Little Island at Pier 55 (stylized as Little Island @Pier55) is an artificial island park in the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
west of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, adjoining
Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park is a waterfront park on the North River (Hudson River) that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The park, a component of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, stretches and ...
. Designed by
Heatherwick Studio
Thomas Alexander Heatherwick, (born 17 February 1970) is an English designer and the founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio. He works with a team of around 200 architects, designers and makers from a studio and workshop in ...
, it is near the intersection of
West Street
The Joe DiMaggio Highway, commonly called the West Side Highway and formerly the Miller Highway, is a mostly surface section of New York State Route 9A (NY 9A), running from West 72nd Street along the Hudson River to the southern t ...
and
13th Street in the
Meatpacking District
The Meatpacking District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan that runs from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street. The Meatpacking Business Improvement District along ...
and
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
neighborhoods of Manhattan. It is located slightly west of the Manhattan shoreline atop Hudson River Pier 55, connected to
Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park is a waterfront park on the North River (Hudson River) that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The park, a component of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, stretches and ...
in Manhattan by footbridges at 13th and
14th Streets.
Little Island covers and is supported by 132 pot-shaped structures (called "tulips") suspended above the water, which in turn stand on 280 concrete
piling
A deep foundation is a type of foundation that transfers building loads to the earth farther down from the surface than a shallow foundation does to a subsurface layer or a range of depths. A pile or piling is a vertical structural element ...
s extending into the riverbed. The tops of the pots range from above the mean waterline. Engineer
Arup Group
Arup (officially Arup Group Limited) is a British multinational professional services firm headquartered in London which provides design, engineering, architecture, planning, and advisory services across every aspect of the built environment ...
oversaw the installation of the pots manufactured in
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
by the Fort Miller Company. The park has various lawns, paths, and plants, which were arranged by landscape architect
Signe Nielsen
Signe Nielsen is a landscape architect and a founding principal at Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects in New York City, US. She is also a professor of urban design and landscape architecture at Pratt Institute and an active participant in New ...
. The plantings and soil were engineered to reduce erosion and were also arranged aesthetically. In addition, Little Island has a small stage and three concession stands, as well as a 687-seat amphitheater.
Plans arose in November 2014 for a new park, known as Pier 55, designed by Heatherwick Studio and largely funded by
Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller (born February 2, 1942) is an American businessman. He is Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC and Expedia Group and founded the Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting. Diller was inducted into the Television Hall of ...
and
Diane von Fürstenberg
Diane von Fürstenberg (born Diane Simone Michele Halfin, 31 December 1946) is a Belgian fashion designer best known for her wrap dress. She initially rose to prominence in 1969 when she married into the German princely House of Fürstenberg, as ...
, with some funding from the New York City and state governments. Originally, construction was to begin in 2015 and the park would have been completed in 2018 or 2019. However, the park's construction was delayed by lawsuits from the
City Club of New York
The City Club of New York is a New York City–based independent, not-for-profit organization.
In 1950, ''The New York Times'' called the City Club of New York "a social club with a civic purpose"[Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuo ...]
agreed to provide funding for the park. Construction of the structure began in April 2018 and a symbolic cornerstone was laid in December 2018. The project was renamed Little Island in 2019 and opened on May 21, 2021.
Description
![Entrance to Little Island](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Entrance_to_Little_Island.jpg)
Little Island adjoins
Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park is a waterfront park on the North River (Hudson River) that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The park, a component of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, stretches and ...
near the intersection of
West Street
The Joe DiMaggio Highway, commonly called the West Side Highway and formerly the Miller Highway, is a mostly surface section of New York State Route 9A (NY 9A), running from West 72nd Street along the Hudson River to the southern t ...
and
13th Street in Manhattan.
The park is in the
Meatpacking District
The Meatpacking District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan that runs from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street. The Meatpacking Business Improvement District along ...
and
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
neighborhoods of Manhattan.
Commissioned by businessman
Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller (born February 2, 1942) is an American businessman. He is Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC and Expedia Group and founded the Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting. Diller was inducted into the Television Hall of ...
and designed by
Thomas Heatherwick
Thomas Alexander Heatherwick, (born 17 February 1970) is an English designer and the founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio. He works with a team of around 200 architects, designers and makers from a studio and workshop in ...
's company
Heatherwick Studio
Thomas Alexander Heatherwick, (born 17 February 1970) is an English designer and the founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio. He works with a team of around 200 architects, designers and makers from a studio and workshop in ...
, the park covers .
It is accessible from two passageways extending across the water from Hudson River Park: a southern esplanade at Little West 12th Street and a northern esplanade at
14th Street.
The park can fit 1,000 people simultaneously.
, the park is open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, but visitors are required to book reservations if they visit after noon.
Structural design
Arup Group
Arup (officially Arup Group Limited) is a British multinational professional services firm headquartered in London which provides design, engineering, architecture, planning, and advisory services across every aspect of the built environment ...
oversaw the structural design of the park.
Little Island is supported by 132 pot-shaped structures suspended above the water.
These "tulip pots" vary in height and are between above the mean waterline.
This was meant to protect the park from a
500-year flood
A 100-year flood is a flood event that has a 1 in 100 chance (1% probability) of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
The 100-year flood is also referred to as the 1% flood, since its annual exceedance probability is 1%.Holmes, R.R., Jr. ...
, in which the water level in the river rises as much as .
The heights of the pots was intended to give the appearance of a floating leaf
or a wave.
Numerous other firms were involved in the structural design, including precast cement contractor Fort Miller Company, marine consultant Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers, and marine contractor Weeks Marine.
![Tulip Structure of Little Island NYC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Tulip_Structure_of_Little_Island_NYC.jpg)
Each pot has four to six lightweight concrete sections, referred to as "petals", which are designed to reduce the load on the pilings.
The precast concrete is also meant to be resistant to erosion and corrosion.
The concrete pots were manufactured by the Fort Miller Company at their factory in
Easton in
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
.
The Fort Miller Company hired a partner to create foam molds for the pieces of the pots using a laser cutter, then cleared out a 600-foot-long building for these foam pieces. Thirty-nine types of molds were fabricated. According to the company's president, "A full one-third of our annual production capacity was displaced by this project."
After the petals were manufactured, they were driven to the
Port of Coeymans
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
, a port on the Hudson River south of
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
. At the Port of Coeymans, Weeks Marine assembled the individual petals and used a crane to load them onto barges. The barges typically traveled from the Port of Coeymans to Manhattan in 14 hours.
Once in Manhattan, the pots were installed on their supports using a 350-ton crane. The largest support is tall and weighs .
The pots stand on 267
or 280 concrete
piling
A deep foundation is a type of foundation that transfers building loads to the earth farther down from the surface than a shallow foundation does to a subsurface layer or a range of depths. A pile or piling is a vertical structural element ...
s, which extend at most into the bottom of the Hudson River.
Each piling measures in diameter and can handle loads of . The pilings were hollowed at their cores, with metal guide rails to allow the pots to be installed without the pilings tipping over. The edges of the pots are placed apart.
Landscape
Signe Nielsen
Signe Nielsen is a landscape architect and a founding principal at Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects in New York City, US. She is also a professor of urban design and landscape architecture at Pratt Institute and an active participant in New ...
of Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects was the landscape architect for the park,
while BrightView Landscape Development was the landscape contractor.
Nielsen "wanted New Yorkers to feel delight and excitement around every turn from the moment they set foot here."
To accomplish this, the plantings were arranged in specific color patterns. For instance, a portion of the park was planted with yellow, gold, lavender, and purple plants contrasting with each other.
The landscape includes 35 tree species and 65 shrub species.
In addition, there are 270 species of perennials and grasses.
At the park's opening in 2021, the landscape contained sixty-six thousand bulbs and 114 trees.
The original trees are up to tall with trunk diameters of .
The trees are planted in of soil, which is stabilized by
geofibers and fed by a large irrigation system.
The composition of the soil was engineered to reduce erosion, and evergreens and other plantings were used to shield the park from strong winds from the Hudson River.
The park's four corners are designed with different topologies.
There are three lawns, as well as a "secret garden" planted exclusively with white flora.
One of the lawns, the Main Lawn, is in the center of the park.
Alongside the landscapes, the park contains scenic observation areas as well as plazas and performance spaces.
There are overlooks at the northwest, southwest, and southeast corners of the park.
Walkways lead up to the highest portions of Little Island, in a layout similar to the southern portion of
Governors Island
Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...
.
Concessions and programming
![Little Island opening morn (13) jeh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Little_Island_opening_morn_%2813%29_jeh.jpg)
A portion of the park contains a small stage and concession stands.
According to Diller, the park's management had interviewed
Danny Meyer
Daniel Meyer (born March 14, 1958) is a New York City restaurateur and the Founder & Executive Chairman of the Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG).
Background and early career
Meyer was born and raised in a reform Jewish family in St. Louis, M ...
's company for the concessionaire position before selecting a smaller firm, Savory Hospitality.
Savory operates three concession stalls for food and drinks around a plaza called "The Play Ground". The drinks served at the concession stalls include cocktails that are custom-made for park visitors.
The southern portion of the park contains "The Glade",
an arts and crafts area for families and children.
![Amptheater Little Island NYC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Amptheater_Little_Island_NYC.jpg)
There is also a 687-seat amphitheater nicknamed "The Amph",
which is in the western end of Little Island.
The Amph is on the north side of the park's tallest hill, where there is a flat pier with public restrooms and actors' changing rooms. The utilities had to be placed on top of the flat pier.
At the park's opening in 2021, most events at the Amph were free but, for ticketed shows, thirty percent of tickets were to be sold online.
The ticketed shows are largely free or have low admission fees, and educational programming and performances are scheduled for six days a week.
The free or low admission fees were a term of Diller's lease agreement from the Hudson River Park Trust, which operates Hudson River Park. Under the terms of the agreement, at least 51 percent of tickets must be under 30 dollars, including tickets sold for free.
History
Planning and construction
Initial proposal
![Remains of Pier 55 - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Remains_of_Pier_55_-_panoramio.jpg)
By 2011, Hudson River Pier 55 was deteriorating,
a situation that was worsened by
Hurricane Sandy in New York
New York was severely affected by Hurricane Sandy on October 29–30, 2012, particularly New York City, its suburbs, and Long Island. Sandy's impacts included the flooding of the New York City Subway system, of many suburban communities, and of a ...
the next year.
At a 2011 party for donors of the
High Line
The High Line is a elevated park, elevated linear park, greenway (landscape), greenway and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the West Side (Manhattan), west side of Manhattan in New York City. The High Line's ...
park, Diana Taylor of the
Hudson River Park Trust
Hudson River Park is a waterfront park on the North River (Hudson River) that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The park, a component of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, stretches and ...
approached Diller to determine his interest in rebuilding the pier.
Diller supported the idea of rebuilding the pier but said he would like to be "ambitious" about the space.
His initial concept called for a $35 million amoeba-shaped structure "with a few trees".
In November 2014, it was announced that a new park would be designed by Heatherwick Studio on the site of the former Pier 55 along the Hudson River. Estimates of the park ranged from between $130 million
and $160 million.
Diller's foundation, headed jointly by his wife
Diane von Fürstenberg
Diane von Fürstenberg (born Diane Simone Michele Halfin, 31 December 1946) is a Belgian fashion designer best known for her wrap dress. She initially rose to prominence in 1969 when she married into the German princely House of Fürstenberg, as ...
, contributed $100 million
and made plans to donate another $30 million.
The city and state promised to give $17 million and $18 million, respectively.
At the time, construction was to begin in 2015 and end in 2018 or 2019.
The project was provisionally known as ''Pier 55'' and was to be built between the sites of Pier 54 and 56.
The park was to float completely above the water, resting on 300 concrete pillars.
By 2015, the Hudson River Park Trust had approved plans to construct a park at 13th Street that extended west into the Hudson River.
Manhattan Community Board 2
The Manhattan Community Board 2 is a New York City community board encompassing the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, West Village, South Village, NoHo, SoHo, Little Italy, NoLIta, and a portion of Chinatown in the borough of Manhattan. It i ...
also supported plans for the park.
Diller had cold-called Heatherwick to design a park at the site. According to Diller, the first plan was "completely unbuildable" and resembled "Noah's Ark in stainless steel".
Heatherwick's subsequent plan for the raised concrete pots was designed over a year and a half,
while it took Nielsen a year to engineer the individual pots to hold dirt.
Von Fürstenberg had tried to convince Diller not to build the park, saying it was vulnerable to rising sea levels, but Diller said the plans were safe from a
thousand-year flood. The project was nicknamed ''Diller Island'' because of Diller's close association with the project.
According to von Fürstenberg, the park plans were all "Barry's dream".
Legal issues
The
City Club of New York
The City Club of New York is a New York City–based independent, not-for-profit organization.
In 1950, ''The New York Times'' called the City Club of New York "a social club with a civic purpose"[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection ...]
(DEC) and the
(USACE) had yet to approve plans for the park.
The DEC approved the plans in March 2016. The next month, a judge for the
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
dismissed the case. The City Club filed an appeal, and a hearing was scheduled for September 2016. In the meantime, an appellate court placed an injunction in June 2016, temporarily stopping any further work from proceeding. Less than a month later, the injunction was partially lifted, allowing work on nine pilings to proceed. At the appellate hearing, representatives of Pier 55's developers argued that the trust had performed a proper environmental review.
The court rejected the City Club's appeal. The suit was escalated to the
New York Court of Appeals
The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...
, which also rejected the appeal.
During the appeal process of the City Club's lawsuit, Diller claimed that developer
Douglas Durst
Douglas Durst (born December 19, 1944) is an American real estate investor and developer. He is the president of the Durst Organization, which he has been in charge of since 1992.
Early life and education
Durst was born in New York City in 1944< ...
was financing the lawsuit against Pier 55.
Durst, once a supporter of Hudson River Park, had given up his chairmanship with the Hudson River Park Trust over various disagreements.
Early in 2017, Durst confirmed that he had funded the City Club's suit against the project, though he said he had not been involved with the lawsuits for half a year.
In an interview with ''
The Villager'' newspaper, Durst said that he did not want to personalize the dispute over Pier 55. Durst claimed, "I have nothing against Diller—except he said he wishes I had been killed by my brother", businessman
Robert Durst.
At the time, Robert Durst had been accused of killing acquaintances, and Diller subsequently apologized for the comments.
The project still faced legal issues from the DEC, over a disputed environmental permit, and from the USACE, over allegations that the plans violated the
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the responsibiliti ...
.
The USACE had approved a permit by March 2017, when a
United States District Court
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...
judge ruled that the permit was invalid because it had failed to consider the proposed park's impact on a nearby wildlife sanctuary. The project's costs had reached $200 million by then, and the work had to be halted. In June 2017, the USACE issued a permit for the park's construction after plans were slightly modified. The continuing dispute between the City Club and Pier 55 developers led New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio
Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who served as the 109th mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he held the office of New Yor ...
to request that Durst stop funding the lawsuits against the park.
Cancellation and revival
Plans for the park were scrapped in September 2017 due to continuing legal disputes. The park also experienced cost overruns as its budget had exceeded $200 million by then.
According to Diller, he had already invested $45 million of his foundation's money. On the day the project was canceled, he was scheduled to order $80 million in cement. After his lawyers advised him that the City Club's lawyers may request an injunction on the project, von Fürstenberg and the couple's children advised Diller to stop the project and "go where you're wanted".
The City Club's lawyers expressed excitement over the park's cancellation. Among the disappointed supporters of the project were the Hudson River Park Trust, de Blasio, New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuo ...
, and U.S. Senator
Chuck Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...
.
The cancellation of the park lasted only forty-three days.
On October 25, 2017, Cuomo arranged an agreement in which Pier 55 would be completed. Cuomo agreed to complete the remaining 30 percent of the incomplete Hudson River Park, provided that he won the
2018 New York gubernatorial election
The 2018 New York gubernatorial election occurred on November 6, 2018. Incumbent Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo won re-election to a third term, defeating Republican Marc Molinaro and several minor party candidates. Cuomo received 59.6% of th ...
.
Cuomo also promised the ecology of the Hudson River estuary would not be adversely affected by the construction of Pier 55.
In exchange, the City Club's lawyers dropped their lawsuits against Pier 55.
Cuomo provided $50 million for the park in April 2018, but with the condition that the city raise a matching amount. Construction of the structure began the same month, with the construction of walkways from the Hudson River Park esplanade to the future park site. The new estimate for the project was $250 million. By that August, the pilings were being installed. A symbolic cornerstone was laid in December 2018.
At this time, the first of the park's pots was delivered from upstate New York and installed at Pier 55. The park itself was planned to be significantly completed in 2020 and open to the public in early 2021.
The pots were manufactured and delivered by the Fort Miller Company starting in 2018. The pilings upon which the pots were to be installed, could only be driven from May to November of each year. As a result, 164 piles were driven in 2018 and the remaining 103 piles were driven from May to July 2019. The subsequent construction of the landscape, concession, and programming areas required coordination between the different contractors due to limited space for
staging area
A staging area (otherwise staging point, staging base, or staging post) is a location in which organisms, people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use. It may refer to:
* In construction, a designated area in which vehicles, ...
s. Several cranes were used, including one on a barge, and materials were delivered by barge.
![Little Island Pilings Panorama (50235863018)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Little_Island_Pilings_Panorama_%2850235863018%29.jpg)
By October 2019, much of the park's perimeter had been installed. That month, the project was renamed Little Island.
The first trees at Little Island were installed in March 2020.
According to photos taken the next month, all the piles and pots had been installed, and the layers of soil supporting the vegetation were being planted.
Despite the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City was confirmed on March 1, 2020, though later research showed that the novel coronavirus had been circulating in New York City since January, with cases of community transmission confirme ...
during 2020, the park's construction was allowed to proceed even as most other projects were forced to stop. Work was temporarily halted for three weeks to disinfect the worksite, but the park was otherwise classified as an "essential project". Since most of the work was conducted outdoors, Little Island's construction site was considered a less likely place for COVID-19 to spread compared to indoor projects.
The park's construction was nearly completed by early 2021.
Opening
The idea of performances in the park was created midway through the park's development. Among the artistic advisors Diller hired were film director
Stephen Daldry
Stephen David Daldry CBE (born 2 May 1960) is an English director and producer of film, theatre, and television. He has won three Olivier Awards for his work in the West End and three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway. He has received three ...
, playwright
George Wolfe, and theater film producer
Scott Rudin
Scott Rudin (born July 14, 1958) is an American film, television, and theatre producer. His films include the Academy Award-winning Best Picture ''No Country for Old Men,'' as well as ''Uncut Gems'', '' Lady Bird, Fences, The Girl with the Dragon ...
.
In early 2021, Little Island's developers announced that the park would have a program of artists in residence. The first artists in residence are choreographer
Ayodele Casel
Ayodele Casel (born June 5, 1975) is an American tap dancer and choreographer. Raised in Puerto Rico, she derived inspiration for her tap style from salsa music. While in college, she studied witBaakari WilderanCharles Goddertz She became the firs ...
, and thespians
Tina Landau
Tina Landau (born May 21, 1962) is an American playwright and theatre director. Known for her large-scale, musical, and ensemble-driven work, Landau's productions have appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally, most extensively at the ...
,
Michael McElroy, and the PigPen Theatre Company.
The residencies had been planned before the COVID-19 pandemic, but because of restrictions that prevented indoor performances, Little Island's executive director Trish Santini said the artists' work was more important.
The artists in residence were to work with the park's production team over a period of three years.
Rudin continued to serve as an artistic advisor to Little Island even after allegations of abuse against him arose in early 2021.
![Little_Island_opening_morn_(15)_jeh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Little_Island_opening_morn_%2815%29_jeh.jpg)
The park officially opened on May 21, 2021.
It ultimately cost $260 million to construct.
Visitors were asked to book reservations if they wished to visit during the midday.
The opening of the park coincided with the loosening of pandemic restrictions in New York City, and the resulting heavy traffic led the park's ticket website to crash.
At the opening of the park, architecture critic
Michael Kimmelman
Michael Kimmelman (born May 8, 1958) is the architecture critic for ''The New York Times'' and has written about public housing, public space, landscape architecture, community development and equity, infrastructure and urban design. He has report ...
wrote for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' that the design concept "is in the theatrical vein of 18th century English garden
follies
''Follies'' is a Musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman.
The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on t ...
".
The Diller family foundation has agreed to fund the upkeep of the park, including programming, for twenty years. According to Barry Diller, the foundation's total contribution to the park reaches an estimated figure of $380 million,
of which the upkeep costs comprise $120 million.
Acts scheduled for the Amph's opening season included the
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
.
During its 2022 season, Little Island hosted a three-week performing-arts festival called ''The Big Mix''.
See also
*
Hudson River Park#Pier 51, another pier-turned-park south of Little Island
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little Island
2021 establishments in New York City
2020s in Manhattan
Artificial islands of New York (state)
Elevated parks
Chelsea, Manhattan
Hudson River Park
Islands of Manhattan
Parks in Manhattan
Piers in New York City
West Side Highway