Pier 57
Pier 57 | |
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Location | 15th Street at the West Side Highway, Manhattan, New York City, New York |
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Built | 1952 |
Architect | Emil Praeger |
NRHP reference No. | 04000821 |
Added to NRHP | August 11, 2004 |
Pier 57 is a long pier built on floating concrete caissons in the Hudson River in Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1952, it is located near the end of 15th Street on the West Side Highway, just south of the Chelsea Piers sports complex.
Construction
It is notable for being built on floating concrete caissons. Constructed near Haverstraw, New York by Emil Praeger who had designed similar piers in World War II, they were floated down the Hudson.[1]
Uses
Bus garage
Until 2003, Pier 57 housed the Hudson Pier Depot for the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA).
Detention center
About one year after the NYCTA vacated the pier, Pier 57 was temporarily utilized as a detention center during the 2004 Republican National Convention, when approximately 1,200 anti-RNC protesters were arrested and sent to a makeshift detention/processing center at Pier 57. Over 1,800 were arrested during the entire event. Medical activists reportedly treated many people held at Pier 57 for chemical burns, rashes, and infections that resulted from direct, prolonged exposure to the motor oil, asbestos, and other contaminants from its days as a bus garage. [2][3][4]
Future
The New York City Council approved the plans to restore and redevelop New York’s historic Pier 57 in April 2013, marking the completion of an extensive Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process and enabling the project to move towards a Fall 2013 construction commencement and Spring 2015 opening.
Young Woo & Associates has designed a dynamic plan to transform Pier 57 into a cultural hub and creative center, integrating the arts, fashion, design, film, food and other innovative attractions into a unique retail environment. In addition to more than 100,000 square feet of new public park space on the rooftop and ground floor adjacent to the pier, one of the project’s key elements includes using repurposed shipping containers as pop-up shops and concept stores, or “Incuboxes,” to activate this interactive marketplace. The marketplace, serving as New York’s largest incubator for cutting edge local and international brands and merchants, will be supported by cultural programming and a select group of anchor tenants, including Tribeca Film Festival, which will establish a permanent outdoor venue as part of the space’s rooftop “skypark” for events and exhibitions.
References
- ^ "Pier 57's construction was an engineering marvel". Thevillager.com. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
- ^ News article on Newstandardnews.net
- ^ "Images and videos on". Thememoryhole.com. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
- ^ "Various materials on the New York Civil Liberties Union website". Nyclu.org. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
External links
- "Super Pier Almost Floats." Popular Mechanics, February 1952, pp. 114-115.
- Hudson River Park
- RNC '04 Ordeal of Erin Starr's Daughter
- RNC '04 Ordeal of Eric Corley