New York's $220m Governors Island park development

The redevelopment

Governor Island was sold to the city and state of New York for $1 in 2003 as, at the time, it was merely 172-acres of decaying Coast Guard structures and the oldest US military base. However now, New York City has officially unveiled its plan for the island's renovation - it is set to become a stunning urban park.

Over the past few years, there have been several designs based around about what the island could become. One idea was to turn it into a " hybrid of landscape and architecture based around a sinuous set of new paths, watercourses, restaurants, aquaria and even complimentary wooden bicycles."

This eco-park would feature a Marine Exploration Center (complete with coastal plant greenhouse, marine life tank and vertical reef) at the north end of the island overlooking the Statue of Liberty, while the rest of the island would be a "vertical landscape" of man-made mountains that will incorporate recreational, cultural, and educational functions.

A new park for New York

However that all seems to have been scaled back to make the island 'simply' an expansive urban park complete with flowering terraces, boardwalks, marshland, a hammock grove and stunning views of the Manhattan skyline.

Designed by Dutch firm West 8 in partnership with Rogers Marvel Architects, Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, SMWM and Urban Design+, the final design is a massive reinterpretation of the island that is currently still littered with old military buildings. Once these are levelled to make way for the development however, the entire island will change.

Not only is a 40 acre park planned, but a group of mountains and cliffs are also to be built, providing beautiful views of lower Manhattan. The plans also include a 2.2-mile bicycle and pedestrian promenade tracing the outer edge of the island. There will also be new ball fields, playgrounds and outdoor areas with more hammocks and benches for lounging.

As part of the development, city officials have now essentially taken control of the island allowing a funding source for the island’s $14-million-per-year operating cost. The city has committed $41.5 million to the first phase of the development and construction has been penciled in to begin in 2012.

Once it is finished, Governors Island Park is set to become a major tourist draw for New York.

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Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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