Pier 42

Pier 42 is a public waterfront space on the East River south of Delancey Street on the Lower East Side. The pier is part of the ongoing effort to create continuous public access along Manhattan's eastern waterfront, filling gaps in the esplanade between existing parks and piers.

The site formerly served as a commercial shipping pier and later fell into disrepair as maritime activity shifted away from Manhattan's East River waterfront. Its conversion to public park space is part of the broader East River Waterfront Esplanade project that has been transforming the Lower East Side's relationship with the river.

The pier provides open space, seating, and river views in a section of the Lower East Side that has historically had very limited waterfront access. The adjacent blocks are home to large public housing developments whose residents have long advocated for improved waterfront amenities.

Pier 42 sits near the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge, and views from the pier encompass the bridge's massive towers, the Brooklyn waterfront, and the busy river traffic of the East River. The pier's relatively undeveloped character gives it a quieter, more contemplative atmosphere than some of the more programmed piers in the system.

The ongoing development of Pier 42 and its surrounding esplanade represents the incremental progress of a decades-long vision: reconnecting the Lower East Side to the river that defined its earliest history as an immigrant landing place and working waterfront.