Originally called Pier 55, Little Island is an elevated park built on top of 132 mushroom-shaped concrete pillars in the river at 55 Hudson Greenway. Located on the edge of Manhattan's Meatpacking District, close to the southern end of the High Line and the Whitney Museum, Little Island officially opens to the public on 21 May 2021 and can be visited for free with timed tickets.
Construction on the project started in 2016 but stalled in 2017 when the United States District Court vacated its permit after advocacy group The City Club of New York lobbied against it.
The 2.7-acre park has three stages for live theatre performances, including an amphitheatre of wooden benches facing the river. There are 500 events scheduled for the park between June and September this year.
Heatherwick's other new public project The Vessel, a 46-metre-high viewing platform in Hudson's Yard, has been closed since January 2021 after a third person died by suicide at the site.
The design team had taken extra precautions at Little Island, spending $6 million on a perimeter system and employing 24-hour security for the park.
Construction on the project started in 2016 but stalled in 2017 when the United States District Court vacated its permit after advocacy group The City Club of New York lobbied against it.
The 2.7-acre park has three stages for live theatre performances, including an amphitheatre of wooden benches facing the river. There are 500 events scheduled for the park between June and September this year.
Heatherwick's other new public project The Vessel, a 46-metre-high viewing platform in Hudson's Yard, has been closed since January 2021 after a third person died by suicide at the site.
The design team had taken extra precautions at Little Island, spending $6 million on a perimeter system and employing 24-hour security for the park.
