(NEW YORK, NEW YORK)—The Hudson River Park project, which began in the late 90s, is entering its final stage with the long-awaited development of Pier 97, CurbedNYreports. Design firm !melk will spearhead the project.
“We wanted to give the pier a significant identity because it’s kind of like the gateway to Hudson River Park. What we tried to do was bring a sort of romanticism back, all squeezed into the limited real estate that we have,” said Jerry van Eyck, principal at Melk, in a statement to Curbed.
Pier 97 is the Northernmost pier on Hudson River Park, which the West Side of Manhattan from Tribeca up to West 59thStreet. Once a part of Manhattan’s slaughterhouse district, the area was slated to be the site of a new and improved highway until environment concerns prompted the city to nix the proposal. The stretch between Battery Park and 59thStreet languished for almost a decade until Mario Cuomo, then-governor of New York State, and David Denkins, then-Mayor of New York City, announced a plan for what would become the Hudson River Park. The first stage of the park, Chelsea Piers, opened in 1995.
The renderings for Pier 97 show plans for playscapes, a sports field for kids (the pier is too narrow for a full-sized field), a lawn and seating areas. There will also be an elevated walkway to enjoy the view. The Pier will add diversity to the mini-cosmopolis: other piers feature offices, restaurants, and even a beach. The anticipated completion date for Pier 97 is spring 2022.
