PIER 55 FLOATS AGAIN

Almost eight months since the scheme was officially abandoned by primary backer Barry Diller, due to soaring costs, work has resumed on the site following negotiations between New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Diller and the civic organisation City Club in October 2017. The scheme’s walkways are back under construction, with concrete piles being laid into the river.

The $170 million Pier 55 was designed by Thomas Heatherwick’s studio to be a lush undulating landscape, raised atop 300 mushroom-shaped concrete columns, placed 57 metres off the Hudson River shoreline. Functioning as both an outdoor performance venue, a marine sanctuary for striped bass, and a guard for the city against storms, the scheme was to feature an 800-seat amphitheatre access via two pathways that connect back to the New York City shoreline.

With preparatory work underway in March 2017, the scheme ran aground following a ruling by a United States District Court judge that the scheme would require an intense wildlife impact review. Primary backer Barry Diller, chairman of IAC/InterActive Corporation, subsequently announced in September 2017 that the scheme was unviable due to a soaring $250 million price tags, and unforeseen environmental concerns. However, as a result of mediations and a $50 million pledge by Governor Cuomo, construction is now underway once again.

Pier 55 is scheduled to open in the fall of 2020.