Thursday, December 20, 2007

The new Governors Island

A team led by the Dutch architectural firm West 8 was chosen from among five finalists to plan to turn a 2-mile road into a broad walkway along the water, create a new, 40-acre park on the southern portion of [Governors] island, and re-fashion the open space around the buildings that make up the portion of the property designated a national historic district.

City picks architects to overhaul Governors Island

Conceptual plans

Artistic renderings

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is to be a destination park, but they are putting in ponds, creating bird sanctuaries and planting 3,000 trees. No mention of artificial turf or renderings of ballfields, and the kids are shown exercising on established paths and enjoying nature. Why is this different than Ridgewood Reservoir?

Anonymous said...

This should be occurring in Willets Point and clean up Flushing waterfront. How about doing something constructive for Flushing Meadow park - with is teaming with folks in the summer?

How many citizens will be coming to Governor's island every day - 3?

Anonymous said...

Anyone find it just a little infuriating that the parks located where people actually LIVE look like crap, but this one out in the middle of the water is going to look like gold?

Anonymous said...

It's located off the golden isle of Manhattan....
within the tourist corridor.....
that's why it's getting treated differently from
the Ridgewood Reservoir.

While multi millions of $$$$$
are going into creating this attraction......
our city's Fuhrer refuses to
scrounge up a lousy 10 million dollars
to buy St. Saviour's and replant it
as parkland !

The REAL PLAN that's stowed away
in some back room filing cabinet
at the Department of City Planning
indicates that Queens is to absorb
ALL of the UNWANTED CRAP that Manhattan
and the other three boroughs doesn't want !

I think that a large sign should be placed
on the east bank of the East River.....
just off the exit ramp of the Queensboro Bridge .

It should read: "CITY DUMP"
or "REST ROOMS JUST AHEAD" !

georgetheatheist said...

O Sole Mio...Vicin o Mare!

From the AM NY article:

"Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff said..the city is conducting a feasibility study to determine whether it makes sense to build a gondola [sic] service to Governors Island from both Manhattan and Brooklyn."

A GONDOLA service?

[I really have to get out of here.]

Anonymous said...

Since the politicians are always crying that the city has no money and are always ready, willing and able to slap a tax on New Yorkers, I have a great plan for Governor's Island. Build casinos. The city and state would reap enormous benefits. They could build hotels, restaurants,theaters, lots of green space, and New Yorkers wouldn't have to bus it to Atlantic City. We have major airports to accomodate out-of-towners who want a change from Las Vegas. Can you imagine the revenue? The "Gondola" would transport people over to our Entertainment Capital. The politicians could focus on this money-making project and leave our green space like the Ridgewood Reservoir alone. This plan is something to think about. Comments?

georgetheatheist said...

Comments?

Yes, I think all the bus drivers and subway motormen/conductors should dress like Venetian gondoliers.

Anonymous said...

Casinos - Sorry folks, Uncle Sam already had that one figured out and wrote it into the deed. In getting the island for $1, the city can't put a casino on it for 50 years - that is after they come up with a plan - which 5 years later, they still don't have. I be 106 when the slots start running...

Anonymous said...

Won't you take a look at that.....
they even chose to include
a token African American child
in their computer rendering.

What a bucolic picture..... smiling kids
enjoying a good happy romp.

And does this Black kid
have to travel all the way from
(wherever) to enjoy this park
because there aren't any closer to home
in better condition?

Oh.....you say he came here on a school trip.
That explains things.

H-m-m-m.....what's the likelihood
he lives around the Wall Street area?

Anonymous said...

granted, racial harmony doesn't exist in real life. Most everybody hates others who are of a different ethnicity or religion, as I've come to learn. :(

Still, it's nice at least to see people of differing backgrounds getting along and playing together, even if it's just in an artificial computer rendering like this scenic one here.

Maybe one day, a million years from now, it'll become a reality. :)

Anonymous said...

This is to be a destination park, but they are putting in ponds, creating bird sanctuaries and planting 3,000 trees. No mention of artificial turf or renderings of ballfields, and the kids are shown exercising on established paths and enjoying nature. Why is this different than Ridgewood Reservoir?

----------

Why is this different from the East River between Long Island City and Astoria.

Power plants and private waterfront grabs and the public footing the bill gets a blank wall.

Nice leadership CB1 & CB2.

Anonymous said...

Ken.....
I think you missed the point.....sarcasm!

They included the African American child
in the rendering to show that this would be
an equal opportunity park and how racially
tolerant the project designers are......h-m-m-m ?

You can't just show only "White" kids......
in either an architect's plan or a Coca Cola ad.

Somebody is bound to object
at your first presentation meeting.

And that could slow down your whole show
because you'll have to run back to the office....
cut & paste in some minority child....
then quickly run back to your meeting.....
hoping everybody is still there.

Dig ?
You don't start things off with
political incorrectness!

Anonymous said...

catch your drift, man. Knew what you were driving at when I read your comment and wasn't contradicting your point but merely borrowing some info from it to launch a societal assault of my own.

Thanks for the loan. You seem to have a good heart, :) wanting fairness for all and not just the illusion of it or worse yet the exploitation of it with the aim of selling the public on a project.