Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe today joined Governor Pataki’s Chief of Staff John P. Cahill, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) Vice President of Community Development & Relations Jennifer Brown, and Battery Conservancy President Warrie Price to cut the ribbon on the new 57,000 square foot, 100,000 plant and flower-festooned Battery Bosque Gardens, the latest project completed in the ongoing revitalization of The Battery, and Lower Manhattan.
“The newly born Battery Bosque Gardens mirror the vitality of a rejuvenated Lower Manhattan,” said Commissioner Benepe. “Thanks to the support of LMDC and the leadership of the Battery Conservancy, New Yorkers can now enjoy a masterpiece of a garden in one of New York City's great historic landscapes.”
“The Battery Bosque Gardens are a spectacular addition to Lower Manhattan’s green space,” Governor Pataki’s Chief of Staff John P. Cahill said. “This project has spruced up four acres of The Battery with new seating areas, trees, paths, and a new fountain. Together, Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg have committed the largest investment in parks in Lower Manhattan since the creation of Battery Park City. Open spaces such as the Battery Bosque Gardens help build stronger communities, which is why we are creating or renovating over a dozen green spaces throughout Lower Manhattan. All of these park projects are part of the Governor’s vision for transforming downtown into a thriving mixed use community.”
“Parks and open spaces are the hearts and backyards of a neighborhood, and today’s ribbon cutting at the Battery Bosque marks yet another important step in the revitalization of Lower Manhattan as we continue to transform Downtown into a true mixed use community,” said LMDC President Stefan Pryor. “The LMDC has made an unprecedented commitment of over $25 million dollars for parks and open spaces, enhancing the quality of life for families downtown. Under the leadership of Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg, the next few years will bring a parks renaissance—transforming both waterfronts and creating and revitalizing an additional $20 million worth of additional parks and playgrounds throughout Lower Manhattan from the Lower East Side to the Battery.”
The Battery Bosque Gardens is a four-acre “park within a park” conceived by world-renowned Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, master of gardens and creator of some of the most exciting public and private projects internationally, in collaboration with landscape architects Saratoga Associates, led by principal Laura Starr. Later this summer, the Bosque will also offer a new fountain designed by architects Claire Weisz and Mark Yoes, principals of Weisz + Yoes, as well as new outdoor lighting created by Linnaea Tillett of Tillett Lighting Design.
“We at the Battery Conservancy are delighted to see our dream of a horticultural destination in Lower Manhattan coming true. With the completion of the Bosque Gardens, the public can enjoy a place like no other Downtown—an oasis of flowers and remarkable views of New York Harbor. Along with the Gardens of Remembrance, also designed by Piet Oudolf and dedicated last year, the Battery Bosque reflects the drama of the City’s streetscape and skyline with the equal drama of nature. This a gift to New York, a celebration of our City’s birthplace.”
Graced with the City’s best views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty, carpets of flowers, seating areas, and the only mature shade Downtown—with a grove of 140 London plane trees—the Bosque will also include specially designed food kiosks to be installed in August and designed by Weisz + Yoes.
LMDC funded construction of the Battery Bosque Gardens through a $8.5 million grant. The project included the repair of cracked asphalt and broken cobblestone; replacement of old and broken benches and picnic tables with new custom-designed furniture; and the creation of new, stabilized crush stone paths, ground surfaces, and a fountain. A marine life-themed carousel by sculptor Barbara Broughel is also planned for the Bosque.
LMDC has allocated over $25 million to create or enhance 13 different green spaces in Lower Manhattan. The reconstruction of the Battery Bosque is the seventh project to be completed as part of the LMDC allocation. Four more projects will be substantially completed by this spring. Other recently completed projects include renovations at the East River Ballfields, Tribeca Park, Bowling Green Park and Washington Market Park.
The Battery is a major urban transportation hub and home to more than two dozen important monuments, inviting lyrical green spaces, paths for pedestrians and bicyclists, and unrivaled visual access to New York Harbor. The Battery is also home to Castle Clinton, the storied United States Federal Monument that over the past 200 years has served a series of functions reflecting the social and economic evolution of New York and the United States. The Battery Conservancy was created in 1994 to work in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to implement a 1988 general usage plan outlining principles for revitalizing and rebuilding the Battery, one of the nation’s most profound historic places.
