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History of Tribeca Buildings
Wagner Park will close for two years starting this summer
I have been remiss in getting to a bigger post on Battery Park City’s resiliency plans for Tribeca — it’s a whopper, so I’ve avoided it — but in the meantime, some news from the southern most part of the district: Wagner Park will close this July for a total reconstruction. The job should be completed by July 2024. You can find all the presentations here.
In broad strokes, the plan will raise the elevation of the park and install all sorts of devices to keep the waters out: exposed stone flood walls, bermed flood walls, glass-topped flood walls and flip-up and removable barriers. They will also add some structures to the Pier A plaza and the northern boundary of Battery Park. So the southern walk along the esplanade from Tribeca will end at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
The park will be completely reconfigured — no more rectangle — but there will still be a pavilion, just one a lot higher up in the air. There’s even a little observation platform planned for the small cove in between Pier A and Wagner’s gardens — which I am always fascinated by for some weird reason. Maybe because there’s sort of a natural beach in there?
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So long as it is tasteful and doesn’t encourage riff raff to linger.
And what would that riff raff be? Tax payers? Tourists? Young people who, if they work pay taxes? Their parents certainly do. The homeless who we fail miserably as a society – they too pay taxes.
I almost spit out my coffee over your riff raff comments. Tasteful? Are you that out of touch? I’m sure any other tasteful comments regarding how you think is out of the question, as it should be, as we prefer less pretention in this area of the city.
All those who believe the park will reopen in two years please raise your hand.
I’d be willing to bet the over on three years.
Raze means total destruction of the Park!
They should build a Seawall to protect the Lower Manhattan
shoreline. Like they do in Holland with dykes.
The word raze is only mentioned by you. Where did you get it from?
What happened to the covered amphitheater for Wagner Parks music and dance events? When did the BPCA do away with that? I will miss River & Blues and the Battery Dance Festival.
Not sure what you mean about a covered amphitheater. River & Blues is usually on a constructed stage at the lawn at Rockefeller, and Battery Dance Festival is at Wagner on its own stage as well, along the bulkhead.
River and Blues has happened for at least the last 5 years (except 2020) in Wagner Park on a constructed stage. I hope the BPCA moves it up to June, move sit to Rector Park, or works with the Battery to move it to the Oval. It would be nice to keep it in SBPC. There are also a number of kids programs that take place in Wagner that I hope the BPCA (if you’re reading this) move to another location in South Battery Park – including Kinde Rock and the kids fishing event. It would be unfortunate if all programming moved to NBPC as so many families live down here. The summer timing is not great at all.
River & Blues has always been at Wagner Park!! Never at Rockefeller. I have luved since before 9/11.
The redesign of Wagner had a covered stage abutting the Museum of Jewish Heritay. BPCA eliminated it but I don’t know when.
ok.
What does this mean for Gigino’s in the Park? Hoping they will still be able to operate. Also, any known plans for the now closed Pier A bar? What a beautiful location, sad to see it close.
I just called to ask about Gigino’s , my husband and I just moved here two months ago and obviously a huge allure is the esplanade… this will definitely be more than two sad tears.. :(
My understanding is the lease for Pier A was given back to the landlord, which is essentially the city by way of the BPCA.
https://tribecacitizen.com/2020/10/13/pier-a-seems-is-still-closed-and-in-flux/
https://bpca.ny.gov/community/river-blues-free-outdoor-concert-series-returns-to-battery-park-city-this-july/
Ugh, what will become of Gigino? July is their prime season for outdoor dining (and if you haven’t been there for dinner while the sun is setting over the Statue of Liberty, put it on your short-term bucket list). This closure will be very disruptive — noise and dust — and yes, will take longer than 2 years. I recently moved down here from Tribeca and have been relishing the peace and quiet after living through the Citicorp renovations.
paakre@gmail.com
How many trees will be uprooted and destroyed? How many will be re-planted to replace them? This plan looks like a totally built environment without any thought of the nature we enjoyed along that stretch of the river.
The summer timing is unfortunate.
I wonder why they have not posted notices in the park. This is going to come as a shock to a lot of people.
Considering the fragile emotional and mental health people are experiencing due to covid, war, human rights violations, politics, not to mention inflation and stock market/401Ks, the timing of this could not be worse. This park is a refuge and life-saver for so many.
I understand sea levels are rising, but I don’t understand how destroying mature healthy trees to raise a mere 3.5 acres of ground that is already considered high ground is logical.
This smells like a Trojan Horse built by real estate developers and the business community, not unlike what is happening to East River Park. Under the mission of preparing for the next hurricane, they can slip in their plan to commercialize an area and build it up for high rise luxury condos. Get rid of renters and cater to the rich.
Appeal to tourists. And as happened to East River Park, so many trees killed and bird habitats destroyed. The current park is designed as a semi-wild environment. The new plan looks like an outdoor mall. There is an immense importance for the neighborhood [especially kids] to have a bit of nature as refuge.
They are going to kill all the squirrels that have been living in that park. It is bad enough they try starving them during the winter and using dry ice when that doesn’t work, but now they are going to uproot all those squirrel trees and prevent people from reaching them to feed them in the winter when there is no food. They aren’t in the wilderness.