Friday, January 21st, 2011

The Hudson River pier at 64th Street which spent years slowly falling apart into the water was removed last weekend, according to City Room.  Pier D, a twisted mass of iron that served as a loading and unloading site for New York Central Railroad boxcars from barges moving down the Hudson River, was originally built of wood in the 1880′s, rebuilt with a steel frame after a 1922 fire, and finally abandoned in 1971 after a second fire.  For the past few decades, although the mass of metal has been rusting and eroding into the water, it had been left untouched, with many lauding the structure as an “accidental treasure.”  When Riverside Park South plans came out, Pier D was set to be demolished along with its pier to the south known as Spaghetti Pier (at 62nd).  However, by the time the area was developed, Pier D was spared, and only Spaghetti Pier was demolished.  Now, a Parks Department rep reasons, “Out of appreciation for its accidental sculptural forms, the structure was left in place over the last eight years, without any remedial work.”  This is partially true, as the pier was almost demolished in 2003 before Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, a fan of the piers, rushed to the site and ordered the work stopped.  The pier was reportedly removed now because, in its dilapidated state, it could collapse into the Hudson River, causing a hazard to navigation.  Seemingly, to avoid an almost-certain backlash, the Parks Department removed the pier quickly and quietly on an icy January weekend.  Read more about Pier D at City Room, and check out photos of the Pier throughout recent years at Gothamist.

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Tags: Adrian Benepe, Department of Parks & Recreation, Fire, Landmarks, Pier, Pier D, Piers, Removal, Spaghetti Pier