvement Commission. Reports on the General Improvement and Development of Jamaica Bay in the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, 1907-1909. Municipal Library.
Substantial dredging was completed to deepen the channels. A pier was built on Barren Island for the garbage scows to dump street refuse from "the City". Some of that debris along with fill from dredging was deposited in marsh areas to create new land. However, the work was completed in starts and fits and the proposed international port never materialized.
Sketch Showing Main Channel to Jamaica Bay Through Rockaway Inlet in Different Years from 1841 to 1906, Jamaica Bay Improvement Commission. Reports on the General Improvement and Development of Jamaica Bay in the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, 1907-1909. Municipal Library.
In recent years, many of the topographical changes made to the Bay to achieve the dreamed-of Port were reversed. As described in the report Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan Update, 2018, from the Department of Environmental Protection, wetlands have been reclaimed and habitats restored. Today, Jamaica Bay is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area .