February 6, 2009
Governors Island plans: more biking, art and cabanas
NewYorkology contributor Vidiot commits journalism by night, edits Cocktailians and explores NYC by day. He’s especially interested in the infrastructure, transit, architectural wonders, drinking establishments, and hidden corners of the greatest city in the world.
Despite funding fears, when Governors Island reopens for the season on May 30, plans call for the 2.2-mile promenade encircling the entire island to open to the public for the first time, along with a new 8-acre picnic area outfitted with “industrial cabanas.”
Fishing, kayaking and biking will return this summer, and possibly polo. The FIGMENT arts festival is slated to return in June, the nine-hole artist-designed golf course will expand to an 18-hole course, and plans are in the works for a major arts festival sponsored by the Dutch government to commemorate the quadricentennial of Henry Hudson’s arrival in New York (on September 11, 1609.)
The Governors Island Preservation & Education Corporation, which administers the bulk of Governors Island, is looking ahead to the 2009 season and the more distant future. GIPEC representatives gave NewYorkology a private tour of the island recently, as well as an update on the master planning process for turning Governors Island into a park.
“Biking and art are really the signature experiences of Governors Island,” GIPEC president Leslie Koch told NewYorkology, highlighting the addition of access to the full 2.2-mile promenade. When the island opened to the public in 2004, only one in 10 visitors hopped on a bike, while last year it was one of every four, she said.
If you bike or walk the promenade to the southern tip of the island, you’ll reach a new 8-acre picnic area featuring eye-popping views of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor. One of the most striking aspects of seeing the Statue of Liberty from Governors Island is you actually get to see her face, which you don’t ordinarily see from most viewing spots. “We like to say that we’re helping to bring the statue back to New York City,” Koch said, pointing out that it’s an icon that usually only tourists have contact with, and usually only once.
The new picnic area will also feature stylish “industrial cabanas” — converted cargo containers donated to the island.
The demolition last year of Liberty Village, the former residential buildings dating to the island’s days as a Coast Guard base, cleared the space and opened it up to public use. Elsewhere on the island, the recent demolition of the Super 8 Motel has added to the public space on the parade ground.
GIPEC ultimately plans to demolish every building on the southern part of the island (none of them are historic or architecturally notable) and replace them with public parkland. The Liberty Village demolition was the first step, and crews are currently sifting through the rubble for elements that can be recycled or otherwise reused.
Before the island opens in May, GIPEC plans to unveil the master plan for the island. A consortium of several firms, including West 8 from Rotterdam, and New York’s own powerhouse Diller Scofidio + Renfro, won the competition to design the parkland. The winning entry emphasized several artificial hills, which are designed to maximize the different experiences that visitors will have on the island, and provide multiple perspectives on the harbor, the surrounding boroughs, and the Statue of Liberty.
As an entity funded jointly by New York City and New York State, GIPEC’s plans are necessarily dependent on those governmental budgets, and the current state of the economy presents challenges. “We’re very concerned about state and city budgets, but we’re very committed to remaining a free resource for the people of New York,” Koch said. As the New York Observer reported, the agency is selling their back-up ferry, the recently-acquired M/V Islander, on eBay. (The agency will continue to provide transportation with the ferry Lt. Samuel S. Coursen, which has carried everyone from Queen Elizabeth II to Mikhail Gorbachev to your humble correspondent.)
Depending on operational funding from the city and state, GIPEC would like to also operate a ferry to the island from the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn.
On the art front, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council will sponsor visual and performing artists to work on the island, with studios open to the public, and present their work for weeks or months at a time.
GIPEC is also rehabilitating the island’s Yankee Pier, turning it into a destination for visiting educational vessels and historic ships.
GIPEC’s goal for the 2009 season is to draw 200,000 visitors, up from 125,000 in 2008. The first year the island was open to the public, a mere 8,000 visited; last year, the island saw that many visitors each weekend.
Governors Island will be open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from May 30 through October 11. As in previous years, access will be by free ferry from the Battery Maritime Building (next to the Staten Island Ferry terminal on Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan.)
Picture credit: Vidiot, full photo set.
Earlier: OHNY: South Side of Governors Island demolitions
Governors Island reopens with polo match, David Byrne (2008)
Governors Island ferry trip and tours free all summer (2006)
February 6, 2009 10:48 AM in Architecture, Cheap Stuff, Downtown, History, Out of Manhattan, Sightsology, Sports
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