Get a new look at Hudson River Park’s Pier 97 after $38M revamp
Images: !melk/Hudson River Park Trust
Hudson River Park’s northernmost pier is being transformed from a concrete strip to nearly two acres of green space with an esplanade and other amenities, Curbed NY reports. Renderings from design firm !melk, who is working with the Hudson River Park Trust on the revamp of Pier 97, located off 12th avenue and 57th Street in Hell’s Kitchen, show a verdant respite from the city and din of the nearby West Side Highway. The vision for the new space at the gateway to Hudson River Park will consist of a series of connected spaces with walkways, sculptural canopies and a playground, with an elevated “belvedere” overlooking the river.
Input from local residents provided a directive to design the public space with an integrated approach that was something other than a boxy park with fields and amenities. In the renderings, Pier 97 is seen as a waterfront haven with interconnected walkways, a children’s playscape, a small sports activity field, water play features, and sculptural elements.
Flexible gathering spaces will be located in the center and far west end of the pier, with a variety of seating areas throughout the project site, There will be plantings throughout, with an elevated walkway that takes advantage of the park’s river views.
A sloping lawn will accommodate sunbathers. A Toshiko Mori-designed building just north of the pier will serve as park operations building and offer a food concession and restrooms.
!melk is the same firm that designed the first public park on the Las Vegas strip. Principal Jerry van Eyck told Curbed that for the Pier 97 project, “What we tried to do was bring a sort of romanticism back, all squeezed into the limited real estate that we have.”
Work is expected to begin on the new park by September of 2020. A spring 2022 opening is planned. The Pier 97 revamp is part of a $1 billion upgrade underway at the 4.5-mile Hudson River Park.
[Via Curbed NY]
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Images: !melk/Hudson River Park Trust
