Pier 35

Pier 35 is a public pier park on the East River at Cherry Street on the Lower East Side, one of several new waterfront access points created along Manhattan's eastern shore. The pier provides open space and river views in a neighborhood that was historically cut off from its waterfront by the FDR Drive.

The pier was designed by the landscape architecture firm SHOP Architects and features a distinctive series of sculptural shade canopies, seating areas, and an open lawn that slopes gently toward the water. The design emphasizes the experience of being on the river, with sightlines to the Brooklyn waterfront and the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges.

The Lower East Side's relationship with the East River has been complicated by the construction of the FDR Drive in the 1940s, which created a high-speed barrier between the residential neighborhood and the waterfront. Pier 35 and other recent waterfront projects attempt to repair this severed connection by providing inviting destinations that draw people across the highway.

The pier is part of the East River Waterfront Esplanade project, a multi-phase effort to create a continuous public waterfront from the Battery to East 38th Street. Each pier along the route has a distinct design character, contributing to a varied and engaging waterfront experience.

Pier 35 provides something simple but precious in one of Manhattan's densest neighborhoods: unobstructed access to the sky, the water, and the horizon. In a community defined by towering housing projects and narrow streets, the pier's openness represents a genuine expansion of the neighborhood's livable space.