{"id":4971,"date":"2025-10-16T15:29:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T15:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/4971\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T15:29:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T15:29:17","slug":"sunset-pier-94-studios-ready-for-bookings-and-greenway-improvements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/4971\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunset Pier 94 Studios \u2014 Ready for Bookings and Greenway Improvements"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pier 94, long a fixture on the Hudson River shoreline in Hell\u2019s Kitchen, is on the verge of a rebirth. On a bright October morning, as workers carefully hoisted the new \u201cPIER 94\u201d sign onto the fa\u00e7ade, cyclists zipped through a just-opened, smooth section of the Hudson River Greenway \u2014 no longer forced to navigate the notorious bottleneck at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal ramp, a problem that plagued local bikers for decades.<\/p>\n

\"PierWorker hoist the Pier 94 signage onto the building. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

Pier 94\u2019s transformation into Sunset Pier 94 Studios is nearing its ambitious Fall 2025 completion, and should be ready to host its first shows early next year. As reported by Deadline<\/a>, Sunset Studios Senior VP Sean Griffin confirmed the studios are accepting bookings for its state-of-the-art stages starting January 2026. \u201cWe had strong conviction in New York as a market and as one of the top production markets in the US,\u201d Griffin said. He called the project \u201ca completely new, unique asset\u201d that will put Manhattan on the map for top-tier film and television production.<\/p>\n

Once a berth for luxury liners, Pier 94\u2019s previous decades were marked by trade and expo events. The new studio, a $350 million public-private effort from Hudson Pacific Properties, Blackstone, Vornado Realty Trust, and NYC\u2019s Economic Development Corporation, marks the site\u2019s most ambitious chapter yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With 266,000 square feet, six purpose-built soundstages, and 145,000 square feet devoted to support space, the facility boasts ceilings rising 36 feet \u2014 tall enough to hoist entire sets into the rafters. The design also reserves 25,000 square feet for waterfront open space and a 1,850 square-foot community amenity area, integrating with Hudson River Park.<\/p>\n

\"SunsetUpdated rendering of Sunset Pier 94 Studios with a walkway on the north side leading to public space at the end of the pier. Rendering: Sunset Studios<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really the only purpose-built independent studio in Manhattan,\u201d said Griffin, pointing out that productions needing comparable space would otherwise have to cross to Brooklyn, Queens or even New Jersey. \u201cThe quality of the soundstages just makes production so much easier,\u201d Griffin added, citing the ability to double up on set space and the unique benefit of abundant natural light \u2014 thanks to the facility\u2019s unobstructed position on the river.<\/p>\n

Designed to host two to three productions at a time, the studio is geared for single-camera TV series and films, with its sixth stage tailored specifically for multi-camera talk shows. \u201cWe\u2019re in talks with a couple of those types of shows right now,\u201d Griffin teased. The team is confident that renewed energy in US film and TV production, spurred by improved tax incentives, will keep Sunset Studios buzzing when doors officially open.<\/p>\n

The official groundbreaking in Autumn 2023<\/a> was a high-profile affair, attended by public officials and industry partners alike. From the outset, project leaders pledged the new facility would not only redefine Manhattan\u2019s place in the global media landscape but also bring tangible economic benefits: 1,300 construction jobs, 400 permanent studio roles, and an estimated $5.4 billion contribution to the local economy over 30 years.<\/p>\n

Construction inevitably meant disruption \u2014 but out of this came one of the neighborhood\u2019s biggest quality-of-life upgrades. As the studio rose, crews worked to untangle the snarled stretch of the greenway notorious for forcing cyclists and pedestrians into conflict with traffic bound for cruise ships.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Pier<\/p>\n

\"Pier
\nCyclists on the newly re-routed Hudson River Greenway outside Pier 94. Photos: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

As Gothamist\u2019s recent coverage attests<\/a>, the new bike path under the Manhattan Cruise Terminal ramp is winning rave reviews from locals and commuters alike. \u201cIt was a mess. There was no rhyme \u2014 it was no good,\u201d longtime cyclist Mike Derewianik told Gothamist, celebrating the smoother, safer ride through Midtown\u2019s busiest green corridor. Paula Young, another greenway regular, enthused, \u201cIt\u2019s smooth\u2026 a lot, lot more bicyclists\u201d are now riding the path.<\/p>\n

John Orcutt of Bike New York summed up local sentiment: \u201cIt\u2019s great that that\u2019s finally been addressed.\u201d According to NYC Economic Development Corporation\u2019s Seth Schuster, \u201cThis project will not only spur the growth of the film and TV industry right here in New York, but is already delivering much needed public realm improvements \u2014 like the wonderful, improved greenway \u2014 that New Yorkers can enjoy every day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pier 94, long a fixture on the Hudson River shoreline in Hell\u2019s Kitchen, is on the verge of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4972,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[4922,75,84,83,9,24,63,4923,2556,4924],"class_list":{"0":"post-4971","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manhattan","8":"tag-hudsonriverpark","9":"tag-manhattan","10":"tag-manhattan-headlines","11":"tag-manhattan-news","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-nyc","15":"tag-pier94","16":"tag-television","17":"tag-tv-movies"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4971\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}