NEW YORK CITY — The Hudson River Park Trust has selected Manhattan-based Youngwoo & Associates to develop Pier 57, a $210 million redevelopment project located on Hudson River at 15th Street in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. First built in 1952, Pier 57, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, will be transformed into a vibrant cultural center totaling approximately 375,000 square feet of space.
Initial plans call for a 170,000-square-foot public market that will provide year-round, affordable space for artisans and small business to sell their products. Part of the market will be housed in recycled shipping containers. It will be managed by Urban Space Management. The ground floor of Pier 57 will contain a 98,000-square-foot Contemporary Culture Center that will feature a mix of auction space, galleries, cafes, an art library and performance space.
The roof of the project will feature a permanent outdoor entertainment venue run by the Tribeca Film Festival, 83,000 square feet of public park space, and 30,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space. A 7,800-square-foot restaurant will be located at the end of the pier and a 30,000-square-foot Underwater Discovery Center, which will be located in one of the pier’s caissons, will serve to educate and entertain visitors. Finally, seasonal docks will be installed for kayaks, canoes and other personal watercraft.
In addition to Youngwoo & Associates, other members of the development team include design architect LOT-EK, landscape architect West 8, architect of record and historical preservation architect Beyer Blinder Belle and construction manager F.J. Sciame Construction Co. The construction timetable was not released.
The Hudson River Park Trust is a non-profit partnership between the city and state of New York that is charged with developing, operating and maintaining the 550-acre Hudson River Park. Youngwoo & Associates was selected for the project as a result of an RFP that was sent out in June 2008.
Youngwoo & Associates did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.
— Coleman Wood