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Created as an escape -

“Our idea is for a visitor to leave the city as if going to Oz, to this whimsical, playful little island in the river," said lead Little Island designer Signe Nielsen of landscape firm Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects.

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Where is it? -

This innovative new park is built along 13th street in Hudson River Park, in the Meatpacking District and Chelsea neighborhoods of Manhattan.

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How big is it? -

The park covers 2.4 acres of ground, which is relatively small in comparison to some of the world’s greatest artificial islands. It can reportedly fit 1,000 people simultaneously.

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Architecture -

The island is supported by 132 pot-shaped structures that look like a field of giant tulips suspended above the water. These structures stand on 280 concrete pilings that extend into the riverbed as deep as 200 ft (61 m) below the water.

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Architecture -

The pots vary in height, ranging between 15 and 62 feet (4.6 and 18.9 m) above the mean waterline. The design and height were intended to protect the park from a "500-year flood," which predicts that the water level in the river could rise as much as 11 ft (3.4 m).

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The flower-like pots have petals -

Each pot has four to six lightweight concrete sections, aptly called "petals," which reduce the load on the pilings.

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Designed to resemble a leaf -

The varying heights of the pots were also intended by Heatherwick Studio and Mathews Neilsen Landscape Architects to give the park the appearance of a leaf floating on the Hudson.

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Borrowing a Middle Eastern pattern -

The designers did not want rows of columns in straight lines, so instead they used a “Cairo pentagon tilting pattern,” which is a geometric repeating pattern common to Middle Eastern art.

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It cost an eye-watering amount -

The US$260 million cost of the park, though largely funded privately, became the subject of some contention as many wondered, especially in these trying times, if an expensive park in an already affluent part of the city was really the best investment.

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An emphasis on nature -

In the park there are over 350 species of flowers, trans-seasonal trees, and shrubs to be explored along various lawns and paths.

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Minute details -

Geofibers, which are bits of polypropylene, were placed in the soil to stabilize it on extreme slopes, and the plantings and soil were also engineered to reduce erosion.

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Minute details -

Evergreens and other firmer trees were planted along the perimeter to shield the park from strong winds off the Hudson River. Additionally, each corner of the park reportedly represents a different microclimate depending on topography, sun exposure, and wind patterns.

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Great aesthetic care -

The designers wanted visitors "to feel delight and excitement around every turn," and so everything down to the colors of the plants and their patterned arrangements was intentional.

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Food and entertainment -

There is a plaza with seating and food  trucks, called "The Play Ground," where you can reportedly get cocktails that are custom made for park visitors.

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Fun for families -

There is also an arts and crafts area for families and children called "The Glade."

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The amphitheater -

Regarded as the “jewel of the job,” as it was the most difficult part to build, the island also hosts a stunning 687-seat amphitheater. It required lighting, electricity, plumbing, and other systems that are very difficult to install on a pier.

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The amphitheater -

The ticketed shows are largely free or have low admission fees, as detailed on the lease agreement from the Hudson River Park Trust, which requires at least 51% of tickets to be under US$30.

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History of the space -

Prior to this new park, the area of Hudson River Pier 55 was deteriorating, which was only made worse by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

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In the works for some time -

Ideas of a park started becoming concrete in 2014, and relied heavily on billionaire businessman Barry Diller's donations, though there was some early funding support from the New York City and state governments as well.

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Who is Barry Diller? -

Diller is an American business mogul, chairman and senior executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and Expedia Group, founder of Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting, and husband to fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg.

In 2011, the Diller-von Fürstenberg Family Foundation announced a donation of US$20 million to support the completion of the High Line park in Manhattan.

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An enormous donation -

In 2015, Diller and von Fürstenberg contributed US$100 million to the Pier 55 project and made plans to donate another $30 million. It was stated to be the largest donation to a public park in city history. The city and state also reportedly promised to give $17 million and $18 million, respectively.

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The project was briefly canceled -

Construction was originally supposed to begin in 2015, and the park would have been completed around 2018. But construction was delayed by lawsuits from the City Club of New York and cost overruns. The plan was scrapped in September 2017.

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Lawsuits -

The City Club of New York filed a lawsuit to stop the park's construction, alleging that the plans had not undergone a proper environmental review, but it was rejected by both the New York Supreme Court and the New York Court of Appeals.

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Personal drama -

During the appeal process, Diller claimed that real estate developer Douglas Durst was financing the lawsuit against Pier 55. Durst, once former chairman of Hudson River Park Trust, had reportedly fallen out with the group, and Diller felt it was a personal attack.

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Battle of the billionaires -

In 2017, Durst confirmed that he had initially funded the City Club's lawsuit, though he told The Villager newspaper that it wasn’t personal. Durst claimed, "I have nothing against Diller—except he said he wishes I had been killed by my brother," referring to his estranged brother Robert Durst, suspected serial killer. Diller subsequently apologized for the comments.

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Other opposition -

Concerns rose about the pier’s impact on aquatic life in the Hudson River, and others complained about the lack of broader public input in the design of the project.

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It was saved by Andrew Cuomo -

The plan was revived 43 days after its cancelation when state governor Andrew Cuomo agreed to provide funding for the park and promised the ecology of the Hudson River estuary would not be negatively impacted. Construction began in April 2018, and was completed in 2021. The Diller family foundation also agreed to fund the upkeep of the park for 20 years, totaling an estimated contribution of a whopping US$380 million.

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People are loving it -

The Little Island ticket site crashed, as a huge number of people were eager to visit. Diller said his dream project was "to build something for the people of New York and for anyone who visits New York— a space that on first sight was dazzling, and upon use made people happy."

Sources: (Engineering News-Record) (Little Island) (Dezeen) (Hypebeast) (Newsweek) (AP News)

See also: Time travel through the futuristic architecture of Zaha Hadid

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