The Broadsheet - Lower Manhattan’s Local Newspaper

Lower Manhattan has a new park. On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, City Council member Christopher Marte, and Community Board 1 (CB1) member Rosa Chang marked the 140th anniversary of the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge by presiding over the debut of the Arches, a one-acre space beneath the historic span that contains a skateboard park and multiple courts for basketball, shuffleboard, and pickleball.

“This is a great moment and it’s a symbol of how we use our open spaces,” Mayor Adams said. “Everyone needs open space. Those community advocates that sat down and communicated with us really did a great job of bringing this to our attention.”

This was a reference to a grassroots campaign led by local activists to reopen the space, after it was “temporarily” closed 13 years ago for use as a staging area to facilitate maintenance work on the Brooklyn Bridge, and never reopened. In 2020, an online petition demanding that the facility once again be made available for public use garnered more than 45,000 signatures, and CB1 passed numerous resolutions demanding that the space be reopened. The City’s Department of Transportation responded to these resolutions by saying that it would need to occupy the park space well into the 2030s, for ongoing Brooklyn Bridge maintenance projects. That agency reversed course when ordered by the Mayor’s office to take a fresh look at the proposal to reopen the space.

In a nod to this campaign, Manhattan Borough President Levine said, “if you believe in the power of citizen activism, you need to know what has happened here. You need to get to know Rosa Chang and the incredible team. Every single elected official or administration leader who has taken the tour has come away fanatically devoted to this project. They are so inspirational, they are so compelling that a mere two years later, we’re already celebrating the first victory here.”

“This is going to be one of the most heavily used public spaces from the moment it opens,” he continued. “We are just beginning. I think we can get at least nine acres. This is going to be the hottest new public space in New York City.”

In addition to serving on CB1, Ms. Chang is a co-founder of Brooklyn Bridge Manhattan (BBM), a not-for-profit that has been pushing to reopening the park since 2021. “I feel like my life just walked through the door,” she said. “Every single one of you are here today because you helped make this possible for ourselves, for our neighbors, our next generation, our community. And what a gloriously diverse group we are. Our diversity is our superpower, and we are New York.”

“Two years is lightning speed for an infrastructure park project,” she continued, “Please know that it is a Herculean effort and it is only possible because we stand on the shoulders of giants.”

City Council member Marte, who came brandishing a skateboard, said, “this was one of our top priorities upon taking office, and after decades of broken promises, we are now able to deliver. This open space will serve the diverse communities of Lower Manhattan—restoring a historic skate park, while providing space for children to play and seniors to enjoy the outdoors.”

For the activists who have been pushing to reopen the park, Wednesday’s celebration was merely a prologue. Ms. Chang and BBM are spearheading a plan to create a new, dozen-acre linear park (including space for a new library and museum), surrounding the Brooklyn Bridge. All of the land in question is already publicly owned, with much of it legally mapped as park space.

BBM’s vision would reopen and revitalize six outdoor sections of this area (three each on the north and south sides of the bridge), stretching from Park Row to South Street. The same plan would bring to life the Vaults (the soaring, arched brickwork spaces that comprise the Brooklyn Bridge’s anchorage), converting them for the first time to public use. The scenario outlined by BBM notes these spaces would house “ideally a New York Public Library combined with a Brooklyn Bridge Museum housing a collection of documents and artifacts from the design and construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.” This network of indoor and outdoor spaces would ultimately connect with the East River Park and Greenway, now under construction along the waterfront, beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

The BBM proposal calls for the creation of the new park in multiple phases. The first of these (the reopening of a padlocked basketball court, and the reactivation of the skate park) was accomplished Wednesday. The second stage would reopen the two blocks between Park Row and Pearl Street, while also opening the Vaults and the adjacent lands for public park space. The third (and final) stage would include the largest open spaces, adjacent to the East River.

Through each of these phases, the BBM vision would create new playgrounds and active recreation facilities, while providing access to the pedestrian deck of the Brooklyn Bridge and putting a fresh face on significant pieces of infrastructure, such as the Park Row tunnel, which affords walkers and bikers a connection between the Financial District and Chinatown.

In northern Rockefeller Park, at the base of a shady tree and behind a low stone wall, a busy, boxy beehive hosts an estimated 20,000 honeybees. By fall, that number could triple. While honeybees are not indigenous to North America—having been imported in the 17th century by European settlers—their blockish hives are becoming common not only in natural areas throughout the City and beyond, but also on high-rise terraces and corporate rooftops. Read more...

Lower Manhattan elected officials and community leaders are keeping the pressure on the administration of Governor Kathy Hochul to reconceive the plan to develop Five World Trade Center with a larger percentage of affordable housing. Read more...

[re: ‘Barking Into a Hollow Hole’, May 25, 2023)

To the editor,

Agreed… Government collusion with and subsidizing of capitalist profiteers raises its ugly head for the umpteenth time…

To the editor,

The Governor and the WTC officials are turning their backs on 9/11 residents/survivors who desperately need affordable housing. We are voters too!

Learn about the park's history, landmarks and monuments, SeaGlass Carousel, gardens and urban farm, and more. Free.

Conversation, local news, and informal card and board games. Free.

Today, May 30, marks the 21st anniversary of the formal end of recovery operations at the World Trade Center site after 9/11. Today's ceremony will be held in honor of all 9/11 rescue, recovery, and relief workers, and those who are sick or have died from illnesses linked to exposure to hazards and toxins in the aftermath of 9/11 at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, or near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The ceremony will be followed by a community gathering at the 9/11 Museum and a screening of No Responders Left Behind. RSVP required for some parts of this event. Free.

Play the popular strategy game while getting pointers and advice from an expert. For ages 5 and up (adults welcome). Free.

High-intensity boxing-inspired workout. Free.

The Philippine Madrigal Singers will perform works from the Asian canon interspersed with poetry, readings, and conversation. Free.

Each week a model will strike short and long poses for participants to draw. An educator will offer constructive suggestions. Drawing materials provided. Free.

Create with drawing materials, pastels and watercolors. Embolden your artwork amidst the flower-filled and seasonally evolving palette of BPC's verdant gardens. An artist/ educator will provide ideas and instruction. Materials provided, and artists are encouraged to bring their own favorite media.

Joshua Ramus of REX, Jaime Krone of the Guggenheim Foundation, David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group and Gregg Pasquarelli of SHoP Architects will speak with architecture critic Paul Goldberger about their experiences with projects such as the Perelman Performing Arts Center, the Shed, Guggenheim Museum and more. The conversation will conclude with a Q&A and networking reception. Free.

Interactive music series for children 4 years-old and younger. Free.

Unwind from the day with outdoor yoga. All levels are welcome. Free.