South Cove jetty gets some TLC after three decades

South Cove, the creation of local environmental artist Mary Miss, architect Stanton Eckstut and landscape architect Susan Child, is being restored by the Battery Park City Authority. These wonderful b+w pictures from its installation between 1984 and 1987 are from Miss. And that view looking east is a time capsule in itself.

One of the primary elements of South Cove – the large, curving jetty (that always makes me think of Robert Smithson’s spiral jetty, which is one of the coolest places on earth) – required some work on its timbers and piles, and the authority decided to also replace all the decking. The work should be done this month.

 

5 Comments

  1. Fascinating! I never even knew this place existed.
    No matter how long you live in NYC, there are ever new discoveries awaiting.

  2. The renewal of the decking looks fantastic but I’m so sad to see that the olive trees on the side of the bridge all have died during the renovations. :-(

  3. Greetings from BPCA. The plants on South Cove’s island are actually not olives but similar-looking shrubs in the daisy family (Baccharis halimifolia), commonly referred to as Sea Myrtle or Groundsel. The island poses a challenging environment for plants so we are replacing our native, salt tolerant, and bee-loved Sea Myrtles with younger plants that will grow quickly and bloom next year — bringing with them their usual cloud of butterflies and bees! Enjoy!

  4. Excellent! thanks for the info!

  5. Groundsel! I am thrilled to see this update. Thank you!

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