[Update] Plug Finally Pulled on the Pier 55 Project in Manhattan

A splashy proposed park to replace Pier 54 in New York City, designed by a starchitect and proposed by a famous billionaire, couldn't weather the storm of controversy in New York City.

1 minute read

September 20, 2017, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

[Update: In October 2017, Media executive Barry Diller reversed course from the story reported below, and announced his intentions to move forward with the project.]

"After years of toe-to-toe battling with a small band of critics and a fellow billionaire, Barry Diller said Wednesday that he was pulling the plug on his family’s commitment to build and operate a $250 million performance center on an undulating pier 186 feet off the Hudson River shoreline," reports Charles V. Bagli.

"Mr. Diller’s decision about the project, called Pier 55, came amid settlement discussions between the Hudson River Park Trust, which was overseeing the project, and the plan’s opponents, a small civic group backed by Douglas Durst of the New York real estate family," adds Bagli.

Planetizen kept a close eye on this project throughout its life in the public eye, including when it suffered its conclusive setback in March 2017, and when it gained a premature "final approval" in April 2016.

FULL STORY: Billionaire Diller’s Plan for Elaborate Pier in the Hudson is Dead

Tuesday, September 19, 2017 in New York Times

Infrastructure Land Use Landscape Architecture New York New York City Manhattan Pier 55 Barry Diller Thomas Heatherwick Controversies Parks View More

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