Pier 57

About

Pier 57 is a pier and building on the east bank of the Hudson River, along the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Opened in 1954, it sits at the end of 15th Street on Eleventh Avenue (West Side Highway). Pier 57 was designed by Emil H. Praeger and constructed by engineering firm Madigan-Hyland. It includes a headhouse facing the street and a pier shed facing the river, which are arranged to form a two-story, T-shaped building. The pier is underpinned by three submerged, buoyant concrete caissons, which contain the building's basement. The first and second stories contain office space and a food court, and there is a roof garden above. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The original Pier 57, built in 1907, was leased to the Grace Line before it burned down in 1947. Madigan-Hyland, which conducted engineering studies for a replacement pier, found that it was infeasible to reuse the original pier's pilings, so Praeger drew up plans for a floating pier. Construction on the replacement pier began on August 30, 1950, and the caissons were installed in 1952; the new pier was dedicated on March 5, 1954. Though the terminal formally opened in December 1954, it was not used by ships until early 1955. It was originally used by the Grace Line, which vacated the building and pier in 1967, after which the pier remained idle for several years.