Pier 40

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Coordinates: 40°43′45″N 74°00′45″W / 40.72917°N 74.01250°W / 40.72917; -74.01250
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Pier 40
Pier 40 at Hudson River Park, The Pier
Bus: M21
OwnerState of New York
City of New York
OperatorHudson River Park Trust
TypeMulti-purpose
Seating typeMovable bleachers
Field size400 × 400 feet
Field shapeSquare
Acreage15
SurfaceTurf
Construction
Broke groundJuly 31, 1958[1]
OpenedOctober 24, 1962 (as ship terminal)[2][3]
May 12, 2005 (as Hudson River Park)[4][5]
Renovated1998–2005
Construction cost$19 million
Tenants
New York Knights

Pier 40 (officially known as Pier 40 at Hudson River Park) is a

sports facility, and former marine terminal at the west end of Houston Street in Manhattan, New York, within Hudson River Park. It is home to the New York Knights of the USA Rugby League
, though it is primarily used by youth and high school athletics.

Pier 40 was originally one of five "finger" piers numbered 37 through 41, which were owned by the

Westway expressway proposal, with plans to use the pier for parking. Pier 40 was redesignated as parkland in 1998; several options for the structure were proposed, including redevelopment as a soccer stadium or an entertainment complex.[6]
It reopened in 2005 as a sporting complex within Hudson River Park.

The former cargo terminal is the largest structure in Hudson River Park, with an area of 14.5 acres (5.9 ha),

soccer, boat building,[8] rowing
, trapeze arts, and rugby among others. Despite its popularity, the terminal is dilapidated and sinking into the Hudson River, and was previously proposed for closure due to its deteriorated condition.

History

Cargo terminal and parking lot

The side of Pier 40.

Prior to the construction of Pier 40, five city-owned "finger" piers were located at the site. From south to north, these were Pier 37 (at Charlton Street), Pier 38 (at King Street), Pier 39 (at West Houston Street), Pier 40 (at Clarkson Street), and Pier 41 (at Leroy Street). Companies using the piers in the early 20th century included the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W), and the Atlantic Transport Line. By the 1950s, the piers were used by the DL&W and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.[9][10][11][12]

The current Pier 40 was proposed as a passenger and cargo terminal in February 1956 by the city's

New York Passenger Ship Terminal in Hell's Kitchen in 1974.[17][18] Pier 40 ceased serving ships at that time, and ended all operations around 1983.[17][18]

Following the cessation of maritime operations, in 1982 the Pier was purchased by the

Westway project.[16][18] Under the New York State Department of Transportation's operations,[19] its primary use was as a parking complex for cars, buses and trucks, as well as commercial warehousing.[18][20][3] Bus, truck, and warehousing activity ended in 2004.[21][22][23]

Park use

The facility was rededicated under the

$6 million in operating revenue and 40 percent of the entire park's annual operating budget.[6][32]

Following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the pier was closed after being engulfed by more than 12 feet (3.7 m) of water.[33] The fields reopened on December 19 following a $50,000 donation to fix the damaged turf surface,[34] while full power was restored by spring 2013.[35]

Condition and use

Drone photograph of Pier 40

Pier 40's design resembles a square

donut, with the three decks hollowed in the center by the central courtyard.[13][30][36] The outer facade consists of tan brick and blue-grey enamel.[13] The outer decks, also referred to by the Hudson River Park Trust as the pier's "shed", are 175 feet (53 m) wide.[36] The pier's base is made of concrete.[10][36] Extending 810 feet (250 m) west out of Manhattan island over the Hudson River,[36][37] the pier is held up by more than 3,500 steel H-pile girders reinforced by concrete sunk into the river.[9][36] At the southwest corner of the site is a "finger pier" extending a further 142 feet (43 m) west.[36]

According to several reports, the Pier is severely dilapidated and gradually sinking into the

1970s fiscal crisis. The turf field is also subject to flooding and warping after heavy precipitation, even though turf fields are typically designed to optimize drainage.[36] In spite of the revenue the facility generates, Hudson River Park officials have discussed closing the park due to the $7 million annual financial burden required to maintain it.[6][21][22][30]

As a marine terminal

The pier's three decks were used for the loading and unloading of cars, taxis, and trucks, which alleviated congestion on local streets. The ground floor was dedicated to cargo operations, with the central courtyard utilized for the parking and loading of up to 350 trucks simultaneously. The second floor was used for passenger operations, serving taxis picking up arriving passengers, and featuring a furnished waiting room. The roof served as parking for over 700 cars, and ramps connected the three levels.[2][13]

As Hudson River Park

Pier 40's adult baseball field (top), and the walkway and netting circumscribing the field (bottom).

The pier's outer decks now act as a parking garage. The car park, a self-parking facility, has a 1,700-car capacity (formerly accommodating approximately 2,000) and serves over 1,500 drivers.[21][22][23]

The upper-level recreational area, opened in 1998, features two fields (one small field and one soccer field) and a "flying trapeze" operated by the Trapeze School of New York.[21][24][39][40] The fields were resurfaced in 2004.[41] The rooftop field measures 120 by 210 feet (37 by 64 m).[42]

The 400-by-400-foot (120 by 120 m) main athletic field at ground level (called the courtyard field) is constructed of modern

goal posts and practice sleds. Several movable soccer goals are also located around the ground floor field, which can be set up into two or four soccer pitches covering each half or each corner of the field respectively.[40][42] At some point, black nets were installed around the field to prevent balls from flying into the asphalt walkway that surrounds the perimeter of the sports field. The facility also features twelve stadium lighting fixtures, allowing night games to be played.[45]

Prior to 2008,

high school baseball games could not be played at Pier 40. This was because the portable mounds owned by the facility, which were 13 feet (4.0 m) in diameter, did not meet the specifications of the league. The portable mounds (as opposed to a permanent dirt mound) were required to maintain the multi-purpose status of the field. In 2008, after lobbying by the nearby Stuyvesant High School, a new mound was purchased from an Iowa-based company that was 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter. The new mound, consisting of a center and two side pieces, was the first mound of its kind, and allowed for PSAL league games to be played.[43][46]

Spaces on the southern side of the pier are occupied by several nonprofit organizations such as the Village Community Boathouse, the River Project, and New York Outrigger, as well as a commercial a kayak shop. The Village Community Boathouse builds and stores traditional wooden rowboats there.

Whitehall gigs, are launched at least twice weekly for free public rowing trips up and down the Hudson River.[49] There is also a mooring field, maintained by the Hudson River Park Trust, that offers seasonal and daily moorings for recreational sail and motor boats.[50]

Future development

Pier 40's entrance

When established as a park in 1998, Pier 40 was zoned for exclusively entertainment and retail purposes, with half of the pier required to be set aside for recreation.[22][24][25] Because of the facility's condition, several proposals have been made to increase revenue to the park for repairs, which were estimated to cost anywhere between tens and hundreds of millions of dollars.[33] A 2012 proposal from local real estate developer and former Friends of Hudson River Park chairman Douglas Durst would consolidate the current parking facilities from a self-park to three-level stacked parking, freeing up 500,000 square feet on the roof for commercial space. The plan did not gain support.[21][33] A 2014 proposal would demolish and redevelop the building across the street into a residential and retail facility over the course of 10 years, which would require the sale of Pier 40's air rights but would generate an estimated $100 million in revenue.[6][51] This plan was reportedly canceled following public and political opposition.[52]

In 2012, reports surfaced that the then-new

soccer stadium at the Pier 40 site. Renderings of this proposed stadium were leaked online.[53] The plan was scrapped in 2015 due to local opposition.[54][55]

Tenants

Professional

Amateur and youth

References

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pier 40 (Manhattan).
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