Thomas Heatherwick’s 2.4-acre Chelsea park at Pier 55, aka Little Island, continue

s to take shape above the Hudson River. Funnel-shaped concrete pots have been installed on the western end of the project, which reaches 62 feet high at its peak. Large black sheets are spread out across the tops of the sloped surfaces, most likely indicating that a concrete pour recently occurred. These pots will form the floor underneath a rolling terrain of landscaped hills, an amphitheater, and abundant greenery. The park is being built with a total of 132 piles that will hold each section 15 to 62 feet above sea level. Work is being managed by the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT), and MNLA is designing the landscaping.

Viewed from across the Hudson River from Hoboken, the perimeter of the park appears substantially finis

hed with only the inside piles and pods of the structure left to be completed. The old arched frame for the Cunard Pier 54 has been left standing untouched at the southern entrance to Little Island, but its steel is due to refurbished sometime this year. This entrance will lead to a slightly inclined walkway that traverses underneath several of the precast concrete pots, while a secondary entrance to the north will bend around the park.
A small lone pine tree was spotted at the highest point of Pier 55. When finished, the park will be home to over 100 species of trees and shrubs.