Summer work on Barry Diller-funded futuristic offshore park complete
Work on the Barry Diller-funded Pier55 park is advancing nicely, even after being slapped with a lawsuit and a stop work order in June. As the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) and Pier55 Inc. announced this afternoon, the first nine piles propping up the 2.7-acre undulating park have been installed. Per the pair’s press release, the milestone marks the completion of summer work and is part of the initial work of the first phase of construction.
“We’re thrilled to be taking the first steps in what will become a transformative public park for the community,” said Celine Armstrong, Pier55’s project manager, in a statement. “We look forward to continuing construction this fall and making Pier55 a reality for all New Yorkers.”
The futuristic park will cost $130 million to construct, and Pier55 Inc., the nonprofit established by billionaire Diller and wife Diane Von Furstenberg, will foot the bill. The organization is also working in partnership with the HRPT on the project.
Pier55 has been designed by Thomas Heatherwick and landscape architect Signe Nielsen and will include walking paths, rolling hills, seating areas, open lawns for recreation, and environmental, arts and educational programming. The park is expected to open in 2019; although the lawsuit against Pier55 Inc. remains open with a court date for appeal scheduled in September.
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This on-going battle with the City Club is a great example of why we can’t have nice things. This project has gone through the multitude of approvals it needs. Further Community Board 2 has approved this project. Why is the City Club now trying to block it? If they cared so much, they would have also attended the community board meetings – but they didn’t. Instead, these are just a bunch of cowardly individuals with too much time and money on their hands who basically want to prevent this project from going forward because of nothing more than sheer jealousy that people richer and more successful than they (Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg) are able to do something FOR the citizens of this city that they aren’t. Perhaps, instead of hiding behind lawsuits, the “City Club” can live up to its name and actually do something FOR the city and donate the money it spends on suing people for a new park – something their opponents have been willing to do!