Hermes at Pier 36 — Hermès Grooms' House (2025)

Pier 36 hosted Hermès Grooms' House, a timed immersive treasure hunt built as a fictional French estate.

The venue

Pier 36 is a waterfront event venue on the East River in Lower Manhattan, addressed on South Street. It operates as a rentable hall for exhibitions, fairs, concerts and large-scale brand productions. Its indoor volume allows temporary structures and room sequences to be installed. The pier setting places the venue at the city's edge, with the river and skyline forming the immediate context.

How the space was used

For Hermès Grooms' House, the hall was converted into a fictional French estate. Six themed rooms—groom's dormitory, pantry, laundry, dining room, office and others—were built as a sequence for a timed treasure hunt. Visitors moved through them as "Hermès detectives", using a custom app to record clues. Lighting, sound and scent were specified per room, and Hermès craft objects were embedded as puzzle elements.

Why it works here

Pier 36's rentable indoor volume suits a narrative build that needs multiple discrete rooms and controlled circulation. Its waterfront location gives the project a destination quality while keeping the experience indoors. The hall can absorb set construction, timed entry and app-based interaction without competing permanent displays.