| Little Island at Pier 55 | |
|---|---|
 Little Island (at Pier 55) along the Hudson River with background views of Manhattan | |
 | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Manhattan, New York |
| Coordinates | 40°44′31″N 74°00′37″W / 40.74194°N 74.01028°W |
| Area | 2.4 acres (0.97 ha) |
| Opened | May 21, 2021 |
| Status | Open all year |
| Public transit access | Subway: A, C, E, and L trains to 14th Street/Eighth Avenue NYC Bus: M11, M12, M14D[1] |
| Website | littleisland |
Little Island at Pier 55 (stylized as Little Island @Pier55) is an artificial island and a public park within Hudson River Park, just off the western coast of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, it is near the intersection of West Street and West 13th Street in the Meatpacking District and Chelsea neighborhoods of Manhattan. It is located atop Hudson River's Pier 55, connected to the rest of Hudson River Park by footbridges at 13th and 14th Streets. Little Island has two concession stands, a small stage, and a 687-seat amphitheater.
Little Island covers 2.4 acres (0.97 ha) and is supported by 132 pot-shaped structures (called "tulips") suspended above the water, which in turn stand on 280 concrete pilings extending into the riverbed. The tops of the pots range from 15 to 62 ft (4.6 to 18.9 m) above the mean waterline. Engineer Arup Group oversaw the installation of the pots manufactured in upstate New York by the Fort Miller Company. The park has various lawns, paths, and plants, which were arranged by landscape architect Signe Nielsen. The plantings and soil were engineered to reduce erosion and were also arranged aesthetically.
Plans arose in November 2014 for a new park, known as Pier 55, designed by Heatherwick Studio and largely funded by Barry Diller and Diane von Fürstenberg, with some funding from the New York City and state governments. Originally, construction was to begin in 2015 and the park would have been completed in 2018 or 2019. However, the park's construction was delayed by lawsuits from the City Club of New York. Plans for the park were scrapped in September 2017 due to lawsuits and cost overruns. The next month, the proposal was revived when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo agreed to provide funding for the park. Construction of the structure began in April 2018 and a symbolic cornerstone was laid in December 2018. The project was renamed Little Island in 2019 and opened on May 21, 2021.