A Beach on the Hudson River? All About Gansevoort Peninsula’s New Beach

By Kaelie Piscitello

Manhattan will soon open its first beach, but don’t get too excited about swimming! The beach, located on Gansevoort Peninsula, will have many activities for travelers to experience; however, they cannot take a dip in the Hudson River.

Due to the known contamination of the Hudson River, where the beach will be located, the city will prohibit swimming but people can still indulge in some of the other beach-related activities the site will offer.

Manhattan Beach

The Hudson River Park Trust hired James Corner Field Operations to build the beach along the Hudson on Gansevoort Peninsula in 2019.

The construction recently began in May 2023. The beach will have a rocky terrain and provide access to the Hudson River for non-motorized boats, such as kayaks.

Additionally, a large sports field will attach to the beach area along with an adult fitness space and dog run.

The active parts of the beach will allow travelers to add more physical activity to their beach day experience instead of swimming.

Why Beach-Goers Can’t Swim in the Hudson

Due to the pollution in the Hudson River, Manhattan will forbid visitors from swimming at its beach, making the sandy dunes more of a place where people sunbathe and work on their tans.

In scientific terms, the Hudson was polluted by a spill of 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PBCs–a banned chemical that can cause low birth weight in babies, learning and immune disorders, and thyroid problems.

Because of the harmful PCBs scattered throughout its waters, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or the EPA, has named the Hudson River on its National Priorities List of the country’s most hazardous waste sites since 1984.

The EPA leads and endorses a Hudson River cleanup project to combat the river’s contamination. So far, the Hudson River Cleanup has dredged up 2.65 million cubic yards of contaminated river sediment between the years 2009-2015.

In the past few years, the team also focused on repopulating some of the area’s native species, including aquatic plants.

Today, the Hudson River Cleanup team focuses on an operation, maintenance, and monitoring (OM&M) program. The plan involves observing the river’s water, sediment, fish, and general habitat.

Construction of the Beach

In addition to the sports facilities and the beach, James Corner Field Operations has decided to include walking paths on the beach by the Hudson River. Beach loungers can also stop at the small concession stand to buy snacks or lunch.

Additionally, the company intends to add several more elements to the beach during winter, including a boardwalk and lawn made of passive and synthetic turf.

While they add features such as the boardwalk, James Corner Field Operations also says they will add more utilities to the beach in the winter months of 2023 and 2024.

Regarding the previous businesses that occupied the land, the FDNY Marine Company 1 will remain at Pier 53 when the beach opens for summer relaxation.

Art on the Beach

In addition to the amenities and sports activities proposed by the beach construction company, a public art installation currently displays at the beach.

“Day’s End” by David Hammon poses as a shrine to an older artwork that shared its name created by Gordon Matta-Clark.

This piece of interpretive art offers the beach an industrial feel with its tall, metal poles shaping straight lines by the rocks.

The skeletal structure stands at 325 ft. long and is now one of New York’s largest public art installations and follows the original design and outline of the piece created by Matta-Clark once posed.

Now a permanent work of art, Hammon completed his “Day’s End” back in 2021, and it serves as a shrine to the changes New York has faced over the years.

The structure presents an entirely open space, and it appears something should fill it but the bareness makes the piece beautiful.

The landscape of the surrounding nature and city becomes part of the structure and completes it, showing what New York looks like. Manhattan’s changing but stagnant background makes the piece unique every day.

Good Old New York City: It’s a Good Day