Hudson River Park Trust Gansevoort Peninsula

New park features Manhattan’s first public beachfront

Gilbane completed the construction of a 5.5-acre upland park that included replacement and improvements to the north and south-facing riprap shorelines. The new park located at Pier 57 features sports fields, seating areas, a playground, and a kayak launching zone. The south shoreline extends over 400 feet into the Hudson River and was built with precast granite from Upstate New York, reclaimed boulders from the previous sanitation site, and precast tidal pools to promote marine growth in a new bio habitat. The project included the installation of two new baseball and soccer fields with backstops, goals, dugouts, and high-mast sports lights. Work also included the construction of over 250 LF of pedestrian boardwalks and over 600 LF of combination pedestrian/vehicular boardwalks.

Project Overview

The new park features Manhattan’s first public beach, complete with sand imported from a quarry in Cape May, New Jersey
The kayak launching zone was built with decorative concrete and routed through granite
The park has a misting trellis and driftwood structures, including beach chairs and umbrellas
All work was completed while maintaining 24-hour access to an FDNY marine harbor unit, and crossing an active pedestrian and bike path

“This collaboration between New York City and the State will benefit everyone who visits here on the shore of the Hudson, and it checks a lot of boxes from climate change mitigation to competition on the ball fields, from a stroll with your pup to sitting on the beach. It’s been 25 years in the making, and we’ve shown once again that anything worth having is worth working for.“
Kathy Hochul
New York Governor

Quick Stats

Client:
- Hudson River Park Trust
Location: New York
Architect:
- James Corner Field Operations
Size: 5.5 acres
Awards:
- ENR New York, Award of Merit, Landscape/ Urban Development
- CMAA Metro New York/ New Jersey Chapter, Project of the Year, $10 million to $60 million (Building & Infrastructure)