The latest addition, nicknamed Diller Island, is “eye candy” and “a charmer, with killer views,” according to New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman.
Its 2.7 acres (1.1 hectares) slope up and down, teeming with flora and featuring a 687-seat amphitheatre with sunset views. Foot traffic will be regulated to prevent the park from being overrun.
Park visitor Janet Alvarez, a longtime local resident, said she has anticipated Friday's opening for years. The day was delayed by legal challenges and the pandemic.
“I'm bursting with emotion. And to see people smiling and looking happy and with the mask off. It's a wonderful day in the neighbourhood,” Alvarez said.
The Diller — von Furstenberg Family Foundation of Diller and his wife, the designer Diane von Furstenberg, will pay for maintenance for the park for the next 20 years.
The same foundation donated $20 million to the nearby High Line, a disused elevated railroad converted into a park in the sky. Diller also built his IAC corporate headquarters near the High Line in a building designed by star architect Frank Gehry.