Little Island covers 2.4 acres (0.97 ha) and is supported by 132 pot-shaped structures (called "tulips") suspended above the water, which in turn stand on 280 concrete pilings extending into the riverbed.

Engineer Arup Group oversaw the installation of the pots manufactured in upstate New York by the Fort Miller Company.

The next month, the proposal was revived when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo agreed to provide funding for the park.

[10] Each pot has four to six lightweight concrete sections, referred to as "petals", which are designed to reduce the load on the pilings.

[10] The concrete pots were manufactured by the Fort Miller Company at their factory in Easton in Upstate New York.

[10] The composition of the soil was engineered to reduce erosion, and evergreens and other plantings were used to shield the park from strong winds from the Hudson River.

[1] Alongside the landscapes, the park contains scenic observation areas as well as plazas and performance spaces.

[18] A portion of the park contains a small stage and two concession stands,[7] operated by Union Square Events.

[19] According to Diller, the park's management had interviewed Danny Meyer's company for the concessionaire position before selecting a smaller firm, Savory Hospitality.

[8] The southern portion of the park contains "The Glade",[1] an arts and crafts area for families and children.

[1] The Amph is on the north side of the park's tallest hill, where there is a flat pier with public restrooms and actors' changing rooms.

[2] The ticketed shows are largely free or have low admission fees, and educational programming and performances are scheduled for six days a week.

[6] By 2011, Hudson River Pier 55 was deteriorating,[20] a situation that was worsened by Hurricane Sandy in New York the next year.

[20] In November 2014, it was announced that a new park would be designed by Heatherwick Studio on the site of the former Pier 55 along the Hudson River.

According to the City Club, the trust had concluded there were no adverse environmental effects in installing 547 deep pilings for the park.

In the meantime, an appellate court placed an injunction in June 2016, temporarily stopping any further work from proceeding.

[32][33][34] At the appellate hearing, representatives of Pier 55's developers argued that the trust had performed a proper environmental review.

[41] Early in 2017, Durst confirmed that he had funded the City Club's suit against the project, though he said he had not been involved with the lawsuits for half a year.

[41] The project still faced legal issues from the DEC, over a disputed environmental permit, and from the USACE, over allegations that the plans violated the Clean Water Act.

Among the disappointed supporters of the project were the Hudson River Park Trust, de Blasio, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and U.S.

Cuomo agreed to complete the remaining 30 percent of the incomplete Hudson River Park, provided that he won the 2018 New York gubernatorial election.

[51][52][53] Cuomo also promised the ecology of the Hudson River estuary would not be adversely affected by the construction of Pier 55.

Cuomo provided $50 million for the park in April 2018, but with the condition that the city raise a matching amount.

[63] Despite the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City during 2020, the park's construction was allowed to proceed even as most other projects were forced to stop.

Work was temporarily halted for three weeks to disinfect the worksite, but the park was otherwise classified as an "essential project".

Since most of the work was conducted outdoors, Little Island's construction site was considered a less likely place for COVID-19 to spread compared to indoor projects.

The first artists in residence are choreographer Ayodele Casel, and thespians Tina Landau, Michael McElroy, and the PigPen Theatre Company.

[66][67] The residencies had been planned before the COVID-19 pandemic, but because of restrictions that prevented indoor performances, Little Island's executive director Trish Santini said the artists' work was more important.

[6] At the opening of the park, architecture critic Michael Kimmelman wrote for The New York Times that the design concept "is in the theatrical vein of 18th century English garden follies",[70] while Philip Kennicott of The Washington Post wrote that the park "discombobulates many of the ways in which the body physically adapts itself to the pulse of the city".

[12] The Diller family foundation agreed to fund the upkeep of the park, including programming, for twenty years.