Pier 57 Rooftop Park

Pier 57 stands as a feat of engineering, anchored by three massive, hollow concrete boxes that float in the Hudson River. Rather than being built on traditional pilings driven deep into the riverbed, the entire structure rests on these buoyant concrete caissons. This design allows the pier to remain stable while sitting on the soft mud of the river floor, an innovation that earned its designer, Emil Praeger, a gold medal in engineering in the mid-twentieth century.