Excavators roared onto Pier 1 early in the morning on Thursday, February 13, 2008, and broke ground on the Piers section of Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Over the spring and the summer of 2008, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC) demolished almost all the remaining pier sheds, the Purchase Building, and a number of upland structures on the Piers section of the future park.
Demolition and construction debris was removed from the site and transported to recycling centers by barge, a process that minimized pollution and truck traffic through the adjoining neighborhoods. Stell columns left standing around the shed perimeters will be reused in the final lighting design for the park.
With demolition complete, and contracts under way, park construction began on Piers 1 and 6 winter 2008-2009.
As Pier 1 opens spring 2010, Empire-Fulton Ferry, located just north of the Brooklyn Bridge, closed for renovations on January 1. Funded by a $3.45 million donation by David and Jane Walentas, improvements to the park are expected to take approximately one year and include bringing the park to grade, new landscaping, and lighting. The park will also feature "Jane's Carousel" - a restored 1920s carousel to be housed in a pavilion designed by Pritzer Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel and located on the western edge of the park.
Phase 1: 66% of the Park Complete by 2013
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation held a public meeting on June 30, 2008, to announce the park construction schedule. Phase 1 extends through 2013 and includes the construction of the area underneath the Brooklyn Bridge extending to the current Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park (Brooklyn Bridge Plaza), Piers 1, 5, and a portion of Pier 6, and the uplands including the Pier 4 beach and tidal pool at Pier 2.
In October, the BBPDC awarded the first Phase 1 construction contract to Skanska USA, which oversaw the site demolition. The $47 million contract for the development of Pier 1 and the Old Fulton Street entrance includes 1,300 feet of promenade along the East River, 2.5 acres of lawn with sweeping views of New York Harbor and the Brooklyn Bridge, and the first portion of the Brooklyn Greenway borough-long bike path. Pier 1 includes 700 trees, water gardens, and a playground, plus a number of sustainable initiatives such as underground water storage tanks, and a series of “river steps” overlooking the harbor. These steps will be constructed from salvaged granite from the Roosevelt Island Bridge.
When the Pier 1 area is complete in 2010, 9.5 acres of new park will join the 12 acres already open between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Additional construction contracts will be awarded in the coming weeks for Brooklyn Bridge Plaza, a portion of Pier 6, and the Pier 6 uplands, which are scheduled to open by the winter of 2009. On their completion, 33% of Brooklyn Bridge Park, including 16.7 acres of new parkland, will be open.
An uplands connection, including the main walkway and bikeway, between Piers 1 and 6 will open in 2011, allowing access from one end of the park to the other while the remaining uplands are under construction. Pier 5 is scheduled to open by the end of 2011.The uplands sections of Piers 5 and 3 will open in 2012 and 2013. At this point 66% of Brooklyn Bridge Park will be complete and open to the public. Piers 2 and 3 are awaiting further funding and are not included in the Phase 1 schedule.
Park Design
Phase 1 park design has continued to be refined under the leadership of BBPDC President Regina Myer.
Pier 1’s spectacular Harbor View and Bridge View lawns will be joined by a new, small playground on the pier’s northwest corner. The existing Squibb Park playground, located between the park and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, will be connected to Brooklyn Bridge Park by a pedestrian bridge.
Pier 6 will feature areas of natural landscaping, a sand volleyball court, a café, and magnificent views of the harbor. A major new playground will be built at the foot of Atlantic Avenue on the uplands. The playground will include a water play area, slides, a swing valley, a tot lot, and a marsh exploratory garden.
Pier 5 remains devoted to field sports and recreation and will contain three multipurpose sports fields, each of which is the size of a soccer field.
The uplands will contain walking and biking paths, places to picnic, and access to the water.
A new “picnic peninsula” on the uplands of Pier 5 will create a unique riverfront setting for picnic tables, barbeque facilities, and family recreation.
A beach in the Pier 4 uplands, a tidal pool in the Pier 2 uplands, and a water access ramp by Pier 1 will offer visitors direct access to the water.
Concessions will be located throughout the park. Cafés will be located on Pier 6, the uplands between Piers 4 and 5, and near Fulton Ferry Landing. Additional concession facility opportunities may be located at the Pier 6 entrance and at the Pier 1 entrance.
