See It: Little Island Park Opens Next To Hudson River

LOWER MANHATTAN, NY — Lower Manhattan has a new public park as the Little Island welcomed New Yorkers for the first time on Friday. The 2.4 acres of green space sits along the Hudson River near 13th Street.

The idea for the park was conceived eight years ago by mega-mogul Barry Diller, who partnered with the Hudson River Park Trust in 2013 to help recreate the Pier 54 and Pier 55 space damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Diller spearheaded the creation of the park along with his wife and famous designer Diane von Furstenberg. The well-funded couple poured in $260 million to make the island come to life at the border of Greenwich Village and Chelsea.

The park will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., with timed reservations required from noon to 8 p.m. All admission is free, and you can arrange a time to visit online here, or in person at the park's entrance.

Some of the major summer season events within the park will include:

• A concert with the award-winning Broadway Inspirational Voices
• A Pride weekend celebration with Tina Landau and her many Broadway Friends
• The New York City live-performance return of American Ballet Theatre
• A revival of a Little Orchestra Society’s fan-favorite program Things That Go Bang!
• A weekend of music from the islands curated by the World Music Institute

The architecture of the park includes an exterior supported by a structure that is made up of 280 concrete piles, which emerge from in between the leftover wood piles of Pier 54. The top of the space boasts 132 concrete Tulips, with hundreds of plants, flowers, and trees growing throughout.

Here are some pictures of the Little Island: