During the past few years, a portion of Pier 42 was used for pop-up arts and cultural events. It was part of a plan by a local coalition known as “Paths to Pier 42” to reclaim the formerly neglected space near Montgomery Street. The funding ran out in 2015, but now more money has been secured for additional programming this year.
According to State Sen. Daniel Squadron, the NYC Economic Development Corp. has made $50,000 available for the initiative. Here’s more from the senator’s press release:
The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council-spearheaded programming schedule will be part of interim use at the northern portion of the Pier. It will include activities run by Paths to Pier 42 coalition groups, including park greening and clean-up efforts; arts, culture, and ecology activities, and community programming. The programming will kick-off on Saturday, July 23rd with a day of hands-on park improvement activities for all ages. The Paths to Pier 42 coalition includes Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), Hester Street Collaborative, Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, and the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Since 2013, the “Paths to Pier 42” project has brought neighborhood residents, artists, designers and community organizations together to activate Pier 42 on the Lower East Side Waterfront as a temporary park space with collaborative art installations and public events. A true collaborative effort, the project builds on neighborhood advocacy to create more accessible green, open space on the waterfront by increasing access and programming Pier 42 while it awaits permanent transformation.
There’s a $100 million plan to one day create a new permanent park at Pier 42. So far, $28 million has been allocated for the first phase of the project. The start of construction has been repeatedly delayed but is now scheduled for early 2017.
