From Reuters:
“Little Island, a park built
by a billionaire, further transforms Manhattan's West Side”
Little Island is its name, but
the vision and the budget behind it were colossal. The public park on the
Hudson River finally opened on Friday nearly seven years after plans were
unveiled, thanks to billionaire media mogul Barry Diller, whose $260 million
donation has further transformed the once-derelict West Side of Manhattan. The
island was built on the pillars of the former Pier 54, connected to Manhattan
by a walkway that will take visitors from the trendy Meatpacking District to
the site where survivors of the Titanic were taken and from where the Lusitania
departed. The West Side, once dominated by a bustling port, deteriorated into
industrial eyesores and homeless camps before a revitalization this century
converted much of it into magnificent parkland. The latest addition, nicknamed
Diller Island, is "eye candy" and "a charmer, with killer
views," according to New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman.
Its 2.7 acres (1.1 hectares)
slope up and down, teeming with flora and featuring a 687-seat amphitheater
with sunset views. Foot traffic will be regulated to prevent the park from
being overrun. Park visitor Janet Alvarez, a longtime local resident, said she
has anticipated Friday's opening for years. The day was delayed by legal
challenges and the pandemic. "I'm bursting with emotion. And to see people
smiling and looking happy and with the mask off. It's a wonderful day in the
neighborhood," Alvarez said. The Diller - von Furstenberg Family
Foundation of Diller and his wife, the designer Diane von Furstenberg, will pay
for maintenance for the park for the next 20 years. The same foundation donated
$20 million to the nearby High Line, a disused elevated railroad converted into
a park in the sky. Diller also built his IAC (IAC.O) corporate headquarters
near the High Line in a building designed by star architect Frank Gehry.
^ NYC needs more green spaces and
this seems like a nice park. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.