The abandoned structures that had provided freedom, privacy & adventure for over two decades were gradually demolished. Spaces that had once echoed with conversations, laughter, friendships, and encounters gave way to a changing waterfront. #PiersProject #gay #sex #nude #nudist #publicsex #male #men
June 22, 2026 at 12:03 AM
The abandoned structures that had provided freedom, privacy & adventure for over two decades were gradually demolished. Spaces that had once echoed with conversations, laughter, friendships, and encounters gave way to a changing waterfront. #PiersProject #gay #sex #nude #nudist #publicsex #male #men
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY – Week 8 – The End of an Era. By the late 1980s, the world of the West Side piers was beginning to disappear. Redevelopment, increased enforcement, and the AIDS crisis slowly transformed the abandoned waterfront that had once drawn thousands of gay men.
#PiersProject #GayPride
#PiersProject #GayPride
June 22, 2026 at 12:03 AM
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY – Week 8 – The End of an Era. By the late 1980s, the world of the West Side piers was beginning to disappear. Redevelopment, increased enforcement, and the AIDS crisis slowly transformed the abandoned waterfront that had once drawn thousands of gay men.
#PiersProject #GayPride
#PiersProject #GayPride
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY- Week 5 – The Art. The abandoned West Side piers became an unlikely gallery. Graffiti, murals, and spontaneous acts of creativity covered the crumbling structures, transforming industrial ruins into one of New York City's most unusual artistic spaces. #PiersProject
#gay #art
#gay #art
May 31, 2026 at 11:00 PM
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY- Week 5 – The Art. The abandoned West Side piers became an unlikely gallery. Graffiti, murals, and spontaneous acts of creativity covered the crumbling structures, transforming industrial ruins into one of New York City's most unusual artistic spaces. #PiersProject
#gay #art
#gay #art
After dark, the piers took on a different life. The abandoned structures became nocturnal & unpredictable, where desire, anonymity, risk, and sexual freedom existed together. Fetishes were explored along with anonymous hookups, & closeted or married men could fulfill their curiosities.
#PiersProject
#PiersProject
May 10, 2026 at 10:19 PM
After dark, the piers took on a different life. The abandoned structures became nocturnal & unpredictable, where desire, anonymity, risk, and sexual freedom existed together. Fetishes were explored along with anonymous hookups, & closeted or married men could fulfill their curiosities.
#PiersProject
#PiersProject
By day, the West Side piers became an unofficial gathering place where gay men sunbathed nude, socialized, cruised, had sex, and escaped the outside world. The crumbling waterfront offered a temporary sense of freedom, visibility, and possibilities.
#PiersProject #publicsex #nude #gay #male #men
#PiersProject #publicsex #nude #gay #male #men
May 10, 2026 at 10:19 PM
By day, the West Side piers became an unofficial gathering place where gay men sunbathed nude, socialized, cruised, had sex, and escaped the outside world. The crumbling waterfront offered a temporary sense of freedom, visibility, and possibilities.
#PiersProject #publicsex #nude #gay #male #men
#PiersProject #publicsex #nude #gay #male #men
Fink’s most noted work came from the West Side piers, where gay men cruised, sunbathed, had sex and found freedom amid the ruins. You may recognize some of these images from my #PiersProject series. His photos capture a community moving from secrecy toward visibility, pride and political action.
September 13, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Fink’s most noted work came from the West Side piers, where gay men cruised, sunbathed, had sex and found freedom amid the ruins. You may recognize some of these images from my #PiersProject series. His photos capture a community moving from secrecy toward visibility, pride and political action.
For many gay men, the piers offered something rare in that era: a place where they could simply be themselves. Friendships formed, relationships began, sexual desires were fulfilled and a sense of community emerged along the waterfront, far beyond society's expectations. #PiersProject
#lgbtq #gayart
#lgbtq #gayart
June 7, 2026 at 10:13 PM
For many gay men, the piers offered something rare in that era: a place where they could simply be themselves. Friendships formed, relationships began, sexual desires were fulfilled and a sense of community emerged along the waterfront, far beyond society's expectations. #PiersProject
#lgbtq #gayart
#lgbtq #gayart
Whatever you were looking for, you could find it at the piers. Some came to socialize, others purely for sex. Exhibitionists & voyeurs found common ground. Nudity & sexual activity were a constant presence while law enforcement turned a blind eye. The piers operated by their own rules. #PiersProject
June 7, 2026 at 10:13 PM
Whatever you were looking for, you could find it at the piers. Some came to socialize, others purely for sex. Exhibitionists & voyeurs found common ground. Nudity & sexual activity were a constant presence while law enforcement turned a blind eye. The piers operated by their own rules. #PiersProject
The piers offered a place where total nudity felt natural, open, and everywhere. Clothes along with inhibitions disappeared at the piers, giving a level of physical & sexual freedom that was difficult to find elsewhere in the city. #PiersProject #gay #lgbtq #nude #nudist #nudiste #nudista #male #men
May 17, 2026 at 10:56 PM
The piers offered a place where total nudity felt natural, open, and everywhere. Clothes along with inhibitions disappeared at the piers, giving a level of physical & sexual freedom that was difficult to find elsewhere in the city. #PiersProject #gay #lgbtq #nude #nudist #nudiste #nudista #male #men
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY – Week 6 – "Meet me at the piers." A familiar phrase heard throughout New York's gay community. Before cell phones, dating apps, and the internet, meeting other gay men required knowing where to go. For many, that place was the three West Side piers. #PiersProject
#gay #history
#gay #history
June 7, 2026 at 10:13 PM
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY – Week 6 – "Meet me at the piers." A familiar phrase heard throughout New York's gay community. Before cell phones, dating apps, and the internet, meeting other gay men required knowing where to go. For many, that place was the three West Side piers. #PiersProject
#gay #history
#gay #history
Pier 46 was more sexually charged and somewhat rougher. Its darker, maze-like interiors encouraged anonymity, exhibitionism, voyeurism, and sexual encounters hidden deeper within the abandoned structures. The architecture itself shaped the experience. #PiersProject
#lgbtq #art #vintage #nude #male
#lgbtq #art #vintage #nude #male
May 24, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Before becoming famous, KEITH HARING often frequented the piers, leaving behind drawings & graffiti among the decaying walls. Though much of the work has disappeared, traces of his presence remain visible in photographs taken during the era. #PiersProject
#gay #art #lgbtq #history #nude #male #men
#gay #art #lgbtq #history #nude #male #men
May 31, 2026 at 11:00 PM
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY- Week 4 - The 3 Piers: Pier 45 (Christopher Street Pier) became the social heart of the waterfront. It drew a younger and more visible crowd where men gathered to sunbathe, lounge & socialize naked, cruise, flirt, and often openly have sex.
#PiersProject #gay #photography #nude
#PiersProject #gay #photography #nude
May 24, 2026 at 10:58 PM
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY- Week 4 - The 3 Piers: Pier 45 (Christopher Street Pier) became the social heart of the waterfront. It drew a younger and more visible crowd where men gathered to sunbathe, lounge & socialize naked, cruise, flirt, and often openly have sex.
#PiersProject #gay #photography #nude
#PiersProject #gay #photography #nude
The Piers Project begins! Each Sunday we’ll explore photographs of New York’s West Side piers, a vital gathering space for gay men in the 1960s & 70s, when visibility & freedom were rare. This sanctuary offered erotic possibility & community against a raw industrial backdrop.
#PiersProject #gay #art
#PiersProject #gay #art
May 3, 2026 at 11:38 PM
The Piers Project begins! Each Sunday we’ll explore photographs of New York’s West Side piers, a vital gathering space for gay men in the 1960s & 70s, when visibility & freedom were rare. This sanctuary offered erotic possibility & community against a raw industrial backdrop.
#PiersProject #gay #art
#PiersProject #gay #art
Pier 48 was larger, more isolated & often more unpredictable. It attracted hardcore cruisers & fetish exploration. Especially after dark, the pier developed a reputation as one of the waterfront’s most intense & dangerous spaces, drawing men seeking a more extreme edge. #PiersProject
#gay #publicsex
#gay #publicsex
May 24, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Pier 48 was larger, more isolated & often more unpredictable. It attracted hardcore cruisers & fetish exploration. Especially after dark, the pier developed a reputation as one of the waterfront’s most intense & dangerous spaces, drawing men seeking a more extreme edge. #PiersProject
#gay #publicsex
#gay #publicsex
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY-2nd week. From 1975-1986, the West Side piers were in their heyday. Collapsing structures, sunlight & dimly lit interiors, and the Hudson River became the backdrop where hundreds of gay men would gather forming a utopia where they could exist freely for the moment.
#PiersProject
#PiersProject
May 10, 2026 at 10:19 PM
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY-2nd week. From 1975-1986, the West Side piers were in their heyday. Collapsing structures, sunlight & dimly lit interiors, and the Hudson River became the backdrop where hundreds of gay men would gather forming a utopia where they could exist freely for the moment.
#PiersProject
#PiersProject
Unlike traditional galleries, the piers had no curators, admission fees, or rules. Artwork appeared and disappeared constantly as artists, graffiti writers, and visitors left their mark on walls that became an ever-changing canvas. #PiersProject
#lgbtq+ #gay #art #photography #nude #sex #male #men
#lgbtq+ #gay #art #photography #nude #sex #male #men
May 31, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Unlike traditional galleries, the piers had no curators, admission fees, or rules. Artwork appeared and disappeared constantly as artists, graffiti writers, and visitors left their mark on walls that became an ever-changing canvas. #PiersProject
#lgbtq+ #gay #art #photography #nude #sex #male #men
#lgbtq+ #gay #art #photography #nude #sex #male #men
During the 1970s & early 80s, the piers existed in a gray zone. Abandoned structures largely ignored by the city and difficult for law enforcement to patrol. This allowed an all male culture of sex, freedom, art, and connection to flourish along the Hudson waterfront. #PiersProject #gay #photography
May 17, 2026 at 10:56 PM
During the 1970s & early 80s, the piers existed in a gray zone. Abandoned structures largely ignored by the city and difficult for law enforcement to patrol. This allowed an all male culture of sex, freedom, art, and connection to flourish along the Hudson waterfront. #PiersProject #gay #photography
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY – Week 8 – The Photographers. Without the images of Fink, Stellar, Baltrop, Hujar, Ivins, & others, the history of the West Side piers might have survived only as memories or folklore. Their photographs preserved a remarkable place & time in gay history.
#PiersProject #GayPride
#PiersProject #GayPride
June 14, 2026 at 10:28 PM
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY – Week 8 – The Photographers. Without the images of Fink, Stellar, Baltrop, Hujar, Ivins, & others, the history of the West Side piers might have survived only as memories or folklore. Their photographs preserved a remarkable place & time in gay history.
#PiersProject #GayPride
#PiersProject #GayPride
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY- Week 3. Under sun or after dark, hundreds of men exposed their bodies without apology. They watched, approached, had sex on the piers and in the buildings, then returned. The piers became a place for connection, a temporary gay world all their own. #PiersProject #gay #nude #sex
May 17, 2026 at 10:56 PM
PIERS PROJECT SUNDAY- Week 3. Under sun or after dark, hundreds of men exposed their bodies without apology. They watched, approached, had sex on the piers and in the buildings, then returned. The piers became a place for connection, a temporary gay world all their own. #PiersProject #gay #nude #sex
While many images show only a handful of men, the piers attracted far larger crowds. Privacy concerns meant photographers had to be selective, and most men preferred to remain unseen by the camera. What survives in photographs is only a glimpse of a much larger world.
#PiersProject #GayPride #nudist
#PiersProject #GayPride #nudist
June 14, 2026 at 10:28 PM
While many images show only a handful of men, the piers attracted far larger crowds. Privacy concerns meant photographers had to be selective, and most men preferred to remain unseen by the camera. What survives in photographs is only a glimpse of a much larger world.
#PiersProject #GayPride #nudist
#PiersProject #GayPride #nudist
Although the piers are gone, their legacy remains. The piers had offered thousands of gay men a place to gather and connect. They now survive through photographs & stories of those who experienced them. Today, a memorial outline of one of the structures stands as a reminder. #PiersProject #gay #nude
June 22, 2026 at 12:03 AM
Although the piers are gone, their legacy remains. The piers had offered thousands of gay men a place to gather and connect. They now survive through photographs & stories of those who experienced them. Today, a memorial outline of one of the structures stands as a reminder. #PiersProject #gay #nude
These photographers left behind something lasting. Their images transformed an era in history into a permanent visual record so future generations can see a world that would otherwise have disappeared.
One of these photographers is on BlueSky:
@stellarbluevision.bsky.social
#PiersProject #GayPride
One of these photographers is on BlueSky:
@stellarbluevision.bsky.social
#PiersProject #GayPride
June 14, 2026 at 10:28 PM
These photographers left behind something lasting. Their images transformed an era in history into a permanent visual record so future generations can see a world that would otherwise have disappeared.
One of these photographers is on BlueSky:
@stellarbluevision.bsky.social
#PiersProject #GayPride
One of these photographers is on BlueSky:
@stellarbluevision.bsky.social
#PiersProject #GayPride
Yes, they are really great examples of what it was like being gay in NYC during the 70s. Hope you saw my #PiersProject posts from several months ago. A lot of the images were by Fink.
September 14, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Yes, they are really great examples of what it was like being gay in NYC during the 70s. Hope you saw my #PiersProject posts from several months ago. A lot of the images were by Fink.