Construction to Begin on NYC's Floating Public Park

• May 5th 2016

by Nena Perry-Brown

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Remember the floating public park proposed as a transformation of a New York City pier? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has given it final approval, and construction will start this summer.

Pier 55, located on the Hudson River, will be turned into a 2.7-acre public park, a Thomas Heatherwick design roughly 50 yards off the Chelsea shoreline. Visitors will be able to access it using two walkways.

In addition to being heavily landscaped and interspersed with pathways and platforms, the park will also include a 700-seat amphitheatre for live performances and art.

Construction will carry a $130 million price tag, $113 million of which will be footed by media mogul Barry Diller and fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg. The couple is creating Pier55, Inc., a non-profit which will oversee the cultural component of the park.

The floating park is another example of the creative ways that cities are seeking to redevelop obsolete infrastructure into a functional destination for its residents and visitors. New York’s High Line Park is a famous example of the potential of this sort of reimagining, and the District is hoping that its planned 11th Street Bridge Park will accomplish the same.

As UrbanTurf has reported, DC is in the midst of gathering funds to construct the park atop three concrete pillars in the Anacostia River. The OLIN, OMA and Arup design will consist of two “ramps” with performance and park space, including an ampitheater, environmental education center, sculpture garden and boat launch, and has a mid-2019 target completion date.

While the 11th Street Bridge park will be less than an acre in size, it is the first creative reuse of an elevated public space in the city.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/nyc_pier_to_be_repurposed_as_public_park/11194.