NEW YORK, NY – March 30, 2023 – New York City will soon gain a new waterfront experience showcasing the city’s culinary and cultural diversity. The new food hall and community spaces at historic Pier 57 in Hudson River Park will open to the public April 1, marking the rebirth of the maritime facility as a vibrant, year-round culinary, cultural, and opeeducational destination.
The space, which was unveiled today at an event with public officials and culinary and community leaders, includes Market 57, a new food hall anchored by the James Beard Foundation (JBF), as well as a series of community and open spaces with programming to foster learning and discovery, all made possible by the support of Google.
“Early in my first term in the Senate, I released the groundbreaking Committee of 35 report about how to remake New York's economy for the future. Exactly three months later, the horrible attacks of 9/11 happened, and key aspects of our long-term plan were implemented by New York City and State in relatively short order. Pier 57's revitalization reflects the spirit of one of our key principles: the need to incentivize balanced development on the far west side of Manhattan, and the crucial importance of integrating new community spaces with offices and homes there,” said Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer. “Community spaces like the Hudson River Park Trust’s Discovery Tank, made possible in part by $750,000 in grants I secured for the organization last year, will inspire newfound appreciation for the city we call home. Congratulations to all who made Pier 57's redevelopment possible, and I look forward to seeing how this space brings together New Yorkers from all walks of life.”
“The reactivation of Pier 57 marks the start of a bright, new chapter along the New York waterfront and serves as a reminder of what makes our state so great,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “From its world-class eateries showcasing the talents of emerging chefs and entrepreneurs to its vibrant classrooms, galleries, and community spaces, the new Pier 57 promises to be a destination that serves New Yorkers and visitors alike. I thank the Hudson River Park Trust and its development partners for their work to transform this historic pier into a neighborhood gem, and I look forward to seeing and experiencing the new facility very soon.”
“Last year, we stood upstairs on the roof of Pier 57 to open up a new public park. Today, as we open brand-new public space, we are taking the next step towards the future of the west side,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Our city is creating vibrant, new public spaces on Fifth Avenue, on Broadway, and, now, on the Hudson River. Google and the visionary partners behind this project are showing that New York City knows how to ‘Get Stuff Done.’”
“New York's working waterfront is central to the City's history, and Pier 57 is a unique and award-winning adaptive reuse of part of that legacy. I'm thrilled to see this project welcome the public back to our water's edge with food, education, public spaces, and more," said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. “Pier 57 has shown what government, local communities, and the private sector can do when they work together. I send my congratulations to HRPT, Google, RXR, Jamestown, JBF, Youngwoo & Associates, the Baupost Group, and all those who helped make today's celebration a reality.”
“With the newest addition of a curated market hall and modern community space, Pier 57 has transformed a maritime industrial area into a model of inclusive and cutting-edge urban design,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal. “In one centralized location, West Siders and beyond will get to experience the great diversity of New York culinary offerings and enjoy a spacious place to gather all year long. I am grateful for Community Board 4 for investing in this project and beautifying the West Side."
"Following last year's unveiling of the rooftop park, today's grand opening of Pier57's new interior spaces represents another step toward the completion of Hudson River Park," said Assemblymember Tony Simone. "This restored historic pier brings new public amenities for the community and all park users, marking an attractive new destination just in time for spring."
“Public gathering spaces are critical in any city, and New York is no exception to that,” said Council Member Erik Bottcher. “That is why I am proud to have such a wonderful space in my District at Pier 57 to help provide a brand new location for residents and New Yorkers to gather this spring and beyond. I want to thank the Hudson River Park Trust, Google, Jamestown, and all the Educational and Nonprofit Organizations here for providing this free, family-friendly programming at this new, world class space.”
"I am thrilled to see the transformation of Pier 57 from a historic shipping terminal to a vibrant cultural destination for all New Yorkers and visitors. The opening of Market 57 and community spaces will not only provide a platform for emerging chefs and entrepreneurs, but also foster learning and discovery for our community,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “I look forward to the continued growth and success of Manhattan’s newest cultural space.”
"The opening of the ground floor of Pier 57 marks an exciting milestone as we celebrate the transformation of this historic maritime facility into a year-round culinary and community destination," said Noreen Doyle, President & CEO, Hudson River Park Trust. "From the enormous sunlit Living Room to the environmental tech games in the Discovery Tank, not to mention the rooftop park and array of diverse food offerings and experiences from City Winery, the James Beard Foundation and local vendors, Pier 57 continues to deliver on the Park’s longstanding commitments to the community. Pier 57 offers something for everyone to enjoy, from native New Yorkers to tourists, and will be a wonderful addition to our waterfront park."
“We’re thrilled to add Pier 57 to Google’s New York campus, but we’re even more excited about the community spaces we’ve created with our partners for New Yorkers and visitors alike.” said Ellen West, Site Lead at Google NYC. “At Pier 57, you can engage with New York’s vibrant food scene, diverse culture and storied public spaces - all in an amazing landmark that honors the city’s heritage.”
“Pier 57 is a symbol of New York's resilience and innovation,” said Michael Phillips, President of Jamestown. “It’s a testament to our collective commitment to preserving our history, while forging a brighter future that celebrates the richness of our community and the power of entrepreneurship. Through Market 57, Google and the James Beard Foundation have created an equitable engagement platform that showcases the incredibly diverse American culinary culture. The Pier’s ample community and open spaces amplify and expand the power of that platform, creating a new community gathering place for the neighborhood and city.”
MARKET 57
The Pier’s newest dining destination, Market 57 – a food hall with a focus on women- and BIPOC-owned food concepts – serves as a platform for emerging chefs and entrepreneurs who have been underrepresented in the culinary industry. Curated by Jamestown with input from JBF, Market 57’s vendors are aligned with JBF’s mission of championing a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability, and include:
- Ammi
- Bessou
- Bird & Branch
- Due Madri
- Local Roots
- LoLo’s on the Water
- Malai
- Mijo
- Mothershuckers
- Nom Wah
- Harlem Hops
- The Galley by Lobster Place
- The Good Batch
- Ras Plant Based
- Zaab Zaab
Market 57 also includes Good To Go by JBF, an incubator for fast-casual concepts featuring rotating menus from operators who embody JBF’s mission and values. The kiosk will be a place where innovation from emerging talent meets sustainable, ethically sourced, and accessible food. In addition to the incubator space, JBF will bring its Good Food for Good® mission to life in Market 57 with Platform by the James Beard Foundation, a modern showcase kitchen and educational space featuring culinary arts programming and events—including a rotating chefs-in-residence program set to launch in May.
“This is a momentous occasion for the James Beard Foundation as we embark on a new culinary journey at one of NYC’s most anticipated food destinations,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “We are extending our mission and brand to a global audience year-round, and bringing ‘Good Food For Good’ to life, like never before. We thank Google, Jamestown, and all our supporters, for making this project possible–and look forward to welcoming visitors to celebrate the best in American food culture, and a more sustainable, equitable, and delicious food future for all.”
Tickets to Platform by JBF events are now on sale. To access the calendar of offerings, and reserve your tickets today, visit: platformbyjbf.org.
COMMUNITY SPACES
In addition to Market 57, the grand opening includes a series of community spaces designed to promote gathering, dialogue, and learning. Spaces include three bookable community classrooms provided to community organizations and nonprofits free-of-charge with the support of Google. These flexible rooms are equipped with modular furniture and audio-visual systems, making them adaptable to a wide range of uses and events.
The grand opening also includes a 7,400-square-foot public gathering place – called the Living Room – located on the ground floor of the Pier’s southern edge. The Living Room features seating and tables for people to connect and gather, providing visitors with views of Hudson River Park, lower Manhattan, and Hudson River, and is an important aspect of the project's commitment to provide more open space for the public to enjoy.
The community spaces will be activated with a wide range of free, public programming. The inaugural schedule of events features programming from the Children’s Museum of the Arts, Coding Space, Counseling in Schools, Smartworks, and Street Lab.
"The opening of Pier 57 makes for another extraordinary repurposing of an historic pier, and with a world class food hall, it will be a tremendous year-round community asset," said Jeffrey LeFrancois, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 4. "With offerings from the best up and coming chefs in the city, it’ll be a one-of-a-kind visit for neighbors and visitors alike. Pier 57 also provides education and programming, offices and top-notch dining, it will be a hub of activity distinct among piers on Manhattan's waterfront, and it starts an exciting new chapter for this corner of New York City."
Alongside the community spaces, Hudson River Park will operate an interactive technology-powered gallery and classroom known as the Discovery Tank. The Discovery Tank invites visitors of all ages to explore the Hudson River through a series of fun and engaging games focused on local wildlife that will be free and open to the public. Schools, summer camps, and after school programs can also visit the Discovery Tank during field trip opportunities hosted by Hudson River Park.
HISTORY
Market 57 and the community spaces on the ground floor are part of the revitalization of Pier 57 envisioned by the Hudson River Park Trust over a decade ago. Led by RXR, Youngwoo & Associates, and The Baupost Group, the consortium of partners embarked on a $410 million redevelopment of the Pier where Google serves as the anchor tenant. The overall redevelopment also includes one of New York City’s largest public rooftop parks and City Winery. In 2018, Google expanded their lease to include 50,000 square feet on the ground floor to be used for new community amenities. That ground floor space, which opens on April 1, comprises Market 57, the Discovery Tank, Living Room, and the bookable community classrooms. Jamestown is developing, curating, and delivering it on behalf of Google.
“Pier 57 demonstrates how an innovative private partnership can transform a dilapidated pier into an incubator for talent, culture, and community,” said Scott Rechler, CEO and Chairman of RXR. “Market 57 represents the best of what can be created when we work together – a dynamic, thoughtfully curated food hall in partnership with Google, Jamestown, and the James Beard Foundation that supports a diverse and vibrant community of vendors. Plus, Google’s designation of office space and classrooms for nonprofits and local organizations at Pier 57 exhibits the level of community commitment and collaboration that strengthens the social fiber of the neighborhood. Congratulations to all the teams involved in this long-awaited grand opening!”
The reactivation of the Pier honors its original design while introducing new elements that enrich the local community. Pier 57 was originally built of wood in 1907 and used as a shipping terminal. After burning in 1947, the Pier was reconstructed in 1952 by the New York City Department of Marine and Aviation. Designed by Emil H. Praeger, Pier 57 is considered an engineering marvel due to its innovative use of three hollow concrete caissons to support the main structure, rather than traditional pylons. It reopened in 1954 as the terminal for the Grace Line. Pier 57 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a significant part of New York City’s history.
The ground floor at Pier 57, located within Hudson River Park at West 15th Street, will open its doors to the public on Saturday, April 1, at 11:00 a.m. ET. Starting Sunday, April 2, Market 57 will be open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET. Pier 57’s rooftop park and Living Room space will be open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. ET. For more information about Pier 57, please visit: www.pier57nyc.com.
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About Pier 57
Located within Hudson River Park at West 15th Street, Pier 57 is a year-round community destination that celebrates New York City’s culinary and cultural diversity. It includes plentiful public open and community spaces, both indoors and outdoors, where visitors can gather for a waterfront experience filled with food, art, culture, nature, and more. Its public open and community spaces include a new rooftop park stewarded by Hudson River Park Trust, bookable community classrooms, and public gathering place called the Living Room. The ground floor is home to Market 57, a food hall with 15 vendors, as well as a mission-centered showcase kitchen called PLATFORM by JBF and a rotating chef residency program called Good to Go by JBF, all curated by culinary nonprofit the James Beard Foundation. Market 57 serves as an incubator for local small businesses and food entrepreneurs with a focus on women- and BIPOC-owned food concepts.
Originally built in 1907 as a shipping and storage terminal and reconstructed by the NYC Department of Marine and Aviation in 1952, Pier 57 has become a significant part of NYC’s history and earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Thanks to the joint efforts between Hudson River Park Trust, Google, Jamestown, James Beard Foundation, RXR, Youngwoo & Associates, and The Baupost Group, Pier 57 was thoughtfully redeveloped as a community destination with public spaces and a rooftop park, community events and a market hall while adaptively reusing the historic building.
About Hudson River Park Trust
Hudson River Park extends from Chambers Street to 59th Street along Manhattan’s west side and includes dozens of unique piers and landscapes. This free, urban recreational oasis is home to award-winning skate parks, playgrounds, sports fields, gardens and nature exhibits, boating and maritime activities, art installations, and myriad year-round events that celebrate the diverse cultures and neighborhoods along its shores. The financially self-supporting Park, which has transformed four miles of decaying piers and parking lots into a premier New York City destination for local residents and visitors alike, plays a critical role in protecting the Hudson River ecosystem, and is being planned, constructed, developed and operated by the Hudson River Park Trust. For more information, please visit www.hudsonriverpark.org, or follow the Park on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @HudsonRiverPark.
About RXR
RXR is an innovative investor, developer and place-maker committed to applying a customer and community-centered approach to building properties, services, and products that create enduring value for all stakeholders. Headquartered in New York with a national platform strategy, RXR is a 500+ person, vertically integrated operating and development company with expertise in a wide array of value creation activities, including ground up real estate, infrastructure and industrial development, uncovering value in underperforming properties, repurposing well-located iconic properties, incorporating cutting edge technologies and value-added lending. The RXR platform manages 93 commercial real estate properties and investments with an aggregate gross asset value of approximately $20.7 billion, comprising approximately 30.5 million square feet of commercial properties, a multi-family residential portfolio of approximately 8,800 units under operation or development, and control of development rights for an additional approximately 3,500 multi-family and for sale units as of December 31, 2022. Gross asset value compiled by RXR in accordance with company fair value measurement policy and is comprised of capital invested by RXR and its partners, as well as leverage.
About Youngwoo & Associates
Founded in 1979, Young Woo & Associates (YWA) has identified and developed a variety of specialized projects in the NY metro area and throughout the United States. The firm has earned a reputation as one of the most innovative developers, largely the result of YWA’s unique ability to apply creative solutions to emerging lifestyle trends, implement bold design with new technology and, most importantly, identify up-and-coming locations ripe for creative development.
About The Baupost Group
The Baupost Group is a Boston-based investment manager with a long-term, value-oriented approach. Since 1982, the firm has been thoughtfully stewarding and compounding capital on behalf of families, foundations and endowments, as well as employees who collectively are the firm’s largest client. Baupost manages roughly $26 billion with a broad and flexible charter, investing in a wide range of asset classes, including significant holdings in publicly traded debt and equity securities, private debt, real estate, and private equity. CEO and Portfolio Manager Seth Klarman has overseen Baupost’s investments from the company’s inception.
About Google
Google first came to New York in 2000 and has been a dedicated partner to the city and state since. With over 12,000 employees in the state, Google knows New York is one of the most important talent pools in the world because of its unparalleled entrepreneurial and creative energy. Through Grow with Google workforce development programs, local Google.org grant initiatives, continued building development and various public-private partnerships, Google intends to be a staple to New York’s economic growth, a vital member of the community and a leader of New York’s recovery.
About Jamestown
Jamestown is a global, design-focused real estate investment and management firm with a 40-year track record and mission to create places that inspire. Since its founding in 1983, Jamestown has executed transactions totaling approximately $40 billion. As of December 31, 2022, Jamestown has assets under management of $13.2 billion and a portfolio spanning key markets throughout the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. Jamestown employs more than 500 people worldwide with headquarters in Atlanta and Cologne, and offices in Amsterdam, Bogotá, Boston, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Current and previous projects include One Times Square and Chelsea Market in New York, Industry City in Brooklyn, Ponce City Market in Atlanta, Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, the Innovation and Design Buildings in Boston and Lisbon, and Groot Handelsgebouw in Rotterdam. For more information, visit www.jamestownlp.com.
About the James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation (JBF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that celebrates and supports the people behind America’s food culture, while pushing for new standards in the restaurant industry to create a future where all have the opportunity to thrive. Established over 30 years ago, the Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives and is committed to supporting a resilient and flourishing industry that honors its diverse communities. By amplifying new voices, celebrating those leading the way, and supporting those on the path to do so, the Foundation is working to create a more equitable and sustainable future—what we call Good Food for Good®. JBF brings its mission to life through the annual Awards, industry and community-focused programs, advocacy, partnerships, and events across the country. For the first time in the Foundation’s history, exceptional culinary talent, industry leaders, and visitors from NYC and beyond can experience unforgettable dining and educational programming at PLATFORM by JBF—and be the first to try new food concepts at the Good To Go by JBF kiosk—inspiring food and beverage devotees for decades to come. Learn more at jamesbeard.org, sign up for our newsletter, and follow @beardfoundation on social media.
