Before New York Exhibition
- September 1, 2026 - September 30, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Space: Living Room
Pier 57 — together with The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) — will host Before New York, a traveling pop-up exhibition exploring the natural landscape and region that would become New York City before European colonization, and through the city’s subsequent development.
Displayed in Pier 57’s Living Room, the exhibit opens to the public on September 1 and will be on view through September 27 during Climate Week NYC.
First launched at NYBG’s Ross Gallery this spring, Before New York continues to travel across the five boroughs. Based on the research of New York City ecologist and NYBG Vice President for Urban Conservation Dr. Eric W. Sanderson, the exhibition showcases the city’s rich coastal landscape and ecological history through large-scale photographs, digital renderings and soundscapes. It also highlights efforts underway to create a greener, more sustainable future.
Before New York is informed by Sanderson’s 2009 book, Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York, and his pending atlas and gazetteer, Before New York: The Natural Geography of the City, to be published November 3, 2026 by Abrams.
The exhibition’s presentation at Pier 57 offers a timely connection to the site’s own history of adaptive reuse and its commitment to sustainability. The pier’s nearly two-acre rooftop park provides a significant public green space along the Hudson River and mitigates the urban heat island effect.
NYBG’s Urban Conservation team will also host special events at Pier 57’s including:
- September 16th: A public lecture by Dr. Eric Sanderson on the historical ecology of the designated New York City borough
- September 19th: A guided walking tour of Chelsea focused on neighborhood restoration
- September 24th: A program during the Creative Climate Forum