Construction is progressing on Gansevoort Peninsula Park, a new 5.5-acre public recreational space near the West Village on the Hudson River. Designed by James Corner Field Operations, who was commissioned by the Hudson River Park Trust in January 2019, the park is located next to Pier 53 and directly across from the Whitney Museum of American Art, and will most notably contain Manhattan’s first public beach.
Photographs taken from Thomas Heatherwick’s Little Island and from along the Hudson River Park esplanade show construction machinery carefully building up the elevation of Gansevoort Peninsula Park with a substantial amount of dirt and gravel evenly spread across the majority of the site. Once the topography is finished, work will shift to the planting of trees and shrubs, the layout of paths, and the installation of further permanent fixtures. Below are photographs taken throughout this past summer.
Gansevoort Peninsula in early September. Photo by Michael Young
Gansevoort Peninsula Park from Little Island in late July. Photo by Michael Young
Gansevoort Peninsula Park from Little Island in late May. Photo by Michael Young
Gansevoort Peninsula Park from Little Island in late May. Photo by Michael Young
Additional renderings below give us aerial and ground-level perspectives. Large rocks surround the park to mitigate storm surges.
Aerial rendering of Gansevoort Peninsula by James Corner Field Operations
Aerial View of Rendering of Gansevoort Peninsula at Hudson River Park
Rendering of Gansevoort Peninsula’s Upland Beach – James Corner Field Operations
Rendering of Gansevoort Peninsula’s public beach – James Corner Field Operations
Rendering of Gansevoort Peninsula’s public ball field – James Corner Field Operations
Gansevoort Peninsula Park will also feature numerous kayak slips, a green lawn, picnic tables and seating, a soccer field, a salt marsh, a dog run, and walkways around the perimeter of the property. Visitors will get a close view of artist David Hammons’ Day’s End, a skeletal outline of a pier shed built on the former site of Pier 52. Hammons was inspired by artist Gordon Matta-Clarke, who had used the original pier as a medium for his art in the mid-1970s, and has now preserved a part of New York’s waterfront past with this minimalist open-air creation.
“Days End” by David Hammons. Photo by Michael Young
Along Hudson River Park are large rocks delivered on crates that will likely be placed along the southern side of the land.
Gansevoort Peninsula in early September. Photo by Michael Young
These will likely be used for future seating space and a gradually sloped path that leads into the Hudson River, while being distributed around the southern end of Gansevoort Peninsula and around half the columns of the Day’s End sculpture. This can be seen in the aerial rendering below.
Aerial rendering of Gansevoort Peninsula by James Corner Field Operations
Gansevoort Peninsula Park is anticipated to be finished at the end of 2023.
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Much, much better than another Gene Kaufman hotel.
An awesome addition to HRP, but it’s frustrating how much space is dedicated to a single soccer field when it could be a legitimate park. They made the same mistake building the enclosed mixed sports area on Pier 26, which is a large area rarely used. The highest/best use for the public in a large area like that is simple open and shaded space like the meadow at Rockefeller Park or Pier 45, both of which are always packed with people.
Couldn’t they open the sports field as a picnic lawn when nobody’s playing?
On a full ride of renderings, and world views were so completely different. Progress worked during the day, and delivered materials into town of development. Living at home but I can see works at waterfront: Thanks to Michael Young.
Both parks are so close to each other, why not combine them?
“David Hammons’ Day’s End, a skeletal outline of a pier shed”
AKA a laughable piece of junk parading as “art.” It looks like leftover scrap they forgot to tear down, and as such simply blights the location. Who approves of talentless nonsense like this?
Don’t be shy, say what you mean 🙂
All it’s gonna do is cause shadows for the pundits trying to catch some rays.
Honestly, I think it’s a pretty good project, regardless of some of the weird aspects of it.
I had assumed (incorrectly?) that the skeletal pier shed was a framework for netting (mostly below the water level) to keep swimmers inside and boaters and fish out of a swimming area. But I see nothing here or elsewhere that says that.