MBLM Helps Brand New York’s Famed South Street Seaport Historic District

Down by the Brooklyn Bridge is the historic seaport, New York City’s oldest waterfront neighborhood. The city’s playground since the early days, the district’s vibrant streets, restaurants and bars have been famed for their cultural and commercial contributions to the city’s commerce and pulse. Then came October 2012. The district was devastated by Superstorm Sandy and many local businesses lost everything. They stood their ground, and a year later many have reopened, better and stronger than before.

In April 2013, MBLM, an interdisciplinary agency, joined a small business alliance to help spearhead the district’s revival. The 12-block area was at risk of losing not only its vitality and commerce but its identity as well. The image of an authentic and thriving NYC district had been replaced by pictures of devastation and hopelessness.

Over the course of this spring and summer, MBLM worked with the local merchants to create a name and identity for the district: Old Seaport New York. The new name celebrates the essence of what makes the district unique — one of NYC’s most historically preserved neighborhoods, where history playfully coexists with the city’s constantly evolving future.

The identity is at the heart of an activation campaign that juxtaposes the district’s name and messages expressing a mixed range of experiences that make a visit to the Old Seaport always new.

“We have been touched by MBLM’s generosity and thrilled by their work. MBLM really captured the essence of the Old Seaport and married it to where we want to go in the future. With such a cohesive brand strategy, we’re not just bouncing back, we are bounding forward,” says Marco Pasanella, of the newly formed Old Seaport Alliance.