Glimpse At Manhattan’s First Public Beach Set To Open Its Doors This Summer

After welcoming the Long Island Rail Road and Anish Kapoor’s miniature version of ‘The Bean’, New Yorkers will soon gain access to another new landmark—this time, Manhattan’s first-ever public beach.

As Architectural Digest points out, despite the city being located between two rivers, it has never had a public beach, but that’s expected to change come summer this year. Gansevoort Peninsula will provide an official space for residents to play in the sun, though there’s a small catch.

It turns out that no swimming will be allowed at this beach, though kayaking may be permitted. Noreen Doyle, CEO of the Hudson River Park Trust, told The Daily Beach that from the beginning, Gansevoort was not meant to be a destination for those looking to hit the waters.

The main reason behind this is that the water flowing to the Peninsula comes from the Hudson River, which although has become leaps cleaner since the Clean Water Act was passed in the 1970s, still remains unfit for swimming.

Manhattan chose to tap on James Corner Field Operations—the same firm that designed the High Line—for the project, while other buildings by high-profile architects including the Bjarke Ingels Group, Zaha Hadid, and Frank Gehry will line the regions close by.

Apart from sunbathing, visitors can spend time at other facilities that will line the coast, including a large sports field for games, picnic tables, and walking paths for those planning to take a stroll. There’ll even be a salt marsh, unique to the beach, which will be used for “habitat enhancement.”

It’s time to gather beach towels, picnic baskets, and pick out the best swimsuits for an exciting summer on the newly-built beach.

[via Architectural Digest and The Daily Beast, images via Hudson River Park Trust]