Construction Kicks Off For Pier 26’s Ecology-Themed Redesign

TRIBECA, NY — Construction has kicked off on the Hudson River Park's much-anticipated makeover of Pier 26 that designers have packed with a slew of educational and ecological features.

The Hudson River Park Trust's $31 million overhaul of the pier between North Moore and Hubert streets highlights the river's flora and fauna with a constructed marsh intended to attract creatures that once frequented the city's shores. A lawn and forested area seeded with indigenous plants will take root on the pier along with educational facilities for students to explore the area's ecology.

The green space will be a playground for children and adults alike, said the president and CEO of the Hudson River Park Trust.

“This will be unlike anything that has been built in New York," said Madelyn Wils at a Tuesday news conference on the pier's groundbreaking. "This beautiful pier, while dedicated to our mission of protecting and teaching about the ecology of the river, will have something for everyone ... This neighborhood has grown and changed, and we’re committed to serving everyone.”

At the pier's entrance, an educational facility will boast kindergarten through eighth grade classroom space, facilities for college students and an estuarium, which is similar to an aquarium but showcases marine wildlife indigenous to brackish waters such as the Hudson River where fresh and sea water mix.

A playground featuring two massive sturgeon sculptures will function both as a traditional play area and as a space to raise awareness about endangered species. The two fish highlighted in the design — Atlantic and short-nosed sturgeon — are endangered species native to New York.

"This is about recreating a living laboratory, a living marine ecosystem," said Rose Harvey, the commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "This is going to be a hub for 30,000 kids that the Hudson River Park Trust educates every year, and what’s better than a hands-on, living-in-color representation?"

The pier will also include two soccer fields, lounge areas and an elevated river promenade at the pier's western tip for sprawling waterfront views. Its design has been a years-long labor of love for locals and the Hudson River Park Trust, which has worked to cram in the community's demands.

The inventive redesign is possible due to a public-private partnership by the city, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and Citigroup — with each pitching in $10 million toward the project.

Construction broke ground during the last week of September and engineers completed foundation work on the pier Tuesday. Work is expected to wrap up by 2020.

Locals who regularly visit Hudson River Park are eager to take advantage of the redesign.

"The river is a gift, and to see that the city will be able to fully utilize this space is a wonderful thing," said Zena Jann, a retired airplane attendant who lives in Tribeca and visits Hudson River Park about four times a week. "I can't wait for this place to open. I'm going to be in here all the time."

Images courtesy of Hudson River Park Trust