New York, NY (January 28, 2022) – The James Beard Foundation (JBF), a national culinary nonprofit organization, will be the anchor tenant of a new food hall opening at Pier 57 as part of the $400 million redevelopment of the property. Jamestown, a design-focused real estate investment and management firm, will develop, curate, and deliver the food hall for Google, RXR, Youngwoo & Associates, and the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT).
“The James Beard Foundation is committed to celebrating, supporting, and elevating the people behind America’s food culture,” said Kris Moon, President and COO of JBF. “Pier 57 is an exciting opportunity to bring our Good Food for Good™ philosophy to both the industry and food lovers as part of a vibrant, community-centered space.”
“From the get-go, our goals for Pier 57 have included introducing unique and engaging uses for the public to enjoy within the engineering marvel that is Pier 57,” said Noreen Doyle, President & CEO of the Hudson River Park Trust. “Gaining the mission-based James Beard Foundation as the anchor food market tenant and Jamestown as the creative management team overseeing the market and other community spaces are wins for both Hudson River Park and the public.”
The James Beard Foundation will operate a mission-centered showcase kitchen, dining and demonstration space, and vendor kiosk featuring new chef-driven, fast-casual concepts selected by the James Beard Foundation. The food hall, which will be curated by Jamestown in partnership with JBF, will also be home to an additional 17 kiosk vendors and will serve as an incubator for local small businesses and food entrepreneurs aligned with the Foundation’s mission of championing a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability.
Google selected Jamestown to develop and manage the public areas within its space at Pier 57, similar to its partnership at Chelsea Market, where Jamestown manages ground floor leasing and programming for Google.
In addition to the food hall, Google is providing a series of community spaces, which also will be managed by Jamestown. These include rooms with flexible layouts that will be available for booking by local nonprofits, community organizations, cultural groups, and more, and a public gathering place—called the Living Room—located on the ground floor of the Pier’s southern edge. The Living Room will include seating and tables for people to connect and gather and provide visitors with views of the Pier, nearby Little Island, lower Manhattan, and Hudson River.
“Pier 57’s many publicly-accessible spaces will enhance neighborhood connectivity and provide new access to the waterfront,” said Michael Phillips, President of Jamestown. “The food hall will further diversify Chelsea’s vibrant food scene, while also fostering and incubating local entrepreneurship.”
“We’re excited to help bring Pier 57 back to life as both a community amenity and cornerstone of our New York City presence,” said Torrence Boone, Vice President of Global Client Partnerships and Site Leader for Google New York. “Together with Jamestown, we will deliver a dynamic experience-driven food, retail, and cultural destination at Pier 57 that connects to and supports the broader Chelsea community and beyond.”
The food hall and community spaces at Pier 57 are part of the $400 million redevelopment of the property, where Google is serving as the anchor office tenant. RXR is spearheading the overall redevelopment, which also includes an events space and restaurant from City Winery, classroom and gallery space for the HRPT, two additional full-service restaurants, and a public rooftop park.
“RXR is delighted to welcome the James Beard Foundation to Pier 57 - and to support JBF’s vision of food-based educational and community enrichment,” said William Elder, EVP Managing Director Leasing NYC. “RXR - along with partner Youngwoo & Associates, has developed and repurposed this historic site to create a home for innovative initiatives like this.”
The food hall and community spaces are expected to open to the public by fall 2022.
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About Jamestown
Jamestown is a global, design-focused real estate investment and management firm with a 38-year track record and mission to create places that inspire. Since its founding in 1983, Jamestown has executed transactions in excess of $35 billion. As of September 30, 2021, Jamestown has assets under management of $13.1 billion and a portfolio spanning key markets throughout the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. Jamestown employs more than 400 people worldwide with headquarters in Atlanta and Cologne, and offices in Amsterdam, Bogotá, Boston, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, 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 Building in Boston, and Groot Handelsgebouw in Rotterdam. For more information, visit www.jamestownlp.com.
About the James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation promotes Good Food For Good™. For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives. Through the variety of industry programs that educate and empower leaders in our community, the Foundation has asserted the power of food to drive behavior, culture, and policy change. The organization is committed to giving chefs a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious for everyone. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the James Beard Foundation launched the Open for Good campaign to ensure that independent restaurants not only survive, but that the industry is able to rebuild stronger than before. For more information, subscribe to the digital newsletter Beard Bites and follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. The James Beard Foundation is a national not-for-profit 501©(3) organization based in New York City.
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 Google
Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
About RXR
Headquartered in New York with a national platform strategy, RXR is a 500+ person, vertically integrated real estate operating and development company with expertise in a wide array of value creation activities, including ground up real estate development, uncovering value in underperforming properties, repurposing well-located iconic properties, incorporating cutting edge real estate technologies and value-added lending. The RXR platform manages 80 commercial real estate properties and investments with an aggregate gross asset value of $21.8 billion, comprising approximately 29.5 million square feet of commercial properties and a multi-family residential portfolio of approximately 7,500 units under operation or development. 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. For more information, please visit: www.rxrrealty.com.
About Pier 57
Pier 57 is located within Hudson River Park between W14th St and W 17th St. The Pier which is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, was historically used for Grace lines cruises through 1967. Between 1967 and 2003, it was used as a bus garage and maintenance facility by the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transportation Operating Authority, a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). On March 30, 2016, following environmental review and a public review process conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Hudson River Park Act, the Hudson River Park Trust’s Board of Directors voted to approve a lease with Super P57 LLC. The lease allows historic Pier 57 to be restored and redeveloped into a mixed-use development with retail, office and public open space, among other uses. RXR, Youngwoo & Associates, and specific investment partners then secured the construction loans, designed the site layout and logistics, restored and developed the site, and negotiated tenant agreements that supported public engagement and community benefits.
