The Broadsheet - Lower Manhattan’s Local Newspaper

Although the Hudson River Park has emerged in recent years as a focus of Lower Manhattan community life, it increasingly faces competition. Planning and development for an East River waterfront park are roughly a decade behind the political dialog and physical construction surrounding the West Side’s network of piers and esplanades, but are nonetheless gathering momentum. A case in point is the impetus to create a grand public space at Pier 42, an eight-acre stretch of abandoned warehouses and parking lots between Montgomery and Jackson Streets on the Lower East Side, located roughly midway between the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges.

On November 29, a delegation of public officials presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Pier 42, marking the end of construction for the second phase of a decade-long project to transform the facility into park, complete with a playground, restrooms, and picnic area, along with a bike path, soccer field, basketball and tennis courts, adult fitness equipment, and picnic tables, all surrounded by shoreline access and waterfront views.

The newly opened section of the Pier 42 project, which was budgeted at $26.1 million, has revamped the structure’s 2.8-acre deck, once an industrial maritime site, into a public space outfitted with a turf soccer field, tennis courts, half-basketball courts and a variety of other amenities.

“The opening of the new recreational deck at Pier 42 is truly a cause for celebration, as it will provide the residents of the Lower East Side with greater access to the waterfront while providing green and recreational spaces for people of all ages,” said State Senator Brian Kavanagh.

“Activating our waterfront for increased public use helps make sure our neighborhood’s biggest assets and best views aren’t reserved for parking and storage,” added New York City Council Member Christopher Marte.

Pier 42 has long been seen by community activists and urban planners as a site with almost unlimited potential. Built in 1967 as a newsprint terminal, Pier 42 later served as an import station for Dole bananas. By the time it closed in 1987, it was the last working cargo pier in Manhattan. In the decades since, it has functioned primarily as a parking lot.

The first phase of the transformation of the dock, completed in 2019, focused on the abatement of hazardous materials and the removal of a vacant shed from the pier’s deck, along with preservation of five structural steel bays. The most recently completed segment of the project added public amenities, while also continuing the ongoing repair of the pier’s bulkhead, and incorporating resiliency infrastructure that will provide flood protection for the surrounding community. The third stage of the project (budgeted at $33.6 million) will focus on the creation of an upland park—which will include a garden, playground, and public rest rooms—and is slated for completion in late 2023. That portion will also feature a network of walking paths inspired by the flow of water. Public art pieces will include seal, crab, and turtle sculptures. When finished, Pier 42 will represent a public investment of more than $60 million.

The overall design has been created by the highly regarded firm of Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, whose work will be familiar to Lower Manhattan residents from projects within the Hudson River Park, such as Pier 25 and Little Island Park.

The Lower East Side’s waterfront renaissance was most recently highlighted in April 2019, when the nearby Pier 35 was transformed into the “Eco-Park”—a 28,000-square-foot facility that includes lawns, swings, and Mussel Beach, a restored marine habitat of ridged concrete that encourages the growth of mussels and other water-filtering shellfish. This tableau is dominated by metal screen, 35 feet tall and 300 feet long, that anchors climbing vines and hides a nearby Department of Sanitation storage facility. The screen guides both the eyes and the footsteps of park visitors, tracing a graceful arc as it leans forward and stretches toward the water, where it becomes a shade barrier that also supports swings—creating an enclosure that resembles a porch, overlooking the river and framing views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Before its current incarnation, Pier 35’s last significant use was as a mooring spot for a prison barge, part of a short-lived penal experiment launched in the early 1990s by the administration of then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

All of these projects are part of a larger vision, called the East River Blueway, which supporters hope will create an unbroken string of parks stretching along the waterfront from the Battery up to East 38th Street, while also incorporating flood protection and resiliency measures.

The Saint Nicholas Church and National Shrine officially opened on Tuesday, within the World Trade Center complex, more than 21 years after the original church was destroyed at a site nearby in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On a date timed to coincide with the annual feast of Saint Nicholas, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America welcomed the public for the first time into the building, designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, who also created the nearby Oculus, also in the World Trade Center. Read more...

A rally to demand a larger-than-planned number of affordable housing units at the last remaining development parcel in the World Trade Center complex drew elected officials and community leaders to the steps of City Hall on Monday morning. The Coalition for a 100 Percent Affordable Five World Trade Center voiced opposition to a plan for predominantly luxury housing at the site, and support for a grassroots vision to create apartments for mixed-income residents, including survivors of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Read more...

The New York State Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) has issued yet another version of proposed boundaries for the New York State Assembly, which restores the lines of the districts representing Lower Manhattan to almost exactly where they were before the process began. Read more...

Nutritionist Lauren C. Kelly offers creative twists on classic recipes, food prep and cooking trends. From appetizers to entrees and dessert, learn how to design menus for better health. Free.

Learn about the park's rich history, many landmarks and monuments, SeaGlass Carousel, perennial gardens designed by Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, and more. Free.

Learn to make Manhatta’s Holiday Nog and Hot Buttered Pumpkin drink. Free.

The Noir Pairings hybrid film series pairs a neo-noir with a classic noir movie for comparison and discussion. In Sunset Boulevard (1950), directed by Billy Wilder, a failed screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. This film is paired with Barton Fink (1991) available online. Popcorn will be served, and a discussion will follow. Free.

Lecture hosted by the Fraunces Tavern Museum. In 1786, Charles Wilson Peale created the most important—and most famous—museum in Revolutionary era America. A fusion of natural history and art, Peale’s Philadelphia Museum was meant to be an embodiment of the Enlightenment. Free.

The New York Jewish Book Festival opens with a screening of the first episode of Fleishman is in Trouble followed by a conversation with author Taffy Brodesser-Akner and critic A.O. Scott. $10 suggested donation.

Gibney, the New York City-based dance and social justice organization, presents the world premiere of choreographer Kathy Westwater’s Moundscapes. The work is an inquiry into the site of Fresh Kills landfill that contends with themes of environmental trauma, grief, and complicity. $15-$20.

Improve balance, strength and focus through gentle exercises. The sights and sounds of the river provide a serene background for the ancient flowing postures. An ideal choice for participants of all ages.

Learn more about the African Burial Ground National Monument in this art tour of the lobby. Free.

In a season full of Messiah concerts, Trinity’s is unique—performed in a sacred space, on period instruments, with soloists from the choir chosen to best complement each aria and recitative. Trinity and Messiah have a long history: Trinity presented one of the first performances in North America in 1770, and Trinity’s ensembles are widely regarded as some of the greatest interpreters of the work. Don’t miss "the best Messiah in New York" (The New York Times), featuring The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra with renowned conductor Andrew Megill at the helm. Sold out but view online free.

Greenwich Street & Chambers Street

Saturdays, 8am-3pm (compost program: Saturdays, 8am-1pm)

Broadway & Whitehall St

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8am-5pm (compost program: 8am-11am)

91 South Street, between Fulton & John Streets

Monday through Saturday,11:30am-5pm

1863 - Abraham Lincoln issues his Amnesty Proclamation and plan for Reconstruction of the South

1966 - US and USSR sign treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons in outer space

1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.

1980 – John Lennon is murdered in front of The Dakota.

2010 – With the second launch of the Falcon 9 and the first launch of the Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.

2010 – The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km.

65 BC – Horace, Roman poet (d. 8 BC)[5]

1542 – Mary, Queen of Scots, (d. 1587)

1765 – Eli Whitney, engineer, invented the cotton gin (d. 1825)

1861 – William C. Durant, founder of General Motors and Chevrolet (d. 1947)

1886 – Diego Rivera, Mexican painter and educator (d. 1957)

1922 – Lucian Freud, painter and illustrator (d. 2011)

1925 – Sammy Davis, Jr., actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1990)

1939 – James Galway, Irish flute player

1943 – Jim Morrison, singer-songwriter and poet (d. 1971)

1947 – Gregg Allman, singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)

1982 - Nicki Minaj, rapper and singer

1913 – Camille Jenatzy, Belgian race car driver (b. 1868)

1942 – Albert Kahn, architect, (b. 1869)

1978 – Golda Meir, educator and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1898)

1980 – John Lennon, singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)

2016 - John Glenn, astronaut, first American to orbit the earth), politician (Senator D-Ohio), dies at 95

2019 - Paul Volcker, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve (1979-87), dies at 92