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NYguy
Mar 21, 2011, 2:40 PM
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2011/03/development_wat_682.php

Development Watch: Jane's Carousel

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/janes-carousel-031711.jpg

It's been a couple of months since we checked in with a photo of the progress at Jane's Carousel in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn Bridge Park. It's pretty clear from this photo what the footprint of the carousel itself will be in the Jean Nouvel-designed glass structure. According to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp., the carousel project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the summer.

Obey
Mar 21, 2011, 6:58 PM
Is that just north of the Brooklyn Bridge?

Roadcruiser1
Mar 21, 2011, 9:53 PM
Yeah. If you notice it would be housed in the glass building.
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/assets/photos/33/21/33_21_janescarouselrendering03_z.jpg

Godwindaniel
Mar 27, 2011, 7:10 PM
Both the city and state are incredibly committed to the project and the funds are all in place for us to build over two-thirds of the park by 2013. With One Brooklyn Bridge Park up and running, the condominium which is down on Furman Street, we are already receiving the taxes and ground rent to support operations in the early year.

NYguy
Apr 5, 2011, 2:41 PM
http://brooklynpaper.com/stories/34/14/dtg_bbphousing_2011_4_8_bk.html

House training! Bridge Park supporters say condos are the best way to raise dough

By Natalie O’Neill
April 4, 2011



Supporters of housing inside Brooklyn Bridge Park brought out the big guns last week to support residential units inside the park as the best way to meet a state mandate that the park generate enough revenue to cover its maintenance budget.

At a hearing last week, the head of the private Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and the former head of the Prospect Park Alliance testified that condos within the park footprint are more reliable sources of cash — and better for the public — than charging fees to use the park’s facilities, hoping for money from film crews permits and renting out space to more snack carts.

“Limited residential development actually privatizes the park less,” Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Executive Director Nancy Webster told a crowd of 100 at the hearing last Thursday at St. Francis College.

Tupper Thomas, who until this year was Webster’s counterpart at the venerable Prospect Park Alliance, also backed housing as the most stable option, explaining the woes maintaining cash-strapped open space.

“All of these gray hairs on my head will show you how hard it is to raise private money for a public park,” said Thomas, who retired in January. “[Housing is] a great mechanism to maintain the park in the future.”

That assertion didn’t convince neighbors like Roy Sloane of the Cobble Hill Association.

“I will never support housing in this park until there are high-rises in Prospect Park, Central Park and every other major park in this city,” he said.

Sloane and other foes of housing have been on their own campaign since February, when the Park’s Committee on Alternatives to Housing unveiled a study that predicted that non-housing options could at most generate $7 million, not even half of the ballooning $16-million maintenance budget. And half of that revenue would come from a new tax on residents and businesses inside a “park improvement district” whose borders would comprise all properties within one-quarter mile of the park — as such, it is unlikely to gain political traction.

Opponents of housing say that the consultant report low-balled the figures to make it seem like high-rises were the best option.

For example, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund claims that the report only accounted for the $300 cost of a city film permit for a total of $1,500 to $4,500 annually. Yet park officials charge an additional fee to film in the park — to the tune of $30,000 for a single major shoot. The group also said $1 million more could be generated from parking and $365,000 more could be generated from concessions.

Most important, committee rules forbade it from considering the largest pot of money: the revenue generated after the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society sells dozens of currently tax-exempt properties that it owns in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO.

“All the numbers are to justify one goal: building high on the waterfront,” said Judi Francis, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund, which has sued to keep housing out of Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The construction of housing and other revenue-generating uses stems from a 2002 agreement between the city and state that the $350-million park raise its own maintenance budget so it would not be a drain on city coffers.

But the proposed 20- to 30-floor luxury high-rises have long been the waterfront development’s most-controversial feature, so park officials created the committee to search for alternatives to housing.

NYguy
Apr 8, 2011, 11:24 AM
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2011/04/steel_rising_at.php

Steel Rising at Jane's Carousel


http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/janes-carousel-040711.jpg

Work is now happening in earnest on the future home of Jane's Carousel. This photo from today shows some vertical action at the site on the Dumbo waterfront. The antique carousel will be enclosed by a Jean Nouvel-designed glass structure, and it's supposed to be good to go by the end of the summer.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/janes-carousel-part2.jpg

Obey
Apr 9, 2011, 10:11 PM
Went for a walk today with friends, some photos:

The part of the park North of the Brooklyn Bridge:

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3628/img4626y.jpg

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/2616/img4624b.jpg

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/4190/img4623b.jpg

Renovated Building (Don't know what the future use is):

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/4220/img4621t.jpg

River Cafe Area:

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1710/img4620g.jpg

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/8416/img4619g.jpg

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7974/img4618j.jpg

Pier 1:

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/4945/img4615h.jpg

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/7382/img4614r.jpg

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/9536/img4613g.jpg

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/3193/img4612g.jpg

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/5953/img4610o.jpg

http://img816.imageshack.us/img816/4488/img4606a.jpg

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1361/img4605u.jpg

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/487/img4602w.jpg

Noticed that the stream that runs through the park is dried up and seems to have been for a while:

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/6789/img4616d.jpg

Saw this on site (wasn't sure what the connection is to the park is):

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/2959/img4617c.jpg

Brooklyn Bridge Restoration:

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/7403/img4622k.jpg

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/9425/img4611m.jpg

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/3784/img4608o.jpg

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8025/img4607d.jpg

NYguy
Apr 10, 2011, 12:34 PM
Great photo update.

NYguy
Apr 11, 2011, 3:11 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/nyregion/11warehouse.html?_r=3&partner=rss&emc=rss#

Judge Blocks City’s Proposal for 2 Buildings in Brooklyn

By ELIZABETH A. HARRIS
April 10, 2011




The development of two buildings in Brooklyn has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge, who ordered Friday that the mid-19th-century structures be returned to a designation of federally protected parkland.

New York City had approved a proposal to allow one of the buildings, the Tobacco Warehouse, to be used by St. Ann’s Warehouse, a theater company based in the Dumbo neighborhood that has been looking for a new home. The city was planning to take proposals for the Empire Stores building this spring, city officials said.

But Judge Eric N. Vitaliano said that the National Park Service broke the law when it redrew the lines of Empire Fulton Ferry State Park without public hearings, leaving the Tobacco Warehouse and the Empire Stores, both waterfront structures, outside of the park’s borders.

The National Park Service and New York City, both defendants in the case, argued that the buildings had been included in the park by mistake, and that they were not suitable for outdoor recreation, making them ineligible for inclusion. The National Park Service, they argued, was within its rights to correct the mistake.

Judge Vitaliano, of the Eastern District of New York, did not agree, issuing a preliminary injunction against the move.

“The house of cards erected by the defense cannot withstand the gentlest breeze,” he said in his decision.

Haley Stein, a lawyer for the city, said in a statement: “We are disappointed with the court’s ruling and look forward to presenting our full case to the Court. Brooklyn Bridge Park remains committed to moving the Tobacco Warehouse project forward and incorporating plans for St. Ann’s Warehouse and Empire Stores as vibrant parts of the park.”

A spokesman for St. Ann’s Warehouse declined to comment.

Jim Walden, the lawyer who represented the plaintiffs, which included the Brooklyn Heights Association and the New York Landmarks Conservancy, said that the Bloomberg administration had lobbied vigorously for the park’s map to be redrawn.

“What is clear is that the Bloomberg administration really wanted to do this,” Mr. Walden said. “The city was pushing the idea that this was a mistake, oh, it was a mistake, and that’s where the judge’s language was the harshest.”

NYguy
Apr 19, 2011, 3:10 PM
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/04/19/framework_for_jean_nouvels_brooklyn_barn_now_in_place.php

Framework for Jean Nouvel's Brooklyn Barn Now in Place

http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/janescarousel_4_11.jpg

Tuesday, April 19, 2011, by Sara Polsky

For all the controversy that preceded it, and the fact that it involves a starchitect and the wife of a Dumbo kingpin, the Jean Nouvel pavilion designed to house Jane Walentas' antique carousel has been going up rather quietly in Empire Ferry State Park.

We've swiped this latest construction shot from Dumbo NYC. The steel frame is on its way up, and the whole thing, glass pavilion included, is set to be done around August. What will it look like when it's done?


http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/2010_10_nouvelhorse.jpg

J. Will
Apr 27, 2011, 8:48 PM
A new pedestrian bridge is going to be built to connect Brooklyn Heights promenade to this park:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cm/popularmechanics/images/4H/brooklyn-bridge-0411-de.jpg

Obey
Apr 28, 2011, 1:51 AM
What are those buildings? I thought there was going to be a field there.

Also here is the Curbed article:
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/04/27/brooklyns_49_million_squibb_park_pedestrian_bridge_revealed.php

NYguy
May 2, 2011, 10:58 PM
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/34/18/24_bridgedanceparty_2011_5_6_bk.html

Just dance! Brooklyn Bridge Park gets down and funky starting on May 12

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/assets/photos/34/18/24_bridgedanceparty_2011_5_6_bk01_z.jpg

Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1 brings on the funk, as Celebrate Brooklyn throws a dance party on May 12 with DJ Spinna bringing the tunes.

May 2, 2011
By Meredith Deliso



There’s even more Celebrate Brooklyn to love.

The Prospect Park-based performing arts festival expands to Brooklyn Bridge Park this month, with a dance party series planned for Pier 1.

Kicking things off on May 12 is Maceo Parker, a funk musician whose laid down his gritty sax lines with James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins and Prince. He’ll be joined by DJ Spinna, who will get you moving with a mix of old school funk and futuristic electro.

The series continues on May 19 with salsa big band La Excelencia and DJS Aue Bajo?!, and then bhangra enthusiasts Red Braat and DJ Rekha on May 26, just in time for Celebrate Brooklyn to kick off at the Prospect Park Bandshell on June 10 with Andrew Bird.

“The performers and DJs are prime examples of the diverse, world-class programming Celebrate Brooklyn is known for, and each is a treasure that exemplifies a particular genre,” said Jack Walsh, director of performing arts programs for BRIC, which produces Celebrate Brooklyn. “They all put on a great live show and lay down irresistible dance grooves.”

Brooklyn Bridge Dance Party at Pier 1 (lawn of Pier 1 at the foot of Old Fulton Street in DUMBO), May 12, 19 and 26 at 7 pm. Free. For info, visit www.bricartsmedia.org

SkyscrapersOfNewYork
Jun 17, 2011, 3:20 AM
East River Floating Pool Concept Now Closer to Reality

Our obsession with +Pool has never wavered. Still, we've doubted the likelihood that the project—four pools in one plus-sign shape floating within the East River—might ever come to pass, because all we had were cryptic hints. Until now! The +Pool team, which has partnered with an engineering firm, has put up a Kickstarter page with the goal of raising $25,000 by July 15 (current total: $4,305). The money's for testing a filtration system that would filter water through the pool's walls "like a giant strainer," always an idea we can get behind when we're talking about people diving into the East River. The ultimate goal of this stage is to build a full-size working prototype of one pool section. This calls for taking the floaties out of storage!

http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/floatingpool_6_11.jpg

http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/pluspool2_6_11.jpg

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/06/16/east_river_floating_pool_concept_now_closer_to_reality.php

yankeesfan1000
Aug 2, 2011, 4:39 PM
Officials to agree on deal over private housing at Brooklyn Bridge Park (http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/officials-to-agree-on-deal-over-private-housing-at-brooklyn-bridge-park)

August 02, 2011 08:30AM

"City and state officials plan to sign an agreement today that would allow limited private housing to be built at Brooklyn Bridge Park, the New York Times reported. The agreement will ensure the completion of the park, which will expand to 85 acres along the East River...

Housing, Bloomberg believes, will create a steady stream of money and allow the park to be self-sustaining. He initially wanted three apartment buildings at the park; property taxes would be dedicated to the park, the Times said."

http://s3.amazonaws.com/trd_three/images/299846/2006_05_bbpark2-thumb_articlebox.jpg

TheRealDeal (http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/officials-to-agree-on-deal-over-private-housing-at-brooklyn-bridge-park)

fimiak
Aug 3, 2011, 5:12 AM
That glass carousel is, according to NYGuy's post, supposed to be down around August. It's now August 3, does anybody have any updated shots of this or any news at all?

Obey
Aug 3, 2011, 3:24 PM
That glass carousel is, according to NYGuy's post, supposed to be down around August. It's now August 3, does anybody have any updated shots of this or any news at all?

I saw it recently, its almost complete but the carousel itself is still not there yet.

NYguy
Aug 17, 2011, 9:20 PM
Brownstoner

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2011/08/giddyup-janes-carousel-arrives/
Giddyup: Jane’s Carousel Starts to Arrive!

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/janes-carousel-arrives-dumbo.jpg
Photo by Zach Campbell from Brooklyn Heights Press


By Gabby | 08/16/2011

Last time we checked in on Jane’s Carousel in Dumbo, glass on the Jean Nouvel-designed pavilion was starting to show, and now Brooklyn Heights Press has photographic evidence that the carousel itself has made an appearance on the waterfront.

NYguy
Aug 18, 2011, 2:02 PM
Here it is on the waterfront...

Ron Thomas_94 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/60198947@N02/6054661523/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6195/6054661523_303f41f39f_b.jpg

NYguy
Aug 18, 2011, 9:17 PM
Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903639404576514794251980256.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Brooklyn Park Eyes Addition

By JOSEPH DE AVILA
August 18, 2011

Brooklyn Bridge Park is in talks with Con Edison to acquire a three-acre parcel of vacant land near the Manhattan Bridge, a key component needed to complete the 85-acre waterfront park.

The site, on John Street between Adams and Jay streets, is slated to have an apartment tower up to 130 feet tall, a tide pool and additional parkland.

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NY-BD209_NYPARK_NS_20110817181518.jpg

NYguy
Aug 19, 2011, 9:15 PM
http://www.observer.com/2011/08/related-two-trees-andre-balazs-fxfowle-among-firms-flooding-brooklyn-bridge-park-pier-1/

Related, Two Trees, Andre Balazs, FXFowle Among Firms Flooding Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1

http://www.observer.com/files/2011/08/Brooklyn_Bridge_Park_Pier1.jpg

By Matt Chaban
August 19, 2011

The city reached a new development deal with the state on what exactly can be built at Brooklyn Bridge Park to help fund its maintenance. Then, two days later, the city released an RFP seeking developers for Pier 1, the first site at the park to be redeveloped.

The RFP calls for two new buildings housing a hotel and condos, with either 170 hotel rooms and 180 condo units, 225 rooms and 150 units, or some mix thereof. If there was any notion Brooklyn is still somehow a backwater, the high-profile firms vying for these two sites should dispel that idea right about… now. According to a source present at an information session held yesterday by the city, among the developers and architects present were:

•Related Companies (Hudson Yards, Time Warner Center)
•Hines (MoMA Tower, Bryant Park tower)
•Two Trees (Pretty much all of Dumbo, Mercedes House)
•Andre Balazs (Fabulous!)
•Douglaston Development (The Edge)
•Rockrose (Lots of Queens West, 200 Water Street)
•TF Cornerstone (Lots of Queens West, 505W37)
•Starwood Capital (Westin, W hotels)
•The Dermot Company (One Hanson, Battery Maritime Building)
•Muss Development (Two Brooklyn Marriotts, Sky View Parc)
•TEN Architectos (One York, Hotel Americano)
•FXFowle (FXFowle, Northside Piers)
•Rogers Marvel (Gowanus Green, State Street townhouses)
•Architetonica (MiMA, Westin Times Square)
•Artimus (Lots of Harlem: 5th on Park, SoHa)

NYguy
Aug 25, 2011, 2:27 AM
Brownstoner.com

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2011/08/closing-bell-janes-carousel-opening-announced/
Closing Bell: Jane’s Carousel Opening Announced

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/janes-carousel-opening-september15-dumbo.jpg

By Gabby | 08/23/2011

Jane’s Carousel will officially open on September 15th, according to an invite that went out this morning. The merry-go-round has started to be installed in its new home, a Jean Nouvel-designed pavilion on the waterfront in Dumbo.


________________________


Brooklyn Paper

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/34/34/dtg_pier5pool_2011_8_26_bk.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBrooklynPaper-FullArticles+%28The+Brooklyn+Paper%3A+Full+articles%29
Pier 5 plan moves ahead

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/assets/photos/34/34/dtg_pier5pool_2011_8_26_bk01_z.jpg

By Kate Briquelet
August 24, 2011

Brooklyn Bridge Park will get a major recreational facility on Pier 5 by the end of next year, city officials said on Tuesday. Park officials announced that they were seeking a developer to construct and maintain an enclosed recreational bubble with one soccer field that would be operational by the end of 2012.

“The concession structure on Pier 5 will enrich the park by encouraging year-long active recreation,” said Regina Myer, president of Brooklyn Bridge Park. The seasonal structure will be up from Dec. 1 to March 31 each year.

The five-acre Pier 5 will also house three multi-use artificial turf fields, a barbecue area, playground and a snack concession during warmer months.

NYguy
Sep 2, 2011, 4:55 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/arts/design/janes-carousel-at-brooklyn-bridge-park.html

A Ride With Head-Spinning Views

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/09/02/arts/02CAROUSEL-span/02CAROUSEL-articleLarge.jpg
Workers seal the acrylic pavilion designed by the architect Jean Nouvel that houses Jane's Carousel at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

By JOYCE WADLER
September 1, 2011

THE journey from an Ohio theme park to Brooklyn has been long and difficult for 48 wooden horses, who today are scheduled to trot, canter, leap — O.K., be wheeled — from the Dumbo studio of Jane Walentas, the artist who spent over 20 years overseeing their restoration, to their permanent home, a carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park. It opens on Sept. 16 and will be called, naturally, Jane’s Carousel.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/09/02/arts/JPCAROUSEL1/JPCAROUSEL1-popup.jpg
The carousel's permanent home in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

NYguy
Sep 3, 2011, 2:30 PM
cjricheymiller (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29916096@N08/sets/72157627577354372/)

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NYguy
Sep 7, 2011, 3:31 PM
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/34/36/dtg_janescarousel_2011_09_09_bk.html?comm=1

Horsing around! Jane Walentas to finally open her carousel

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/assets/photos/34/36/dtg_janescarousel_2011_09_09_bk02_z.jpg

By Kate Briquelet
September 6, 2011

It’s been a long ride, but Jane’s Carousel will finally open in Brooklyn Bridge Park next week — an instant waterfront icon for kids of all ages.

Jane Walentas, an artist and wife of DUMBO mega-developer David Walentas, restored the classic 1920s-era carousel and will unveil it to the public on Sept. 16, in its permanent, Jean Nouvel-designed home on the East River. The merry-go-round shines inside its $9-million acrylic pavilion with 26-foot-tall retractable walls that open during the day. At night, shades drop over the glassy shelter and every hour on the hour, revolving horses cast silhouettes across the river.

“This carousel is going to belong to the world, as a real exciting destination,” Walentas said. “Riding on this carousel at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, watching boats go by — it doesn’t get much better than this.”

NYguy
Sep 16, 2011, 5:17 PM
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/09/16/exclusive_chatting_with_jean_nouvel_at_janes_carousel_opening.php

Exclusive: Chatting with Jean Nouvel at Jane's Carousel Opening

http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/6184/6152632335_8b551ca87a_o.jpg
Jean Nouvel with assistant Francois Leininger at the opening of Jane's Carousel. Photo by Billy Farrell Agency, courtesy Nadine Johnson.

Friday, September 16, 2011
by Kelsey Keith

Yesterday was the public opening of Jane's Carousel, the meticulously stored vintage carousel set inside an acrylic jewelbox designed by French starchitect Jean Nouvel, oriented at the tip of Brooklyn Bridge Park and proxy to gobsmacking views of the New York skyline. We cornered Nouvel at the end of a rainy, wind-whipped afternoon on the Dumbo waterfront and he was gracious enough to answer our questions about his history with the Walentases and all that acrylic (though inquiries about the future of Tower Verre were met with polite rebuttal).

http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/6188/6153175726_975ce2e62d_o.jpg


http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/6072/6152631701_0129f40bbc_o.jpg


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http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/6070/6153175624_859ca4fdbf_o.jpg
Starchitecture on parade: Jean Nouvel's carousel house against a backdrop of 8 Spruce Street and 1 World Trade Center.


http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/6154/6153383396_a4b2b8c474_o.jpg


http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/6156/6153383434_1a94a20f56_o.jpg
Mike Bloomberg eating popcorn, Jane Walentas, David Walentas. Photo by Billy Farrell Agency.

http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/6162/6152839509_3479e9220f_o.jpg
Bridge-mosphere. Photo by Billy Farrell Agency.

NYguy
Sep 21, 2011, 2:12 PM
http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=17565

Jane’s Carousel is a sight to behold

Imagine a magnificent children’s carousel encased in a stunning contemporary glass pavilion designed by one of the world’s leading architects. Such a site not only exists…it’s a must see! Jane’s Carousel located in Dumbo’s Brooklyn Bridge Park on the East River opened to the public Friday. Twenty-four years in the making, it has been lovingly restored to its original splendor by local artist and Dumbo resident, Jane Walentas, and is enclosed with new ‘jewel-box’ pavilion designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.


http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/17565_1_janes1.jpg



http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/17565_2_janes2.jpg



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http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/17565_6_janes6.jpg


_________________________________


Fkw2i-aioak

NYguy
Sep 28, 2011, 2:53 PM
dgaroc (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgaroc/6192194690/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

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Scoboco (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62159569@N08/6187097153/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

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Several seconds (http://www.flickr.com/photos/severalseconds/6187557998/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

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NYguy
Sep 29, 2011, 5:26 PM
DC4416 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7112249@N05/sets/72157627655508083/)

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RobertWalpole
Sep 29, 2011, 6:11 PM
I walked to the end of Montague Street last week and noticed that all of the old warehouses are still on the piers along the waterfront. Does anyone know when they'll be razed and that section of the park will be built?

It would be nice if they could cover the BQE and add stairs from Montague down to the park.

Obey
Sep 29, 2011, 7:40 PM
So is that section of the park open?

NYguy
Sep 30, 2011, 5:59 AM
^ At least the esplanade area where the carousel is.


I walked to the end of Montague Street last week and noticed that all of the old warehouses are still on the piers along the waterfront. Does anyone know when they'll be razed and that section of the park will be built?

From the Wall Street Journal, an idea of what's open, funded, and unfunded...

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NY-BD209_NYPARK_NS_20110817181518.jpg
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903639404576514794251980256.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

RobertWalpole
Sep 30, 2011, 11:49 AM
Thanks, amigo.

NYguy
Oct 29, 2011, 12:58 PM
michael.2999.pics (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52836039@N02/6291364702/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6234/6291364702_3120803dca_b.jpg

NYguy
Dec 13, 2011, 12:09 AM
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/34/50/dtg_privatebubble_2011_12_16_bk.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBrooklynPaper-FullArticles+%28The+Brooklyn+Paper%3A+Full+articles%29

Rich private schools rally to save rec bubble on Pier 5

By Kate Briquelet
December 12, 2011

coalition of area private schools wants to build a sports bubble in Brooklyn Bridge Park now that park officials have failed to do so despite a deal between state lawmakers and Mayor Bloomberg earlier this year.

Parents and staff from Brooklyn Friends School, St. Francis College, Packer Collegiate Institute and other prep schools are advocating for a regulation-sized soccer field on Pier 5 and an indoor recreation center — saying that a field suited for college play would be better for the community.

Last week, park officials approved a $19.2-million contract for three smaller artificial turf fields without the bubble, disappointing many locals who have been pushing for year-round recreation at the site — especially locals with children in area schools.

Now Councilman Steve Levin (D–Brooklyn Heights), state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D–Brooklyn Heights) and the school athletic heads are trying to convince Brooklyn Bridge Park officials to build a bigger field and release another request for developers before it’s too late.

NYguy
Dec 14, 2011, 3:23 PM
http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/state-court-denies-city-plans-for-tobacco-warehouse-in-dumbo-whose-redevelopment-would-have-funded-brooklyn-bridge-park

State court denies city's plan for Dumbo's Tobacco Warehouse

http://s3.amazonaws.com/trd_three/images/352070/1290092251-tobaccostanns1.jpg

December 14, 2011

A New York State judge delivered a big blow to the city's plans for Brooklyn Bridge Park, Crain's reported, by ruling Monday that the city could not take over the Dumbo's historic Tobacco Warehouse and use it for private development.

The city was hoping to acquire the Tobacco Warehouse from the National Parks Service and transform it into a theater and performance hall for St. Ann's Warehouse. The city would then use the revenue generated by the project to fund Brooklyn Bridge Park's estimated $16 million annual maintenance bill and preserve the historic warehouse.

The ruling affirmed a federal court's decision earlier this year that said the city couldn't take control of the site because "it violated New York's public trust doctrine."

NYC4Life
Dec 15, 2011, 5:25 AM
At best, the warehouse could be renovated and preserved, but nothing more. The city's proposal for the structure just seems odd. Perhaps an art gallery or museum would have better benefits.

NYguy
Jan 30, 2012, 1:58 AM
33.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/111107985/original.jpg

34.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/111108074/original.jpg






jackie weisberg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackiew/6783280141/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

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THE BIG APPLE
Jan 30, 2012, 8:21 PM
Haha I don't know why I find the sign funny but it says "Jane's Carousel SINCE 2011". Maybe it's just me. But it looks great. I love how the Beekman is slowly transitioning into becoming the backdrop of every Brooklyn Bridge photo.

uaarkson
Jan 30, 2012, 8:54 PM
It would be nice if they could cover the BQE and add stairs from Montague down to the park.

Never! That section of BQE is the most stunning stretch of road in the entire country. That may sound too auto-centric, but I've always thought that approach to the Brooklyn bridge is a classic New York experience. They could just as easily build stairs anyway.

Plokoon11
Jan 30, 2012, 8:58 PM
So whats going to protect the Carousel from a surge of water, or flooding?
Then I guess they would have to call it Jane's Sea Horses.

aquablue
Jan 31, 2012, 2:32 AM
Never! That section of BQE is the most stunning stretch of road in the entire country. That may sound too auto-centric, but I've always thought that approach to the Brooklyn bridge is a classic New York experience. They could just as easily build stairs anyway.

Yes, very egoistic actually. The covering of the road would benefit many local people in ways that are far more important than some driving experience. We're talking about people's lives, not some thrill.

uaarkson
Jan 31, 2012, 4:03 AM
I guess I don't see the benefits of covering the highway in this case. It's quiet enough from below, and the only people around who live near it, live above it with a promenade and basic principles of sound in the way.

NYguy
Mar 1, 2012, 9:27 PM
It may be less than half built, but already it's found a permanent place in the City...

http://gothamist.com/2012/03/01/the_giant_nyc_panorama_is_getting_a.php#photo-1
The Panorama Of The City Of New York Has A New Addition!


http://gothamist.com/upload/2012/03/panobkbridge0212.jpeg



Brooklyn Bridge Park has now been added to the Panorama of the City of New York, the massive yet miniature city housed at the Queens Museum of Art. Click through for a look at the latest addition to the 9,335-square-foot model, which was commissioned by Robert Moses (though it was physically built by a team of 100 people) in 1964 for the World's Fair.

The museum has been adding one to two new structures each year since 2009, and this morning they told us, "Prior to yesterday’s installation of the Brooklyn Bridge Park, the last addition was Battery Park City in April 2010 which added 25 new structures to the Panorama. In April 2010, we added the Flushing Meadows Corona Skate Park, and in April 2009 the Mets sponsored the addition of Citified."

The model also includes every single building constructed before 1992, in all five boroughs—a total of 895,000 individual structures. And through May 20th there are even 15 fantastical islands in the panorama's "rivers."

And now is a good time to remind you that you can still OWN a building on the panorama—with apartments going for the very reasonable price of $50, and neighborhoods and parks selling for $2,500. This money goes towards additions to the panorama, like this one of Brooklyn Bridge Park.


http://gothamist.com/upload/2012/03/2panobkbridge0212.jpeg



http://gothamist.com/upload/2012/03/3panobkbridge0212.jpeg



http://gothamist.com/upload/2012/03/5panobkbridge0212.jpeg



http://gothamist.com/upload/2012/03/6panobkbridge0212.jpeg

CCs77
Mar 1, 2012, 10:46 PM
That model is spectacular!

J_M_Tungsten
Mar 1, 2012, 11:54 PM
That model is awesome, but also outdated? Wtc?

Roadcruiser1
Mar 2, 2012, 12:21 AM
That model is awesome, but also outdated? W.T.C.?

This model was made in 1992 or earlier. Of course it's going to feature the Twin Towers. I don't think they can take it out either because it has been put in there so they can't change it.

Wrightguy0
Mar 2, 2012, 12:24 AM
up, it needs to be upgraded soon, they have Goldman Sachs but i don't see new york by ghery or the New 7 WTC and if they can rip out the old piers on the model they can replace the WTC

J_M_Tungsten
Mar 2, 2012, 12:37 AM
This model was made in 1992 or earlier. Of course it's going to feature the Twin Towers. I don't think they can take it out either because it has been put in there so they can't change it.

Umm why? It's a model, it can be changed out quite easily I'm sure.

CCs77
Mar 2, 2012, 4:58 AM
This model was made in 1992 or earlier. Of course it's going to feature the Twin Towers. I don't think they can take it out either because it has been put in there so they can't change it.

Umm why? It's a model, it can be changed out quite easily I'm sure.

Yes it has been changed before, The article of the post of NYguy says it all.
The model was made in 1964 for the NY World's Fair of that year that was held at the site of the Flushing-Meadows Corona Park. It is updated some time to time, as you can see in the pictures. It is claimed to include every single building in NYC constructed before 1992 when the last major update was made.
In the case of the Twin Towers, they were included in the update of 1992, they decided not to remove them until the new 1WTC is finished. More recently, they included all the buildings of Battery Park City.
The Panorama is located at the Queens Museum of Art.

ardecila
Mar 2, 2012, 5:02 AM
They probably have a team of professional model-makers they work with, but those guys are expensive. They make modifications to the Panorama as funding permits, and since the city has better things to do with its money, virtually all of those funds come from private donations. Since Brooklyn Bridge Park is a huge-scale modification to the city, it makes sense to start there, because the model will be very conspicuously inaccurate without it. Battery Park City was another one.

I assume they will do the WTC in one fell swoop once it is completed, or at least once 1WTC is completed.

NYguy
Mar 2, 2012, 5:56 AM
Yes it has been changed before, The article of the post of NYguy says it all.
The model was made in 1964 for the NY World's Fair of that year that was held at the site of the Flushing-Meadows Corona Park. It is updated some time to time, as you can see in the pictures. It is claimed to include every single building in NYC constructed before 1992 when the last major update was made.
In the case of the Twin Towers, they were included in the update of 1992, they decided not to remove them until the new 1WTC is finished. More recently, they included all the buildings of Battery Park City.
The Panorama is located at the Queens Museum of Art.

Correct, although the model has had some alteration since then, no major changes. The fate of the WTC model is given here (http://gothamist.com/2012/03/01/the_twin_towers_will_eventually_lea.php).

Some older pics of the model can also be seen in these posts:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4120029&postcount=5

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4651018&postcount=84

Roadcruiser1
Mar 6, 2012, 11:49 PM
New Public Pool Coming To Brooklyn Bridge Park
Erin Durkin
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Everybody into the pool, Brooklyn!

A new public pool with killer views of Lower Manhattan and New York Harbor is set to open at Brooklyn Bridge Park this summer.

Officials signed off on a $199,000 deal Wednesday to build the above ground pool in the upland section of Pier 2, where it will sit for at least five years.

The 1,500 square foot, 3.5 foot deep pool, set to open in July, will be surrounded by a deck and a sandy artificial beach with food vendors.

“It’s going to be awesome,” said park spokeswoman Ellen Ryan. “It will be a real destination.”

The pool was added to the park plan as part of a complicated deal struck last year between city officials and local pols to allow housing to be built in the park to to generate cash.

“This coming summer Brooklyn families can dive right in. Brooklyn Bridge Park is already making waves and this pool is certain to make a splash,” said state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn Heights). “We pushed very, very hard for it and are really pleased that it’s becoming reality.”

The pool will be the only part of the Pier 2 section of the park open this summer. The rest of the pier is under construction.

Chunks of the park already opened at Pier 1 near Old Fulton St. and Pier 6 near Atlantic Ave. have drawn huge crowds for the playgrounds, walking and running trails. sloping lawns and granite staircase. .

Locals have long pushed to get a floating pool, like the wildly popular barge-borne one that docked in the Brooklyn Heights harbor in 2007, stationed at the park.

But that pool, called the Floating Pool Lady, has been relocated to the Bronx. While officials applied for a permit to put one at Brooklyn Bridge Park, it could cost 50 times more than a stationary pool, and they don’t have the $5-10 million they would need.

“A pool for five summers is a big deal. The ultimate goal is a permanent pool in the park. The floating pool was extraordinarily popular, and that’s certainly one of the options,” Squadron said.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-02-29/news/31111953_1_new-public-pool-brooklyn-bridge-park-brooklyn-bridge-park

NYguy
Mar 8, 2012, 2:07 AM
Officials signed off on a $199,000 deal Wednesday to build the above ground pool in the upland section of Pier 2, where it will sit for at least five years.

The 1,500 square foot, 3.5 foot deep pool, set to open in July, will be surrounded by a deck and a sandy artificial beach with food vendors.

“It’s going to be awesome,” said park spokeswoman Ellen Ryan. “It will be a real destination.”


I think it already is, nice addition.

jd3189
Mar 22, 2012, 6:13 AM
Just found this out while surfing in Google Images

http://www.designtavern.com/2009/05/brooklyn-queens-expressway-connector/

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Connector


It’s quite a basic algorithm – more people equals more traffic, more traffic equals more noise. Whilst the noise itself may be inevitable, it can be muffled these days by innovative, unique and groundbreaking design concepts.

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway at Brooklyn Bridge Park generates an overwhelming hum of traffic on a daily basis. In response, architect Donald Rattner in collaboration with Hage Engineering have “created a proposal intended to ameliorate traffic noise, provide more usable park area than has been possible to date, and enhance the public realm with a work of civic art.”

http://www.designtavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/brooklyn-expressway.jpg


The design proposes to enclose the expressway, trapping the noise and preventing it from disturbing the visitors to the park. The expressway is set to undergo repairs from 2018 and the project could easily be factored in to the repairs. Rattner explains –

“There is a practical need to deal with the vehicular noise that emanates from the BQE. Regardless of what is ultimately built on the waterfront – housing, restaurants, ball fields, passive recreation areas – visitors to the open space and surrounding structures will be subject to relentless, unpleasant, potentially deafening noise – at 85 decibels, the equivalent of standing next to an operating lawnmower. But there is also an aesthetic dimension that needs to be addressed. Our proposal seeks to provide a pragmatic solution to the problem and simultaneously to offer those on both sides of the river an attractive piece of public sculpture to appreciate.”


http://www.designtavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/brooklyn-expressway2.jpg



The structure also aims to utilise innovative green architecture concepts; the exterior of The Connector will use photovoltaic cells designed to absorb solar energy.It’s the clever mixing of a traditional park with modern and highly practical design which makes the proposal so intriguing.

http://www.brooklynbridgeconnector.net/

For more information, have a read of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Connector e-book.

NYguy
Mar 23, 2012, 7:47 AM
ShellyS (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shellysblogger/6861482354/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

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ardecila
Mar 23, 2012, 8:06 AM
dcDN409ZBv4

NYguy
Mar 23, 2012, 8:47 AM
^ Cool!

Empire state of mind
Mar 31, 2012, 3:43 AM
Really looking forward to this project. Looks like it will be a huge winner.

NYguy
Apr 20, 2012, 1:05 AM
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/klyn_bridge_park_project_gets_from_dVgbCDQP21lbLwGzwH9yAM

B'klyn Bridge Park project gets $40M from philanthropist

By RICH CALDER
April 19, 2012


A Manhattan philanthropist is donating $40 million to the cash-strapped Brooklyn Bridge Park waterfront project to fill its greatest need: year-round recreation. Joshua Rechnitz, a 46-year-old competitive amateur cyclist and animator by trade, plans to bring a 115,000-square-foot enclosed field house for year-round sports to Furman Street off Pier 5 in Brooklyn Heights.

The moneyman spent the past few years searching citywide for the best location to build such a project before dishing out what officials say is the largest donation a city park has ever received. The field house would include a 200-meter inclined track for cycling, ball fields, a gymnastics area, a boathouse and courts for basketball, tennis and volleyball.

Rechnitz has set up a nonprofit to run the site, which he hopes to break ground on in 2014 and complete in 2016. The project has widespread Bloomberg administration support but must still seek various city approvals.

“We want this to truly be a community endeavor that will add amenities for park users and provide a much needed all-weather sports facility,” said Rechnitz.

NYguy
Apr 23, 2012, 12:21 PM
http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/37533

Spandex and Cash to Flood Brooklyn Bridge Park

http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bbp_rec_ctr_02.jpg



http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bbp_rec_ctr_01-500x375.jpg


April 20, 2012
randen Klayko


An avid cyclist plans to bring his passion for bike racing to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Joshua Rechnitz announced Thursday that his nonprofit, the New York City Fieldhouse, will build a $40 million multi-purpose recreation center on the inland edge of the park bordering the BQE. Now occupied by a deteriorating industrial building used for storage by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, the new facility designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners will include a modern velodrome along with space for a variety of other recreational activities.

Architects have not begun designing the 115,000 square foot Fieldhouse, but the facility is expected to blend well with Michael Van Valkenburgh’s surrounding landscape. The roof, which will be visible from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade above, is expected to become a signature design element and the structure will aim for LEED certification.

Inside, the velodrome’s 200-meter inclined track will dominate the space, but basketball, tennis, volleyball, and gymnastics will also be accommodated. Seating for nearly 2,500 people will be provided around the bike track. Maintenance areas and public restrooms for park visitors will also be provided. Besides competitive racing, the Fieldhouse will also offer the community cycling lessons, classes, and amateur races. Operations are expected to be self-funding.

A series of public meetings with the community will be scheduled to help guide the project forward and, pending review, construction could begin within a year and a half.



http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bbp_rec_ctr_03-500x256.jpg



Hopkins Architects' Olympic Velodrome in London.

http://archpaper.com/uploads/london_velodrome_03.jpg



http://archpaper.com/uploads/london_velodrome_04.jpg



http://archpaper.com/uploads/london_velodrome_01.jpg


______________________________________________




http://www.observer.com/2012/04/brooklyn-bicyclists-get-a-boost/

http://www.observer.com/files/2012/04/PARK-popup-600x378.jpg

NYguy
May 4, 2012, 7:14 PM
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/brookly_heights_water_affront_VFdtA79ktqi2s2td83dElO

Brooklyn Heights ‘water affront’

By RICH CALDER
May 4, 2012



They want a beautiful waterfront park — they just don’t want outsiders traipsing through their neighborhood to get there. Community leaders in Brooklyn Heights are prepared to look a $40 million gift horse in the mouth, fearing some quiet cobblestone streets will be overrun by hordes of pedestrians and vehicles heading to a new year-round sports facility planned for Brooklyn Bridge Park. The 115,000-square-foot ”Fieldhouse” — which Manhattan philanthropist Joshua Rechnitz last month announced he plans to pay for — would include an inclined bike track, playing areas for others sports and seating for 2,500 people attending competitive events. It would also include on-site parking.

While Brooklyn Heights civic leaders say they’re grateful for the gift, many attending a park planning meeting Tuesday night questioned whether building the facility at the edge of Joralemon Street near Pier 5 would put too much burden on the neighborhood — particularly its cobblestone-lined southwest section known as “Willowtown.” “This would be devastating to the southern Heights,” said Mary Goodman, who lives a few blocks away and is on Community Board 2's parks committee. “[Joralemon Street] would become the secret way to get there faster, and in a street full of babies, dogs and people, it would be disastrous.”

But Judi Francis, who’s led the fight to keep more high-rise condos out of the park, said the fieldhouse plan should be hailed — not criticized — because it “finally fills the park’s biggest void,” a lack of year-round recreation. “The focus should be how fantastic this will be for all New Yorkers,” she said. Collingnan said that some large cycling competitions would be necessary to generate revenue to keep the fieldhouse “self sustaining” but that the site would be open to the general public most of the time.

NYguy
Jul 31, 2012, 5:18 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/31/nyregion/proposed-brooklyn-bridge-park-velodrome-meets-skepticism.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion

A $40 Million Gift, a Proposed Bike Arena, and Now Skepticism in Brooklyn

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/07/31/nyregion/VELO2/VELO2-articleLarge.jpg
The proposed site of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s velodrome.


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/07/31/nyregion/VELO3/VELO3-popup.jpg
Such track-cycling facilities drew huge crowds to sites around New York a century ago; only one remains, in Queens.


By LISA W. FODERARO
July 30, 2012


Leaders of the major community groups in the neighborhoods abutting the park, including Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo, have questions about the track. They say they worry about the building’s size (with a footprint of up to 70,000 square feet, it is larger than a football field) and the traffic it might draw to the cobbled streets of Brooklyn Heights, while pointing out the relatively obscure nature of track cycling, in which riders on fixed-gear bicycles without brakes travel at terrific speeds around curves banked at 45-degree angles.

Some also doubt Mr. Rechnitz’s motives: a 47-year-old resident of the Upper West Side, he is an avid amateur track cyclist who has tried — and failed — to bring a velodrome to the city. Now, they say, he is buying the track he wants, on public land. “You can paint stripes on a horse, but that doesn’t make it a zebra,” said Peter Flemming, co-chairman of the independent Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Council and a resident of Brooklyn Heights. “Nor can calling this a ‘field house’ make it anything other than an Olympic-class track-cyling velodrome.”

Not everyone is against the proposed track. Joan L. Millman, a state assemblywoman who represents the area containing the park, said she supported it, in part because it would replace a rundown storage building near Pier 5 that she called an “eyesore.” But she confessed that, at first, she was not even sure what a velodrome was. “I had to go look it up,” she said. Regina Myer, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, which governs land use in the park, emphasized that “it’s not taking away any green space; the plan always called for that location to be a maintenance building.”

NYguy
Aug 23, 2012, 12:24 AM
kimmyman (http://www.flickr.com/photos/object_in_view/7827627004/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

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Late, but coming together...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/111107958/original.jpg



http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/111107959/original.jpg

NYguy
Sep 2, 2012, 1:34 PM
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/111108074/original.jpg



Dondre Green (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dondregreen/7799360720/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

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NYguy
Sep 3, 2012, 1:56 PM
glittaz (http://www.flickr.com/photos/glittaz/page2/)

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eleven=11
Sep 3, 2012, 8:45 PM
is that the new pool??
I thought it was going to be a floating pool....

dabcom
Sep 3, 2012, 9:47 PM
When are they going to finish constructing the remaining piers.

NYC4Life
Sep 4, 2012, 12:08 AM
I could imagine this park being a host to beach volleyball if NYC were to ever host the olympics.

NYguy
Sep 5, 2012, 3:06 PM
is that the new pool??
I thought it was going to be a floating pool....

That's a different pool.



When are they going to finish constructing the remaining piers.

In the coming years. You can see active work on two of them in the photos.

NYguy
Sep 20, 2012, 12:32 PM
Gordon Lew (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rabidunicorn/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8313/8005402658_22e09a880d_k.jpg

Can't wait until the full park is completed and open.

NYguy
Sep 21, 2012, 3:34 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/brooklyn-bridge-park-cycling-track-rec-center-critics-fuming-design-article-1.1164189?localLinksEnabled=false

Brooklyn Bridge Park cycling track and rec center has critics fuming despite design changes
Sprawling fieldhouse will get additional space for sports other than cycling


http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1164187.1348183760!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/cycling21k-2-web.jpg


By Lore Croghan
September 20, 2012


The design for a controversial cycling and rec center proposed for Brooklyn Bridge Park has been tweaked - but critics say the changes don’t go far enough. The sprawling fieldhouse planned near Pier 5 will get additional space for sports other than cycling and fewer spectators’ seats for cycling events.

“There’s a demand and a need for indoor recreation space,” said Greg Brooks, executive director of New York City Fieldhouse Inc., whose 115,000-square-foot sport center plan faces opposition among Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO community leaders. "No matter how they say it, this is first and foremost a cycling arena,” said Peter Flemming, co-chairman of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Council. “It’s a bad thing for this park.”

The cycling track will be elevated on support beams to increase the recreation space to 25,000 square feet, which will allow more activities to go on simultaneously than was previously possible, Brooks said. There will be moveable equipment for basketball, volleyball, tennis and badminton; fencing, martial arts, kickball and gymnastics are also on the menu.

Builders initially planned 2,499 fixed seats for spectators — for up to 3,300 spectators with temporary seating and standing room, Brooks said. After checking demand for cycling events at an outdoor track in Lehigh, Pa., they cut the fixed seats to 1,200, for up to 2,000 spectators with temporary seating and standing room.

The fieldhouse won’t have parking — so even with fewer spectators expected at cycling events, Brooklyn Heights residents fear snarled traffic.

The fieldhouse is being funded with a $40 million donation from Joshua Rechnitz, an Upper West Side cycling enthusiast from a family of philanthropists. The park’s board must vote to approve the project and the state must give its okay before the fieldhouse is a go.

NYguy
Oct 21, 2012, 8:49 PM
photos11201 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenpete/8109240446/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

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NYguy
Oct 22, 2012, 4:31 PM
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49537

BBP’s Pier 5 Aims For Late Fall 2012 Completion: Then There Was Turf

By Chuck Taylor
October 22, 2012


As Brooklyn Bridge Park pushes for late Fall 2012 completion of Pier 5, there couldn’t be any greener a sign of progress than the artificial turf that was put in place
over the past week. According to signage that lines the Promenade: “The 5-acre section, designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, will feature three synthetic
turf playing fields, a waterfront promenade, a picnic peninsula with barbecues, a playground for younger children and fishing stations. Benches and picnic tables constructed
of salvaged wood will be placed throughout the pier. A portion of the park’s greenway will also be completed and connect to the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway.”

Meanwhile, the Squibb Park Bridge spanning Furman Street—which provides a connection at Pier 1—is also slated for completion before year’s end, according to
the Brooklyn Bridge Park website.



(Photos: Chuck Taylor)

http://brooklynheightsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/DSC_0387.jpg



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uaarkson
Oct 23, 2012, 2:32 AM
This is going to look so amazing. The entire area will feel revitalized.

NYguy
Oct 31, 2012, 12:49 AM
I remember somebody asked about this...



http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/follow_live_sandy_updates_q0FgCGb5qTwaRN3BHcP7hJ

http://www.nypost.com/r/nypost/2012/10/30/news/web_photos/carousel152709--525x350.jpg


Jane Walentas, wife of DUMBO master developer David Walentas, on status of Jane’s Carousel (a 1920s carousel she exquisitely restored located within Brooklyn Bridge Park by the historic bridge. The ride, which opened in 2009, is within a massive glass pavilion designed by architect Jean Nouvel and is fully lit and could even be seen during storm from river last night until power flickered out at 11 pm):

“I was looking at it all night from our windows,” Jane Walentas said. “It was amazing. We lost power (she and her husband live across the street at the pricey 1 Main Street building he owns) at 1 Main Street around 9:30 pm, but the carousel building was still lit. I really thought it would make it and then it began flickering and finally went out around 11 pm.”

“There were 8-foot waves crashing into [the carousel building] all night,” she said. “It looked like it was floating out in the middle of the river. It was wild but I am quite relieved it survived.”

She said the carousel and pavillon itself are completely intact but a basement area underneath was covered with five feet of water. The electrical system is kept there and will need to be repaired.

Chapelo
Oct 31, 2012, 5:06 AM
Well that's a relief. Good to hear it survived. My four year old daughter would have been heartbroken to hear her favorite carousel didn't survive.

NYguy
Dec 11, 2012, 3:02 PM
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/52666

Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 5 to Have Grand Opening Thursday

http://brooklynheightsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/jsw_img_2378_edited-1.jpg

By Claude Scales
December 9, 2012


Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 5 and its uplands, which will include sports fields and a “picnic peninsula,” will have its grand opening in a ceremony to begin at 11:00 a.m. this Thursday, December 13.

NYguy
Dec 14, 2012, 12:43 AM
http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/12/closing-bell-pier-five-playing-field-opened-today/

Closing Bell: Pier Five Playing Field Opened Today


http://cdn.brownstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/BBP-PIER-FIVE.jpeg



Today the Pier Five playing fields opened at Brooklyn Bridge Park. It’s a five acre space with three multi-purpose sports fields and playgrounds, as well as bait prep stations. The fields are adaptable to different types of outdoor sports and are lined by bleachers and benches.

Twenty-six shade sails also line the northern and southern sides of the pier to provide cover from the sun. The Picnic Peninsula (now the park’s largest picnic area) has umbrellas, picnic tables and Hibachi-style grill tops. There’s also a 30-foot-wide promenade with, of course, views of downtown Manhattan. Talk about exciting news for Brooklyn Bridge Park, not to mention the impending completion of the Squibb Park Bridge. ]



nycmayorsoffice (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nycmayorsoffice/)

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Empire state of mind
Dec 15, 2012, 3:17 PM
Awesome project.

sbarn
Dec 15, 2012, 4:41 PM
There's also a new footbridge being built to connect the park to Brooklyn Heights.

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/footbridge02.jpg
Brownstoner (http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/12/the-second-section-of-the-footbridge-is-in/?stream=true)

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/footbridge-from-below-121412.jpg
Brownstoner (http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/12/the-second-section-of-the-footbridge-is-in/?stream=true)

uaarkson
Dec 15, 2012, 7:57 PM
Amazing.

dabcom
Dec 16, 2012, 3:22 AM
This is an awesome project.

J. Will
Dec 16, 2012, 4:54 AM
When I was in Brooklyn in the summer, the little park at the top of where that bridge will end had a big tall fence around it's perimeter with a closed gate like a prison yard. That fence needs to go. Parks should be open, not bound in by fences.

ardecila
Dec 16, 2012, 6:22 AM
I disagree... prison yard is the wrong model, but a good edge condition is important.

Surely you don't think Central Park West (http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/2127459075/) is like a prison yard?

FWIW, the fence was probably for construction or pre-construction.

J. Will
Dec 16, 2012, 10:56 AM
I disagree... prison yard is the wrong model, but a good edge condition is important.

Surely you don't think Central Park West (http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/2127459075/) is like a prison yard?

FWIW, the fence was probably for construction or pre-construction.

The fence when I was there didn't look like a construction fence. It was the same fence and locked gate that you can see in the 2011 Google Streetview picture, where the gate is closed in the middle of the day (as it was when I was there). In 2011 the fence obviously wasn't for the bridge construction:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Squibb+Park,+Brooklyn,+NY,+USA&hl=en&ll=40.700951,-73.995076&spn=0.006727,0.008594&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=56.768363,70.400391&oq=squibb&hq=Squibb+Park,+Brooklyn,+NY,+USA&t=m&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.701038,-73.995037&panoid=-cXYCxgxgc0bEiqiVijDMQ&cbp=12,244.12,,0,-2.04

That's not a 4 foot stone fence like Central Park West. That's a tall, spiked metal fence with a gate locked in the middle of the day even though there appears to be no work going on inside the park. Exactly the same as when I was there.

mr1138
Dec 16, 2012, 4:25 PM
I have to agree in this case... that fence looks permanent and definitely sends a "keep out" or "this is a bad neighborhood" kind of message (even though I know that Brooklyn Heights is NOT a bad neighborhood). If that is where the ped. bridge is landing, they could easily take that fence down and make that place feel more like an "entry" to Brooklyn Bridge Park.

sbarn
Dec 16, 2012, 6:28 PM
When I was in Brooklyn in the summer, the little park at the top of where that bridge will end had a big tall fence around it's perimeter with a closed gate like a prison yard. That fence needs to go. Parks should be open, not bound in by fences.

J Will, please take your negative, pedantic crap elsewhere. This thread is about a great new park being built. If you want to complain about the quality of New York City parks, please start a thread elsewhere.

Thank you.

sbarn
Dec 16, 2012, 6:40 PM
Let's shift back to what this thread is really about.

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4083/5024222595_6ca04212b8_b.jpg
sirgious (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirgious/5024222595/)

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Richard Cohen (http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardcohen/3958481991/)

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sirgious (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirgious/5024835742/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

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sirigious (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirgious/5024837024/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

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sirigious (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirgious/5024834532/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

J. Will
Dec 16, 2012, 9:20 PM
J Will, please take your negative, pedantic crap elsewhere. This thread is about a great new park being built. If you want to complain about the quality of New York City parks, please start a thread elsewhere.

Thank you.

Nope, I'm not complaining about the quality of NYC parks. You're lying. I'm talking about an unnecessary fence and a locked gate in the middle of the day for no reason around one specific park. I never said anything about any other NYC parks. Keep trying though.


I have to agree in this case... that fence looks permanent and definitely sends a "keep out" or "this is a bad neighborhood" kind of message

You have to agree because I'm correct. The tall, ugly fence around the perimeter of the park when I was there was definitely NOT a construction fence, nor was it a construction fence in the Google Streetview image I posted from 2011. And the gate was locked when I was there. I checked because I wanted to go in there as it looked like it had a good skyline view. It was a "park" surrounded by a tall, spiked fence and a locked gate in the middle of the day. That's why I compared it to a prison yard. The only thing missing is the barbed wire.

sbarn
Dec 16, 2012, 9:41 PM
Nope, I'm not complaining about the quality of NYC parks. You're lying. I'm talking about an unnecessary fence and a locked gate in the middle of the day for no reason around one specific park. I never said anything about any other NYC parks. Keep trying though.

You have to agree because I'm correct. The tall, ugly fence around the perimeter of the park when I was there was definitely NOT a construction fence, nor was it a construction fence in the Google Streetview image I posted from 2011. And the gate was locked when I was there. I checked because I wanted to go in there as it looked like it had a good skyline view. It was a "park" surrounded by a tall, spiked fence and a locked gate in the middle of the day. That's why I compared it to a prison yard. The only thing missing is the barbed wire.

Fine. I'll bite. The reason there is a tall fence surrounding Squibb park is that it is built on a platform with a substantial drop on three of its four sides, so it is certainly not "unnecessary". If there were only 4 foot fences it would not be a very safe place for children to play. Could those fences be more attractive? Certainly. Do they serve a purpose? Yes.

You can see here:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8352/8279228620_2ba2b17beb_b.jpg
BingMaps (http://binged.it/12inodf)

http://www.urbanbydesignonline.com/storage/Squibb%20Park%20Bridge%20Brooklyn%20Bridge%20Park.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1304947375463
Urban By Design Online (http://www.urbanbydesignonline.com/urbanbydesign/2011/5/6/a-visit-to-brooklyn-bridge-parks-pier-1.html)

Now back to Brooklyn Bridge Park.

mr1138
Dec 16, 2012, 11:20 PM
That explains 3 of the 4 fences, but it certainly doesn't explain the one along the upper street or the reason it is locked certain times of day.

As an occasional drop-in from the Denver forum, I don't know the history between sbarn and J. Will, but from what I've seen the comment about the fence is completely fair. This situation seems to be right out of Jane Jacobs' tirade against urban fences in "Death and Life of Great American Cities." And it isn't a deviation from the Brooklyn Bridge Park discussion either since this "Squibb Park" place is now going to serve as the main entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park from Brooklyn Heights. I find this forum most interesting when people can have honest, open debates about the merits and faults of the built environment. It doesn't have to be a 24/7 circle jerk about the project named at the top of the thread.

J. Will
Dec 17, 2012, 12:00 AM
That explains 3 of the 4 fences, but it certainly doesn't explain the one along the upper street or the reason it is locked certain times of day.

Exactly. Obviously those three sides need high fences. But the side between the park and the sidewalk doesn't need tall fences and a locked gate (or a gate at all). Why would you restrict access to what is supposed to be a public park unless it there is construction or some sort of special event for which it is being temporarily closed?

ardecila
Dec 17, 2012, 1:50 AM
A quick Google search reveals:

Squibb Park has been closed since the 80s. It has no visibility from any street, and it was actually dangerous before the massive Brooklyn gentrification wave. Because of the visibility issue, the Parks Dept kept it closed until money could be found to hire a full-time security guard. That didn't happen until just recently.

mr1138
Dec 17, 2012, 1:58 AM
^ Thank you, that pretty much explains everything. So is it fair to say then that the fence will be taken down and the park will be opened up since the new pedestrian bridge access to Brooklyn Bridge Park is landing there?

yankeesfan1000
Dec 17, 2012, 7:35 PM
Don't know if this got posted...

Dumbo Apartments Set Sail: Brooklyn Bridge Park Seeking Developers for Latest Controversial Project (http://observer.com/2012/12/dumbo-apartments-set-sail-brooklyn-bridge-park-seeking-developers-for-latest-controversial-project/)
By Matt Chaban 1:08pm

http://nyoobserver.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/screen-shot-2012-12-17-at-12-14-02-pm.png?w=600&h=419

"How would you like to wake up to views of the Manhattan Bridge and Lower Manhattan beyond, a lavish waterfront park right outside? That is the vision Brooklyn Bridge Park is hoping will entice developers into the newest private development within the libertarian park. Today, the park released a request for proposals for a development at the nexus of John and Pearl streets in Dumbo. The project calls for no more than 130 residential units in a 101,000-square foot development that can rise no higher than 13 stories...

http://nyoobserver.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/screen-shot-2012-12-17-at-1-05-19-pm.png

... Among the requirements for the development outlined in the RFP are a strong architectural identity for the project, a design that is complimentary to the park, achieve LEED certification for sustainablity and, above all, “generate a financially feasible and economically viable project, with lease payments that will contribute to ongoing maintenance and operations of the Park.”...

... It will be curious to see what developers turn up for this project, given the intense interest from some of the city’s biggest names in the previous commercial development in the park, a development of a hotel and apartments at Pier 1. McMansion and Northside Piers builders Toll Brothers and hotel financier Starwood Capital won that project.

The John Street development is smaller and more out of the way, but considering that Dumbo has become in only a decade the borough’s most expensive neighborhood, it would seem the competition for any development opportunity will be fierce."

NYguy
Dec 17, 2012, 8:27 PM
This park is still under construction and will remain so for quite a while, so I wouldn't be concerned about any appearance of and around it until its completed.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/14/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-park-fields-and-picnic-area-open.html?_r=0

Fields and Picnic Area Open in Brooklyn Park


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/12/14/nyregion/PIER/PIER-popup.jpg


By LISA W. FODERARO
December 13, 2012


Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85-acre work-in-progress that stretches along the East River waterfront, took a significant step toward completion on Thursday with the opening of three new athletic fields, two playgrounds and a picnic area on Pier 5.

The $26 million pier, one of several former shipping berths at the park, is the third to be developed for recreational use. When a new pedestrian bridge linking Brooklyn Heights to Pier 1 opens by the end of the year, the park, which drew 90,000 visitors on a typical weekend last summer, will be nearly halfway finished.

The synthetic-turf fields use an organic infill made of sand and coconut fiber; visitors tugged on the fake grass to make sure the blades were not real. The soccer fields, which can also accommodate lacrosse, cricket, rugby and ultimate Frisbee, will be available for youth and adult leagues, as well as for private and public schools. Sail-like structures flanking the fields provide shade by day, and 30 light poles will allow nighttime play, although they are not yet active because of damage to the park’s electrical system from Hurricane Sandy.

Surrounding the fields is a broad esplanade lined with benches for a sweeping view of the harbor. Fishing is allowed at the tip of the pier, which has stainless-steel sinks to wash up.

The inland portion of the pier features the 2 playgrounds and 57 picnic tables fashioned from thick slabs of long-leaf yellow pine and topped with metal mesh umbrellas in aqua blue. Nearly two dozen grills are scattered around the picnic area, along with tetherball courts and a child-size telescope.





_______________________________



http://gothamist.com/2012/12/13/photos_pier_5_opens_in_brooklyn_bri.php#photo-1

Photos: Pier 5 And Its Soccer Fields Are Now Open In Brooklyn Bridge Park

Jen Carlson/Gothamist

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NYguy
Dec 20, 2012, 7:35 PM
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/12/20/exploring_the_stilldeveloping_85acre_brooklyn_bridge_park.php

Exploring the Still-Developing 85-Acre Brooklyn Bridge Park


http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/04_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_6444.jpg


December 20, 2012
by Curbed Staff


Over the past 12 years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has directed enormous amounts of energy and resources towards building a series of new waterfront parks in New York City. Brooklyn Bridge Park, the 85-acre super-park currently being assembled along 1.3 miles of East River waterfront, is the best known of these new parks, and is considered by many to be one of the crowning achievements of his waterfront agenda. The park is so large that it has swallowed up several pre-existing parks nearby, and includes landscapes ranging from elaborate wooded playgrounds to hilly hiking trails. The newest section of the park, Pier 5, opened to the public on December 13th and contains an immense soccer field, a picnic area, a fishing station, and a tether ball court. However, like all of the recently opened sections of Brooklyn Bridge Park, it lacks any truly significant means of engaging the water.

Situated south of the Brooklyn Bridge, the newer sections of Brooklyn Bridge Park were designed by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh in 2005, and began opening to the public in 2010. They include many areas to walk or run above the water on concrete promenades, and countless places to sit on benches or fields while passively enjoying a cordoned-off view of passing boats. There are even a few areas to fish. In the entire 14 block park, though, there is currently only one access point to the East River - a cinderblock boat ramp that is crumbling into a cove of old pilings. Closed for the season, the ramp ends at a guard rail covered in caution tape. While the park is eventually scheduled to include a marina, a beach, and a second boat ramp, these additions will only focus a small percentage of the park's 85 acres onto water-based activities.



http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/07_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_6618.jpg



http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/08_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_6680.jpg
Another of Tuazon's dead-tree sculptures provides a commentary on the arbitrary recreation possibilities included in the park.


http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/09_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_6809.jpg
On the recently opened Pier 5, a soccer field has replaced a shipping warehouse.


http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/10_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_6881.jpg
Children play on its synthetic surface, far from the water's edge.


http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/11_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_6859.jpg
Pier 5 is ringed by more promenades and benches, offering passive views out onto the water.


http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/12_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_6777.jpg
A new picnic area with built in grills and plastic umbrellas was opened on December 13th.


http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/13_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_6761.jpg
The picnic area includes a randomly placed tether ball court near the water's edge.


http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/14_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_6969.jpg
A pedestrian bridge from Brooklyn Heights will soon make accessing this southern section of the park easier.


http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/15_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_7069.jpg
In Empire Fulton Ferry Park, visitors walk near a cove where waves splash onto the paths.


http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/17_kensinger_brooklyn_bridge_park_DSC_7102.jpg
—Nathan Kensinger
In these sections of the park, children play at the water's edge and interact with nature.

NYguy
Mar 22, 2013, 12:42 AM
http://gothamist.com/2013/03/21/this_brooklyn_pedestrian_bridge_wil.php#photo-1

The Most Important Pedestrian Bridge Of Our Time OPENS TODAY In Brooklyn


http://galleries.gothamistllc.com/asset/514b3887e0fbc049dc380504/mobile/P3212092.jpg

The Squibb Park footbridge rises majestically above Brooklyn Bridge Park, behind Pier 1.(Jake Dobkin/Gothamist)


By Jen Carlson
March 21, 2013


This afternoon the Squibb Park Pedestrian Bridge finally opened, giving people one more way to travel from Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 1 to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and vice versa (prior to this, there were only like, two ways to do this). The $5 million bridge was first announced last April, with installation taking place from December through this past month. Upon learning it was open, we decided to give it a test walk. Some notes:

■The bridge is bouncy: This is pointed out in the sign at the bridge's entrances, but we still weren't quite prepared for the amount of bounce we felt. This will be fun until the bridge is filled up with tourist bus loads of people.

■The bridge doesn't shave off any time: In fact, at a normal pace, it took one of us 0.2 seconds less time to travel to the same point not using the bridge.

■The bridge offers non-stop amazing $5 million views: Even when you are traveling up it you can get a new viewpoint of Brooklyn Heights, with the skyline and Brooklyn Bridge just behind you.

■This bridge will change your life: just watch this video...(in the link)


Some fun bridge facts:

■The highest point is 50-feet.

■The bridge is made of black locust wood (which can be found elsewhere in Brooklyn Bridge Park) and galvanized cable.

■Bikes are allowed, but the you have to walk them.

■Dogs are allowed!

■The bridge is open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.



http://gothamist.com/attachments/arts_jen/2013_3_squibb.jpg



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CCs77
Mar 22, 2013, 4:16 PM
http://gothamist.com/attachments/arts_jen/2013_3_squibb.jpg







The bridge seems nice and I think it is good that the path passes trough an otherwise rather isolated park.

But that claim that the walk is one second longer is plain dumb, it only seems to prove that the guy walks way faster than the girl. If the lines they draw are accurate, and it seems they are by watching the video, the blue line is about 43% longer than the red line, not to mention that in the blue path you have to cross a street.
But obviously, it is not that it is going to save much time anyway although you will have a very nice view of the skyline.