Governors Island Alliance: The Plans

Soil and Rubble (and Green)

One by one the old Coast Guard buildings are coming down. The Super 8 Motel - guest accommodations for Coast Guard relatives and friends - was first to go, ripped apart by a large claw in less than three hours on June 27 to clear space for a stage. Rain canceled the stage's inauguration by the New York Philharmonic. Next in line are the Bachelor Officer Quarters and the school just south of Division Road, adjacent to the ballfields. The ten apartment buildings that fill the southwest corner of the Island, known as Liberty Village, will also be gone before the weather closes in. By next summer the cleared soil will be a grassy new picnic area.

Continue reading "Soil and Rubble (and Green)" »

Posted by Katie N. on August 4, 2008 1:14 PM | Permalink

Another Step to a Great Park

The contract for design of the Island's park space was approved by GIPEC's board of directors at their June meeting. The landscape architects at West 8--and the many subcontractors--have agreed to produce a master plan by next spring--but look for new trees sooner than that.
The board approved $22.55 million for the master plan and design work, and another $3.9 million for contingencies. Chairman Avi Schick, invoking a little advance discipline, insisted that these be "true contingencies." The contract is with West 8 New York Inc., an American subsidiary created by the Rotterdam firm for this project. Before voting, the board went over a number of questions ranging from West 8's assets to the "green" features of the work to be done and the protection of waterfowl.

Continue reading "Another Step to a Great Park" »

Posted by Elizabeth on July 18, 2008 10:38 AM | Permalink

GIPEC Looks to the Arts

Continuing its efforts to make Governors Island a haven for the arts, GIPEC has issued two separate Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for temporary arts and entertainment venues on the island.
    One RFP describes an entertainment and dining space in the parking lot just west of the ferry slip. The temporary venue will have seated and staged areas under cover. The performance space will have 500-800 seats. With its unmatched views of the harbor and Lower Manhattan, this venue will operate for five years, after which GIPEC can choose whether to renew the permit.
    The second RFP seeks to transform nearby Building 110 into a base for artists' studios and exhibition space. GIPEC hopes to attract arts organizations that wish to develop a lasting year-round presence on the island. GIPEC noted that the program will not permit residence on the Island nor overnight use of the studios.
    These RFPs mark an important step in expanding the Island's early use, said GIPEC Chair Avi Schick. GIPEC anticipates that the arts program will begin next year.
    Responses to both RFP's are due by 3 p.m. August 28. To download either one, click here.

Posted by Elizabeth on July 18, 2008 10:08 AM | Permalink

Retrofitting the BMB

Island visitors have an ample new waiting room for the ferry in the Battery Maritime Building, and the cavernous hall upstairs is about to become a very big music box. The restoration of space for the waiting room was funded by a $500,000 grant from Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, plus infusions from the state and city. When the island is open to the public there will be a National Park Service kiosk for visitor information and tickets to its weekday tours of the island's historic district.
The music upstairs will be created by a retrofitted antique organ hitched to metal beams, plumbing, water pies and the like. This will trigger pings and clangs to produce "unique harmonics and finely tuned sounds." Visitors will be invited to sit at the organ and "play" the room. The installation is a temporary exhibit, running from May 31 to August 10. It is the brainchild of musician-artist David Byrne, the former front man for the Talking Heads, and presented by Creative
Time.

Posted by Katie N. on May 19, 2008 7:13 PM | Permalink

Help is on the Way From Albany and D.C.

Thanks to Governor David Paterson and Speaker Sheldon Silver, there is $10 million in capital funding for the Island in the budget for the 2008/2009 fiscal year, approved by state lawmakers in April. City Hall has pledged to match whatever amount the state allocated, up to $31.5 million, when the final city budget is approved in June. The funding will help continue progress on opening land for the Island's public spaces and on rehabilitation of historic buildings and infrastructure.
In Washington, the Governors Island Alliance, together with GIPEC and the National Parks Conservation Association, an Alliance member, have requested $5.8 million for the National Park Service's historic Castle Williams. This would be used to remove asbestos and make other safety improvements in the 1811 fortification. When this is done, the prison cells and gun emplacements would be open to the public, and visitors could climb the circular stone stairways for spectacular, commanding views of the harbor from the roof. The 2008-2009 federal budget won't be adopted until fall.

Posted by Katie N. on May 19, 2008 6:59 PM | Permalink

Buildings Coming Down, Parks Going Up

Sweeping the recent past from the Island begins in earnest this month. Demolition of unwanted, non-historic buildings is underway on four sites destined to become early additions to expanded public space. The largest will be ten buildings known as Liberty Village, opening up about eight acres on the harbor at the dramatic southern tip of the Island.
The other three sites are two buildings on Division Road just south of Liggett Hall (Building 400) - the old P.S. 26 elementary school and the L-shaped Bachelor Officers Quarters - and the Super 8 Motel at the lower end of the "glacis" parade grounds in the northern historic district.

Continue reading "Buildings Coming Down, Parks Going Up" »

Posted by Katie N. on May 19, 2008 6:49 PM | Permalink

Upcoming Event: A Park for All New York

Tuesday • April 15 • 6:30 PM

GIPEC President Leslie Koch, architect Jonathan Marvel and New York Times reporter Robin Pogrebin will discuss the latest plans for the Island landscape at the Museum for the City of New York on Tuesday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m. Robert Pirani, executive director of the Alliance, will
moderate. The Rogers Marvel firm is the New York partner of West 8, of Rotterdam, winners of the competition to design the Island's parks and open spaces.
Admission: $9 for non-members of the museum, $5 for members. For reservations and program information call (212) 534-1672, ext. 3395 or visit the museum's website. The museum is located on Fifth Ave. at 103rd St.

Posted by Katie N. on March 31, 2008 11:44 AM | Permalink

Show Us the Money, Part II

Rendering by Roper

Speaker Sheldon Silver has moved Albany one step closer to funding its share of the Island's capital projects by including $25-million a line item in the Assembly's budget bill. While the Senate bill does not make such a provision, Senator Martin Connor, a Democrat whose district straddles the East River, has also voiced his support for the measure. All eyes now turn to newly installed Governor Paterson, as the Assembly, Senate and administration negotiate the final budget. Their decision is due April 1.
Former Governor Spitzer pledged $25-million in capital funds for the Island in fiscal 2008-09. When matched by the City, this would allow GIPEC to undertake site preparation and update infrastructure for the parks and historic buildings. But there's a hitch. Mr. Spitzer tied that proposed funding to the sale of the block south of the Javits Center between 33rd and 34th Streets. The uncertain timing of that transaction, and the fact that it is not a line item in the State budget, makes it difficult for the City to appropriate its match. The Mayor's proposed budget includes $31.5-million, but the City will not appropriate more than the State's final figure in its budget. Action by Albany is critical.

Posted by Katie N. on March 31, 2008 11:19 AM | Permalink

NPS + GMP = SRO

Rendering by Moore

It was standing-room-only at the National Park Service's public hearing on the draft General Management Plan for Fort Jay and Castle Williams. Of the 100-plus in attendance, fully half were there to rally for inserting a Shakespearean Globe-style theater in the castle's open courtyard.
The hearing was open for comment on the four concepts the NPS has laid out. There were supporters for the ambitious harbor-wide role favored by the Park Service, and for middling roles limited to the Island itself, but the two-hour session was dominated by advocates of the New Globe Theater in Castle Williams. There were relatively few statements by opponents.
Michael Reynolds, deputy director of the northeast region of the Park Service, presided. Regional headquarters in Philadelphia will make the final call on which concept to pursue. "My role is to sit here and listen and take notes," Reynolds said. Maria Burks, commissioner of the National Parks of the New York Harbor, was sitting and listening, too. The hearing took place in Federal Hall on Wall St. in the evening on March 10.

Continue reading "NPS + GMP = SRO" »

Posted by Katie N. on March 31, 2008 11:06 AM | Permalink

A Bonnet for the BMB

Rendering by Rogers Marvel Architects, PLLC

The Dermot Company's revised plan to put a 140-room hotel on top of the Battery Maritime Building was approved in February by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The commission had sent the original back to the drawing board when first proposed last October. Rogers Marvel Architects, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels and Market Ventures Inc. reworked the design.
The BMB - the ferry gateway to Governors Island - received the Municipal Art Society's Lucy G. Moses Award in 2006 for its successful restoration of the Beaux Arts style. The commission felt that the original all-glass configuration of the hotel was out of sync. The New York Landmarks Conservancy called it "inappropriate."

Continue reading "A Bonnet for the BMB" »

Posted by Katie N. on March 28, 2008 4:34 PM | Permalink

Show Us the Money

GI - Castle Williams - from the land side (ST).jpg

The State and City budgets hold good and bad news for the Island. At this writing, Albany's allocations for capital projects and for operating expenses are both unclear.

    Governor Spitzer pledged to contribute $25 million in capital funding this fiscal year. Matched by the City, this will allow GIPEC to complete the environmental review and site preparation work that needs to be done before construction of the Island's park and public spaces.
    But the State funding is "off budget" and tied to revenue from selling a State-owned property just south of the Javits Convention Center. It is estimated to yield roughly $400 million, which would be used for affordable housing, Hudson River Park, Governors Island and other commitments. While the sale has been approved by the State and City, its timing is uncertain, which could affect progress on Island projects.
    For its part, the City budget proposes spending $31.5 million, free and clear of other obligations.

Continue reading "Show Us the Money" »

Posted by Katie N. on February 29, 2008 10:29 AM | Permalink

Island Campus for NYU?

New York University has its eyes on Governors Island as a possible remote campus. Its plans for future growth include enhancement of space it already owns or controls in Greenwich Village and Lower Manhattan, and three potential sites at a greater distance from the Washington Square "core" - the area along First Avenue in the East 20's and 30's around the NYU Medical Center, downtown Brooklyn and Governors Island.
In an outline of expansion requirements and possibilities in the decades ahead, the university estimates it will need roughly six million gross square feet of new space in the next 25 years, and "there is no expectation that all of this can be absorbed in the NYU Core or neighborhood." The outline was presented at an "NYU Plans 2031" open house.
With regard to remote locations it said, "future growth will require looking for opportunities outside the Washington Square area." It pointed out that proximity to the NYU School of Medicine in Manhattan or to Polytechnic University in Brooklyn would "make remote locations more feasible." It added that remote locations "should still be within a reasonable commuting distance - defined as 20 minutes by public transit - from Washington Square.

Continue reading "Island Campus for NYU?" »

Posted by Katie N. on February 29, 2008 9:41 AM | Permalink

A Park Grows in the Harbor

Rendering by West 8

Adriaan Geuze, founder and principal of West 8, the designated Dutch designers of the Island's public spaces, sparked a recent information session by saying "This project is once in a lifetime."
    "The Island is made for festivals and art installations," he said; programs and special attractions are key to bringing it alive. Green parkland - "green like broccoli" - should dominate the Island experience, he said, but don't expect it to blossom overnight; "It takes generations for a park to grow."
    Geuze spoke at a recent informal meeting with representatives of the constituent members of the Governors Island Alliance and GIPEC officials at the AIA Center in Manhattan. His presentation included a slide show with some new images, illustrating the point that the design still completely flexible. Even so, he still talks about the West 8 team's novel idea of having dozens of wooden bicycles available for touring the trails that will define distinct territories around the Island.
    He said the Island is "flatter than my country" now, but won't be when the team's landscape architects are through with it. Undulating topography will create interest and, perhaps more important, will raise the ground level so trees can get their roots down.

Continue reading "A Park Grows in the Harbor" »

Posted by Katie N. on February 29, 2008 9:37 AM | Permalink

Plans for the Future of the National Monument

Rendering by Peter Roper

The keepers of the Governors Island National Monument - the two forts and the land between -have drafted four alternatives for future development, ranging from basic repair and rehabilitation to creating a bold new harbor presence. The draft General Management Plan w  ill be the subject of an "Open House" in Manhattan to solicit public comment on Wednesday, February 27.
    Guided by the legislation or executive orders that establish every National Park, a General Management Plan describes the long-term strategy that will direct staff attention and funding
requests. As a result, these plans tend to be broad mandates that authorize the Park Service staff to take specific actions over the next ten or more years.
    Of the four choices outlined in the draft for Governors Island, the planners favor the bold one, which proposes that the National Monument serve as a hub for sites all over the greater
harbor area. All four alternatives assign the "highest priority" to the historic preservation of Fort Jay and Castle Williams.
    The "Open House" will be in Federal Hall - an NPS National Memorial - on Wall Street opposite the New York Stock Exchange at the head of Broad Street. There will be two sessions: 2 to 4 in the afternoon and 6 to 8 in the evening. To find out more or to add your comments, please visit NPS's website.

Continue reading "Plans for the Future of the National Monument" »

Posted by Katie N. on February 5, 2008 10:35 AM | Permalink

GIPEC Announces New Leadership and Park Designer

On December 19th, Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Spitzer joined together with Speaker Silver and other elected leaders in announcing the selection of the public leadership and private consultants that will guide the Island's redevelopment over the next few years. An important step forward in the park planning process, the occasion also marked the first time the Governor has publicly indicated his support for the Island and its park land.

The selected design team, led by the Dutch firm West 8 and New York architects Rogers Marvel, was chosen from the five international finalists. The participants were announced in January 2006 and the teams presented their concepts to the public in June. The park design is a critical step in the development of the Island as it is anticipated to drive other Island amenities such as the hotels, schools, conference centers, and cultural attractions. The team will now work with GIPEC on a one - two year process of planning and environmental review, including community input and consultation.

The Mayor and Governor also announced that Avi Shick will succeed Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff as GIPEC's chairman. The leadership of the State-City development corporation is scheduled to rotate every two years, and Mr. Doctoroff's term expired last April. Mr. Shick is the President of the Empire State Development Corporation and Chair of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. The Deputy Mayor's leadership was instrumental in moving plans for the Island forward. Under his 30 month tenure as chair of the development corporation, GIPEC largely completed the stabilization of the Island historic buildings, and opened up the Island for record public visitation.

Continue reading "GIPEC Announces New Leadership and Park Designer" »

Posted by Katie N. on December 21, 2007 2:46 PM | Permalink

Governors Island. It's Your Island. It's Your Park.

In 2003, Governors Island was deeded to the people of New York on the condition that the City and State transform the former military base into a great new civic space filled with educational and cultural programs.

Key to achieving this vision is the creation of more than 90 acres of historic greens, playing fields, and waterfront access. Together with the existing 22 acre National Monument, this parkland will provide vital open spaces for families while creating the physical framework critical to attracting investors and tenants for the Island's priceless historic buildings.

Continue reading "Governors Island. It's Your Island. It's Your Park." »

Posted by Katie N. on December 19, 2007 4:14 PM | Permalink

Why Invest in Governors Island Parkland Now?

1. Deliver public parks and programs for people to enjoy

A record 55,000 people - double from last year - visited the Island during the summer of 2007 for concerts and festivals, historic tours, boat trips, and ball games.
Green space and recreational fields are desperately needed in lower Manhattan. Battery Park City Parks had to turn away a third of people seeking playing fields each season.
Car-free Governors Island is the perfect destination for families looking for a safe haven for urban bicycling and blading.

Continue reading "Why Invest in Governors Island Parkland Now?" »

Posted by Jen Steinberg on December 4, 2007 11:39 AM | Permalink

Island Funding To Date

GIPEC operations and management, and its on-going capital needs have been funded equally by the City and State with some minor federal contributions.

GIPEC has publicly estimated that about $600 million in capital will be needed from the City and State to build and repair the Island's infrastructure, build the parkland and stabilize the historic buildings. Of this total, GIPEC has estimated about $ 200 million will be for parkland construction. Another $ 650 million will be needed to rehabilitate the Island's historic buildings; this cost is expected to be largely borne by the private sector or other partners.

Continue reading "Island Funding To Date" »

Posted by Katie N. on December 3, 2007 12:11 PM | Permalink

Alliance Public Statement: Park Design Competition

Congratulations and thank you to GIPEC, and to all the teams, for an incredibly successful competition and for developing such exciting visions of Governors Island's future.

The Governors Island Alliance has long held that defining and building the Island's parks and public spaces will create the physical reality and economic amenity - the place-making - that is needed to drive the Island's redevelopment and find paying tenants for its priceless historic buildings.

The prospects created by the five teams are an important and successful step in this process. The Alliance appreciates this opportunity to present our thoughts on the five entries. Some specific observations follow. But we want to first underscore our deep concern that the Governor and Mayor must now follow through with the political commitment and funding needed to make this more than a studio assignment.

Continue reading "Alliance Public Statement: Park Design Competition " »

Posted by Katie N. on December 2, 2007 2:42 PM | Permalink

Park Design Teams: Meet the People

The five teams competing to plan the parks and public spaces on the Island presented their ideas at GIPEC's Forum on June 20. It was one of a week-long series of presentations to the public, the GIPEC Advisory Committee, and the Design Competition jury. GIPEC is expected to receive the jury's recommendation later this month. Announcement of the winner will follow at the end of the summer.

Each team made a 15-minute presentation, followed by questions from the audience. Roughly 300 people attended.

Continue reading "Park Design Teams: Meet the People" »

Posted by Katie N. on December 1, 2007 12:46 PM | Permalink

5 Imaginative Visions for Governors Island

The five finalists in the competition to design the Island's open spaces have submitted a rich variety of concepts. Will the seawall be opened to create tidal pools? Swimming beaches? Free wooden bikes to borrow? Rocky hills for kids to scramble up? An imposing ferry landing? Lighting to make the Island visible from shore? Wind turbines? A "five-star" private retreat on the waterfront? Community gardens? Overnight camping?

Those are just a few of the ideas that leap out from the presentations on view at the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place (two blocks south of Washington Square), and on the Island in the building immediately to the
right as you get off the ferry. The June 4 issue of New York magazine also has a summary article with a few illustrations.

The design teams were asked to let their imaginations roam free, and they responded with five unique perspectives, each quite different from the others. Now GIPEC wants public comment. The teams will present their work and hear public reaction at a public forum on June 20 (6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Fashion Institute of Technology's Reeves Great Hall, entrance at West 28th St and 7th Avenue). If you cannot make the meeting you can put your opinion in writing at the exhibit locations on the Island or at the Center for Architecture, or online at www.park-centeroftheworld.org.

The Alliance is offering two special evening walking tours of the Island that will highlight the Island's important open space features and design team responses. The tours are June 21st and 27th from 5 - 7 p.m. For more information and to rsvp (required), visit www.governorsislandalliance.org.

A jury of eight specialists (see names below) will recommend one or more teams in July. GIPEC will make the final choice by the end of the summer. The winner will receive the contract to prepare the plan for the park and public spaces, a process that will take another year. While the winning team will surely start from the vision presented at the competition, the final plan could be a combination of ideas from all five teams.

What follows, in no particular order, is a summary of the five teams' proposals, with highlights of some of their ideas:

Continue reading "5 Imaginative Visions for Governors Island" »

Posted by Katie N. on November 28, 2007 3:50 PM | Permalink

GIPEC's Plan for a Plan

GIPEC's guidelines for the five professional teams competing to design the Island's open spaces - the March 7 Request for Proposals (RFP) - covers a meticulous 82 pages of text, maps and graphics. Highlights are: roughly 40 acres of parkland dubbed "Summer Park" running the length of the southern half of the Island and fronting on the harbor, a 2.18-mile public promenade and bikeway circling the Island, new definitions for historic sectors of the northern half, a "transition zone" between the two halves, and a new dock to replace Tango Pier on Buttermilk Channel. The RFP is on-line at http://www.govisland.com/About_GIPEC/ park_design_rfp.asp.

The five teams are to present their concepts starting in May, with a public exhibit running through much of June. GIPEC and a jury of "distinguished design professional and government officials" will then pick a team or teams to develop the final plan for the open spaces - the basic template that will allot spaces and create an atmosphere for other uses. The over-all objective set forth in the RFP is to create a destination, not just another playground but a unique attraction. "The destination and experiences offered by the Island's public open spaces must justify the effort of the journey." (Incidentally, it indicates that GIPEC is still considering an aerial gondola to get people there from Manhattan and Brooklyn.)

SUMMER PARK The RFP sets the tone for this space by pointing out that "it is crucial to the overall vision of the park to understand and make the most of its inherent Island nature." The guidelines contemplate that this waterfront park will begin at Division Road on the south side of Building 400, flanked on both sides by non-profit or commercial uses yet to be determined. The open space will stretch to the southern tip of the island, joining the waterfront along most of the western shoreline facing the harbor and the Statue of Liberty. The RFP mentions that the park needs to include space for organized sports, and possibly even for rock climbing and extreme sports. It says the design teams "should also consider the role of the arts" - music, performance, sculpture - and it strongly suggests positioning an amphitheater outside the park space, near the southernmost end of the Buttermilk Channel space, with lawn seating extending into the park.

Continue reading "GIPEC's Plan for a Plan" »

Posted by Jen Steinberg on November 27, 2007 11:44 AM | Permalink

Park Design Competition Launched

Five multi-national teams have been selected by GIPEC (Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation) to submit designs for the Island's park and public spaces. Their proposals will be made public in June at a series of exhibits and forums. The winning team and their design approach will then be selected in July by a panel of experts, not yet identified, with the Team being put under contract to plan the park shortly thereafter. The framework of the assignment to the five teams is described by the Request for Proposals (RFP) that GIPEC published on March 7. It is almost 50 pages of welcome detail and graphics that guide each team as they prepare their designs. The Alliance will be submitting comments in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, you can read the RFP here.

GIPEC President Leslie Koch announced the teams to an audience of more than 150 at the January 17 Design Forum - co-sponsored by the Alliance - at the AIA Center for Architecture in Greenwich Village. The five are: • Field Operations/ WilkinsonEyre Architects, of New York and London. • Hargreaves Associates/Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc., of New York and Los Angeles. • Ramus Ella Architects (REX)/ Michel Desvigne Paysagistes (MDP), of New York and Paris. • West 8 urban design & landscape architecture b.v./ Rogers MarvelArchitects / Diller Scofidio + Renfro, of Rotterdam and New York. • WRT LLC/ Weiss/Manfredi / Urban Strategies. Inc., of Philadelphia, New York, and Toronto.

Continue reading "Park Design Competition Launched" »

Posted by Jen Steinberg on November 25, 2007 1:01 PM | Permalink

The Park Service Listens

Over 100 people turned out for the National Park Service's March 18 "Listening " session at Federal Hall - the recently refurbished historic site on Wall Street. Maria Burks, Commissioner of the National Parks of New York Harbor, introduced the National Park Centennial Initiative, a 10-year project to "invigorate" the park system by 2016, the centennial of its creation in the administration of President Woodrow Wilson. Sandy Walter, Acting Director of the Northeast Region (from Maine to Virginia) reported that the President's budget for fiscal year 2008 proposes up to $3 billion for investment in parks, trails, memorials and historic sites that will help start the process.

The object of this session, and others like it around the country, was to gather people's thoughts about the parks ten years from now. The audience had more thoughts about programs than projects - such as better educational collaboration between schools and national parks, and greater inter-connection among the parks in

the New York region. The Island was represented by Linda Neal, superintendent of the Governors

Island National Monument - one of 13 superintendents on hand from 13 NPS sites in the tri-state area. The audience was a mix of citizens, school advocates, park enthusiasts, parents with children, and many Alliance members. Suzanne Wertz of AIA New York Chapter and Rob Freudenberg of the Alliance staff spoke for the Island as a signature National Park for all New Yorkers to celebrate our maritime heritage and the historic importance of the several strategic forts. For information about the Centennial Challenge, go to www.nps.gov/partnerships/challenge.htm. Alliance member National Parks Conservation Association is collecting suggestions for new projects, new parks, and new programs for centennial. You can write them at nero@npca.org.

http://www.governorsislandalliance.org/pdf/OnlineOffshorevol2_2.pdf

Posted by Jen Steinberg on November 23, 2007 12:02 PM | Permalink

Alliance Guidelines for Parks and Public Spaces

In 2006, the Alliance created an illustrated Guidelines for Parks and Public Spaces for Governors Island. Highlighted within the Guidelines are suggestions for the layout of open spaces, a large esplanade and Island access, among others. The Alliance is working with the National Park Service and GIPEC to ensure these guidelines and your recommendations are utilized in the design for the public spaces on the Island.

Download Guidelines (PDF 604K)
Download Press Release (PDF 108K)

This Alliance's Guidelines are based on the ideas expressed by more than 200 New Yorkers who participated in the Governors Island Park Planning Workshop we sponsored in June 2004.

View the workshop documentation:

Report of findings (PDF, 2.9 mb)
The Briefing Book Provided to Workshop Participants (PDF, .5 mb)

How do the future public spaces on Governors Island stack up agianst other New York City parks? Check out our handy Scale Reference.

Continue reading "Alliance Guidelines for Parks and Public Spaces" »

Posted by Rob P. on November 21, 2007 3:47 PM | Permalink

The Harbor School Has Landed!

Governors Island acquired its first tenant when GIPEC approved the New York Harbor School's application for an Island site. A project of the Urban Assembly, the school is one of the small, specialty high schools - there are 149 of them - promoted by the city to re-engage young people in their education. The school is currently located in Bushwick in central Brooklyn, about as far away from the water as any location in New York City. Locating it on the Island puts it in the center of lower New York Harbor and helps to fulfill the "E" in GIPEC (Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation).

The Harbor School's mission combines a hands-on harbor experience with the rigor of a creative curriculum. Planning to open on the Island next year, the school will benefit the general public as well as its 400 students. The boat building program, among others, will be open to the entire community on the days when Governors Island is open, allowing the public in general to enjoy the maritime educational experience.

Posted by Katie N. on November 19, 2007 10:35 AM | Permalink

Ferry Links

Governors Island is hardly an island unto itself. Its relationship to the nearby attractions of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island will strongly affect the Island's future. The current bidding competition for the Liberty Island Ferry Service contract is pivotal. For the past 18 years, Circle Line has held the exclusive contract to transport visitors from Battery Park to Liberty and Ellis Islands. The concession is one of the most lucrative National Park Service (NPS) agreements in the country - possibly the most - generating some $35 million in annual revenues from about 4 million riders.

The prospect of a new contract has raised hopes that ferry service may soon be more frequent and, most important for Governors Island and its National Monument, that it may tie into or subsidize much-needed service to surrounding harbor attractions.

The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (MWA), the Governors Island Alliance, and others have pushed the Park Service to include provisions for possible service to the Island in the upcoming contract. MWA aims to develop an extensive network connecting various points in the city with parks and recreation sites in Jamaica Bay, Staten Island and New Jersey. It argues that such a network would expand tourism and recreational activity throughout the harbor, benefiting the economy and the quality of life in the city and the region at large.

Unfortunately the terms for bidding on the new contract only allow for, but do not require, ferry service to other NPS sites (such as Governors Island's historic forts). Despite a requirement that the winning bidder purchase Circle Line's boats for $18 million, the bid has attracted the interest of more than a dozen local and national ferry companies. The deadline to submit offers is April 27. For now, it remains unclear if the new Liberty Island Ferry Service contract will be a missed opportunity or if it will offer benefits to the harbor as a whole.

Posted by Katie N. on November 18, 2007 10:20 AM | Permalink

Battery Maritime: Island Gateway

The Battery Maritime Building (BMB) is the gateway to Governors Island, a distinctive historic structure where the Island ferry comes and goes at the southern tip of Manhattan. It stands just east of the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Completed in 1909, it was designed by the firm of Walker & Morris in a Beaux-Arts style with exposed steel that suggested the architecture of the Paris exposition in the 1890's. Where once there were many terminals for many ferry lines, it is now the only one. It was designated a New York City Landmark in 1967. It saw generations of neglect by city agencies and a major alteration in 1957 that obscured much of the original architecture. With a recently completed exterior restoration and plans being devised for the building's interior--

including a visitors center for Governors Island--this grand old building is on the verge of a renaissance.

For almost 30 years before bridges and tunnels crossed the East River, commuter ferries to and from Brooklyn docked in the BMB's three piers - but service was discontinued for lack of traffic in 1938. Now there is only the ferry to Governors Island. With GIPEC's recent purchase of a second ferry from the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority , there will be two beginning in 2009. The ferry to the Island uses the easternmost of the three slips. The NYC Department of Transportation will use the westernmost slip for private ferry services as part of the City's East River Ferry Service, and commuter service is expected to begin later this summer.

From 2001 to 2006, the city's Economic Development Corporation (EDC) spent nearly $60 million to renovate the BMB's exterior, also restoring and replicating the historic windows, doors and light fixtures. Its distinctive sheet metal façade was painted green to resemble copper verdigris. With funding generously provided by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, a refurbished waiting room and visitor's center for Governors Island will be possible. Jan Hird Pokorny Associates Inc. is the chosen architect. Tishman Construction Corporation -- the company that did the restoration -- will serve as the construction manager for the waiting room.

In July, the Dermot Company and the Poulakakos family were awarded the contract to complete revitalization of the rest of the building's interior. Partners in the redevelopment plans include Rogers Marvel Architects, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, and Market Ventures Inc. Plans for the redevelopment of the Great Hall include a specialty foods marketplace to showcase locally based businesses, as well as an educational center. There are plans for a 135-room boutique hotel on the two upper floors. There would also be a restaurant and bar with rooftop tables and indoor seating. After hours, the Great Hall would be available for private events.

http://www.governorsislandalliance.org/pdf/OnlineOffshorevol2_6.pdf

Posted by Jen Steinberg on November 17, 2007 10:44 AM | Permalink

Another Ferry for the Island

GIPEC has purchased Islander, a ferry that has shuttled between Woods Hole and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts since it was built in 1950. She has logged more than a million miles back and forth across Vineyard Sound, a distance of seven miles. In her new life in the Big Apple she will sail 800 yards between the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan and the Soissons Dock on Governors Island.

Capacity: 770 passengers (plus cars and trucks), almost double the capacity of the ferry that serves the Island now. GIPEC plans to have her in operation in 2009 after a thorough overhaul.

She was headed for the scrap yard unless the Woods Hole, Martha's Vinyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority found a buyer at its $750,000 asking price. GIPEC offered $500,000. An invitation for bids to operate her will be issued soon.

This was not the first ferry swap between Governors Island and Martha's Vineyard. In the 1990's the government sold the Steamship Authority an old Coast Guard vessel, the Governor, which now serves as the backup ferry for overflow on the Martha's Vineyard run.

Posted by Jen Steinberg on November 16, 2007 10:42 AM | Permalink

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