History

Pier 57 is eligible for the State and National Registers of Historic Places. It was built in 1952 and is significant because of its innovative engineering design by Emil Praeger, who designed floating piers for Allied landings in World War II. Pier 57 is supported by three buoyant, hollow concrete boxes. These 27,000-ton sections were built in Haverstraw, NY. Upon completion, they were flooded and floated down the river to their current location. The Pier’s method of construction was widely heralded and publicized in engineering journals at the time.

See also this article in The Villager.