Pier 42 (East River) facts for kids
Pier 42 is a cool spot located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. For many years, it was the very last working pier on the Manhattan side of the East River where big cargo ships would unload their goods. It operated from 1963 until 1987. Since the early 2010s, there have been exciting plans to transform Pier 42 into a brand-new public park for everyone to enjoy.
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A Busy Past
In the middle of the 1800s, most of New York's sea trade moved to the deeper waters of the Hudson River. The streets along the East River, where Pier 42 is, became home to factories and later apartment buildings for many immigrant families. The area right across from Pier 42 stayed industrial for a few more decades.
Shipping Goods
Pier 42 itself was built in 1963. It was designed to handle newsprint, which is the paper used for newspapers. Back then, a huge amount of goods arriving in the United States by ship came through New York. For example, about 935 million bananas arrived at Pier 42 every year from Ecuador!
The pier received its very last shipment, a load of bananas, in November 1987. After that, it closed down as a cargo pier. This happened because it became too expensive to move goods this way, and the neighborhoods along the waterfront were starting to be developed for homes instead of industry. This marked the end of Manhattan's time as a major international shipping port.
Becoming a Park
After the pier closed, it sat empty for almost 20 years. Meanwhile, the areas on either side of it were turned into a series of parks that are part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. This greenway is a path that goes almost all the way around the island of Manhattan.
Funding for Parks
After the events of September 11, 2001, money from the government became available to help rebuild and improve lower Manhattan. This funding helped expand park projects in the area.
When Hurricane Sandy hit in October 2012, it caused a lot of flooding in the neighborhood around Pier 42. This made local groups realize that the new park should also help protect the area from future storms. They wanted Pier 42 to be a "soft storm barrier" to help manage floodwaters.
Community Involvement
While the park was being designed, a temporary project called "Paths to Pier 42" brought people from the neighborhood, artists, and community groups together. They created temporary art and held public events on the pier. This helped everyone imagine how the space could be used and made the waterfront more open and green for the community.
Park Design
Today, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects is working on the design for this eight-acre waterfront park. The plans focus on creating a relaxing space for people to enjoy. It will also include features that act as soft barriers against storm surges, help marine life, and offer chances to learn about the environment. To remember the pier's industrial past, part of the old storage building's frame will be kept and used as a pavilion. The first part of the park, closer to the land, was planned to open in 2021.
