'Little Island' Opens as a Photogenic Addition to the Hudson River

Little Island, the splashy park referred to as Pier 55 when originally conceived in 2014, has opened in New York City. The park concept weathered controversy and managed to come back from the dead.

The park, located on a pier in the Hudson River near 13th Street in Hudson River park, is the brainchild of Barry Diller, who first proposed the project in 2014 as a replacement for Pier 54. The $260 million, 2.4-acre park overcame several lawsuits, and was declared dead by the New York Times even after being granted final approval. Eventually, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo helped rescue the project. Thomas Heatherwick designed the park, adding to a Manhattan-based oeuvre that includes the Vessel in Hudson Yards.

Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic for the same New York Times, provides a feature-style write up of the new park on the day of its opening, describing it as the "architectural equivalent of a kitchen sink sundae, with a little bit of everything." The article includes a ton of photos—including images of the park from outside and above as well as images of the park from the park, with views of Manhattan in the background.

Kimmelman digs into the design and engineering details of the park, which have mostly remained intact since the original conception. Kimmelman notes, however, that the final project includes additional protections for wildlife habitats and other improvements wrought from the earlier lawsuits and controversies. The result, declares Kimmelman, is a win-win for the city.

An additional article by Diane Pham for Urbanize New York includes more development and design details about the project.