gansevoort peninsula is a park that will include manhattan's first beach

construction on ‘gansevoort peninsula’, a park that extends out over new york’s hudson river, could begin as soon as early as spring 2021. located on manhattan’s west side, opposite the renzo piano-designed whitney museum, the peninsula is an approximately 5.5-acre landmass that until recently was used by the NYC department of sanitation for truck parking. in 2018, the city completed the removal of the sanitation facility, providing a clean slate for a large new park.

all images by james corner field operations, courtesy of the hudson river park trust

in january 2019, the hudson river park trust hired a design team led by james corner field operations to develop plans for the site in consultation with members of the local community. built on solid ground, as opposed to a pier, gansevoort peninsula is now set to become a large green oasis, complete with a resilient, soft-edged ‘beach’ — the first in manhattan. this landing will also provide river access to kayakers and other small boaters, as well as a place for lounging and river views.

next to the beach, a public art installation by david hammons is already under construction. titled ‘day’s end’, the piece derives its inspiration and name from gordon matta-clark’s 1975 artwork once located in the same location, and is being donated by the whitney museum of american art. meanwhile, on the northern edge of the peninsula, a salt marsh filled with native grasses and plantings will provide valuable habitat, as well as educating park users about the environmental benefits of intertidal ecosystems. at the center of the site is a versatile ballfield, designed to accommodate a range of sporting activity.

on february 4, 2021, the hudson river park trust announced three requests for proposals (RFP) for the construction of the project. the $70 million USD scheme is funded primarily by the city of new york and is expected to open in spring 2023. ‘as hudson river park moves closer to completion, we are excited to be in position to start construction on one of our signature projects this coming spring,’ says madelyn wils, president & CEO of the hudson river park trust. ‘thank you to our funding partner, the city of new york, for its support of what will be the largest single greenspace in hudson river park.’

hudson river park is a waterside park that extends from 59th street south to battery park over a distance of four miles (6.4 kilometers). part of the park is ‘little island’, a public pier designed by heatherwick studio and set to open in 2021. ‘little island’ will be a maritime botanic garden with 35 species of trees, 65 species of shrubs, and 270 varieties of grasses, perennials, vines, and bulbs. read more about this project on designboom here.

project info:

name: gansevoort peninsula
location: new york, NY
design: james corner field operations
status: construction could begin in 2021, with completion scheduled for 2023