Pictured here in August 2009, the pier is now complete

A new playground, skate park, turf field, and esplanade are the newest additions to Hudson River Park. Pier 25, located at N. Moore Street west of Tribeca, opened November 4th, welcoming visitors to the largest open space built in Manhattan since Central Park.

The Hudson River Park Trust rebuilt the pier over the past two years with funding from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Visitors are already using the new space, and by spring will be enjoying even more new features that are currently in the final construction phases. Among them are a mini-golf course, sand volleyball court, comfort station, and small-boat mooring stations and community dock.

Construction continues on neighboring Pier 26, which will be home to a public boathouse, park café, and Hudson River Park “estuarium.” The boathouse/café building will begin construction this fall and will open to boaters and park visitors in the spring of 2012. The estuarium is still in development by the Hudson River Park Trust and its partners, the state Department of Environmental Conservation; Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation; as well as the city Department of Parks and Recreation and the Port Authority. The Port Authority has provided an initial capital grant of $5 million to seed the project and the Department of State has provided an additional $335,000 matching grant for planning and design.

“Hudson River Park is more evidence of the innovative ways New York is meeting the public’s demand for parks and outdoor recreation spaces,” said Governor David Paterson. “The transformation of Pier 25 into an urban park unlike any other will enhance the experiences of city dwellers and countless tourists visiting New York’s waterfront. It is a wonderful example of the city, state and federal governments working in partnership to revitalize Lower Manhattan.”