Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today broke ground on a waterfront park and playground located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge -- the first step toward transforming a continuous1.3-mile stretch of waterfront into an accessible public park. The City has pledged $50 million toward the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, reclaiming the Brooklyn waterfront that includes City, State and Port Authority land. At the groundbreaking the Mayor also announced that the City plans to demolish a City storage facility under the Brooklyn Bridge in order to enhance the Brooklyn Bridge Park vista, as well as redevelop historic neighboring streets and sidewalks in the Fulton Landing area.

Joining the Mayor for the groundbreaking were Deputy Mayor for Planning, Education and Cultural Affairs Anthony P. Coles; Deputy Mayor for Community Development and Business Services Rudy Washington; Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Finance Robert M. Harding; Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern; City Councilman Ken Fisher; Brooklyn Bridge Development Corporation President Joanne Witty; members of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Coalition; as well as representatives from the Brooklyn community.

"New York's waterways are a priceless resource for people to enjoy," Mayor Giuliani said. "The 1.5 acre plot that we are breaking ground on today is an important first step toward the creation of a major park that will allow New Yorkers to reclaim Brooklyn's waterfront for recreation. The construction of the playground will be the first completed area of Brooklyn Bridge Park - a park that will ultimately span 70 acres of underutilized industrial space. This park, in conjunction with the City's Fulton Landing streetscape project, will permanently transform downtown Brooklyn and restore some of the rich history of this neighborhood."

Deputy Mayor Coles said, "With the Mayor's leadership, this long-awaited project will begin to turn the Brooklyn waterfront into an accessible recreation destination that allows visitors to enjoy the expansive views of New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline."

Parks Commissioner Stern said, "New York City Parks is very proud that in Mayor Giuliani's term, we are able to put the first shovels into the earth for Brooklyn Bridge Park. We look forward to a great City-State endeavor to build a park on the East River to complement Hudson River Park."

Joanne Witty, President of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, said, "Brooklyn has New York's best bridge, best view and now will have New York's best park. After 15 years of dreaming and several years of community planning our goal of creating Brooklyn Bridge Park is now being realized."

Dick Dadey, a member of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Coalition's board of directors said, "We are pleased today to witness an historic event long in the making -- the beginning of city construction on Brooklyn Bridge Park. So many have worked hard to bring to reality the dream of a waterfront park to Brooklyn. The Coalition, and the many civic and neighborhood organizations it serves, applaud the leadership and vision of Mayor Giuliani whose administration has made possible today's groundbreaking achievement of creating more park and
recreation space in Brooklyn."

The Mayor allocated $6 million for the first phase of the Brooklyn Bridge Park project, which includes transforming a parking lot into a waterfront park and playground. The playground, to be completed in November 2001 conveys New York's maritime history through play features like a 50-foot ship's hull and a spray shower in the shape of a paddle wheel ferry. When the rest of the park opens in 2002, walkways will encircle a grassy knoll, and a naturalized shoreline with rough-cut granite steps will allow visitors to enjoy the waterfront.

The second phase of Brooklyn Bridge Park includes the demolition of the Purchase Building, a City-owned storage facility located underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The demolition of the building would create a 'gateway' to Brooklyn Bridge Park, opening up water views, exposing an esplanade under the bridge, and improving pedestrian access to the park from Old Fulton Street and Brooklyn Heights. The City has set a goal of relocating the surplus property currently housed in the Purchase Building by early September, in order to move forward with the building demolition.

The Mayor also announced a $12 million capital commitment to reactivate the City's Fulton Landing streets project, which had been abandoned 14 years ago due to a lack of funding. The streetscape project will restore the waterfront area streets and sidewalks to be more reflective of the historic character of the neighborhood. Under the supervision of the NYC Economic Development Corporation, portions of Water Street, Front Street, Plymouth Street, Main Street, Dock Street and Washington Street will be redeveloped. This is approximately twice the area of the original project. In accordance with the area's landmark status, the project will include cobblestone streets, bluestone sidewalks, and granite curbs. The project is expected to be complete in approximately two years.

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