SPACE November 2024 (No. 684)
Project Little Island
Architect Heatherwick Studio
Location Pier 55 in Hudson River Park at, W 13th St, New York, NY, U.S.
Area 11,000m2
Competition year 2012
Construction period 2016 – 2017 / 2018 – 2021
Opening May 21, 2021
Client Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT), Pier 55 Project Fund (P55P)
1998 Construction of Hudson River Park begins
2011 Pier 54 closes
2012 The idea for the Pier 55 Project is conceived, senior members of the Hudson River Park Trust discuss with Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg about regenerating Pier 54, Hudson River Park Trust senior staff, Barry Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg discuss the Pier 54 revitalisation project
2013 The New York State Assembly amends the Hudson River Park Act, the amended law allows the Hudson River Park Trust to rebuild Pier 54 beyond its original size▼1
Nov. 2014 The Pier 55 Project is officially announced
June 2015 The City Club of New York files its first lawsuit to the state’s Supreme Court
Sep. 2017 New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo mediates an agreement on the Pier 55 Project
2021 Barry Diller’s close collaborator on performance programming, Scott Rudin, withdraws from public roles after allegations emerge that he verbally and physically abused office staff
Jan. 2021 Little Island’s first artists-in-residence are announced, Ayodele Casel, Tina Landau, Michael McElroy, and PigPen Theater are selected, these artists will plan and perform programs for the first three seasons of Little Island
May 21, 2021 Little Island opens to the public
July – Sep. 2021 The first annual summer music and dance festival takes place
July – Sep. 2022 The second annual summer music and dance festival takes place
July – Sep. 2023 The third annual summer music and dance festival takes place
2023 Zack Winokur is hired as producing artistic director
June – Sep. 2024 The fourth annual summer music and dance festival is scheduled to take place
The Birth of Pier 55, Replacing Pier 54: Little Island
Little Island on the Hudson River in New York (covered in SPACE No. 645) is a project that transformed the abandoned Pier 54 into a new park and performance space, Pier 55. Pier 54, known as where survivors of the Titanic disembarked after their rescue, became a popular space for the LGBTQ community, hosting Pride festivals since the 1980s. After becoming part of Hudson River Park, it was also used for summer events and concert series. In 2011, Pier 54 w...
