Pier 55 with the Little Island 

Walking path along the riverfront, with the Financial District skyline in the background 

View of the Lower Manhattan skyline from Hudson River Park 

Landscaping along the riverfront 

The walking path along the river, photographed at dusk 

Aerial view of the riverfront 

Public enjoying the view of the Hudson River 

This plan is premised on reclaiming the waterfront for public benefit 

2010 - Hudson River Park: Pier 62 Carousel  Designed by CR Studio Architects, the carousel pavilion on Segment 5, Pier 62 is an architectural component of the landscape design proposal for what will be the largest breadth of park along the Hudson River in Manhattan. Pier 62 holds the southern edge of the segment of the park, which is directly north of Chelsea Piers, and exhibits a fragmented formal language contrasting the pastoral topography of the proposed Lawn Bowl with the curving pathways constructed on Piers 63 and 64. The shed housing the carousel covers an intensified activity area that asserts an identifiable presence and provides a gradation of program from the romantic park setting to the sports recreation spaces of Chelsea Piers. Following the language of fragmented forms proposed by the landscape architects for the south edge of the site, CR Studio architects grafted a faceted thin shed roof over the carousel, unifying it with the shard-like planting forms that co-inhabit the pier. Opening to the north, the concrete shell roof provides cover for the carousel from direct sunlight, creating a darkened space to heighten the drama of the carousel color and lights. The roof orientation also effectively engages the pier, the lawn and the pathways to the north. The wood decking of the pier extends along the ground into the pavilion, up onto the wall and ceiling surface — thus enforcing a material continuity between pavilion and pier. The exposed structure and industrial materials of the concrete roof and the porous grille roll-down enclosures recall the site’s warehouse past and provide a setting for the playful reuse of the water’s edge. This innovative design involved the coordination of the park pier design with the pavilion and integrated a fully solar-powered roof with the potential to power the carousel and feed additional energy back into the NYC grid. The pavilion acts as a shelter, a backdrop and a convergence of landscape and building.

2010 - Hudson River Park: Tribeca Section Piers 25 & 26  The Tribeca Section features recreational, ecological, and educational piers, including a future estuarine study center. New Yorkers can play a round of 18-hole mini-golf of sand volleyball and also enjoy a skate park. This 2.5-acre ecologically-themed pier in Tribeca incorporates indigenous plants evocative of Manhattan’s ecosystem prior to human development. A short habitat walk leads visitors through five native ecological zones: woodland forest, coastal grassland, maritime scrub, rocky tidal zone, and of course the Hudson River. At 985 feet, Pier 25 is the longest pier in Hudson River Park. This lively pier includes Manhattan’s only 18-hole miniature golf course, sand volleyball courts, a popular children’s playground with water features and climbing structures, a flexible turf field and a snack bar. It is also a boating hub, featuring a town dock and small boat moorings and berthing areas for historic ships. A sunning lawn and a sports play area make Pier 26 – already popular with the Downtown Boathouse (New York’s busiest non-motorized boathouse) and City Vineyard – a place to please everyone. In addition to a multi-use recreation field, spacious lawn, boardwalks and seating areas, Pier 26 features an innovative, engineered Tide Deck. Located at the western edge of the pier, the Tide Deck is a cultivated rocky salt marsh created to provide an immersive and educational river ecology experience. The elevated cantilevered walkway above the Tide Deck provides spectacular city and River views. At 5.5 miles long, this is the largest park envisioned for Manhattan since Central Park of 1859. When completed, it will have 15 public-access piers and 400 acres of parkland. The firm coordinated with more than fifty city, state, and federal agencies to create the vast project’s master plan.

2010 - Hudson River Park: Segment 5, Pier 64 to Pier 54  Segment 5 of Hudson River Park runs from Pier 64 south to Pier 54 along the formerly industrial waterfront of the Hudson River. The northern portion of this segment, christened Chelsea Cove by the design team, will combine three individual piers into one of the largest open spaces within Hudson River Park. Chelsea Cove will feature a broad central lawn, reconnecting the vertical city with the drama of the horizon, as well as an enclosing grove that separates the park from the highway. The cove will include a skate park, a carousel, and an entry garden designed in collaboration with Lynden B. Miller. It also will include a landscape installation by environmental artist Meg Webster. Pier 64, which forms the north side of the cove, rises gently toward an elevated prospect, with privileged views up and down river, as well as back toward the city. At the southern portion of Segment 5, Pier 54, which will be constructed in a later phase, will feature welcoming areas of shade and seating in addition to spaces designed to host large-scale events such as movie nights. The design of the new pier will incorporate a work by the artist Justen Ladda that records the shape of the shadow that the giant ocean liner would have cast on the pier.

2021 - Little Island  Little Island is a 2.4 acre park on an architecturally spectacular pier in the Hudson River that fuses art and nature in an immersive experience. Conceived as a leaf floating in water, the pier’s unexpected topography, frames views, defines landscaped and performance spaces, and provides resilience to climate change. The meandering paths and stairs engage the visitor in a beautiful maritime landscape surrounded by dramatic views of the skyline and river.

1962 - Hudson River Park: Pier 40  Built in 1962 for the Holland America Cruise Line, Pier 40 fulfills multiple functions within the Park. Aside from serving as the home to the Hudson River Park Trust, this enormous pier also generates income needed for the Park’s continuing care and operations principally through a large public parking garage and excursion vessels. Beyond these commercial uses, Pier 40 also serves essential public recreational functions, including a large athletic field complex, Hudson River Park’s River Project Wetlab, mooring field and a community boating program. Plus, New York City’s only outdoor Trapeze School is located on the rooftop. Pier 40’s Rooftop, Indoor and newly renovated Courtyard Fields are an iconic Park feature. More than two hundred thousand children and adults make use of the Park’s fields all year long. Long before the pier’s sprawling structure provided surrounding neighborhoods with much-loved turf fields and much-needed parking, Pier 40 made history as the largest — and most modern — passenger and freight terminal in the Port of New York.

1993 - Hudson River Park Master Plan  Hudson River Park was created in 1997 with a cost of $330 million for 550 acres, including 13 piers and 5 miles of esplanade. The largest pier within the park, Pier 40, at Houston Street, currently has 2,200 long-term parking spaces as well as indoor and outdoor athletic fields. At least half of the 12 million square feet that make up Pier 40 is designated parkland, with the rest committed to compatible park and commercial uses. MNLA Principal Signe Nielsen was the joint venture partner on the team that prepared a comprehensive master plan and design guidelines for the 550-acre Hudson River Park that stretches from the Battery to 59th Street, including 13 public access piers. This plan is premised on reclaiming the waterfront for public benefit. Throughout the master plan, the design team collaborated closely with NYS DOT to integrate the bikeway into the park plan. More than three decades since the plan was completed, the park is a valuable resource to area residents and visitors.

2005 - Passage in Time  Created by artist Malcolm Cochran, Passage in Time consists of a 30-foot wine bottle resting on its side, within which is a representation of a stateroom from a cruise ship influenced by the Ocean Liner, The Queen Mary. The exterior of the bottle is fabricated out of bronze and zinc with a traditional green patina. The interior of the bottle is fashioned from sheet metal and other materials in a monochromatic scheme evoking the look of a platinum print from a black and white film. Visitors are able to view the interior through a number of portholes along the sides, top, and bottom of the bottle.