Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Jennifer Chait (212) 788-8479
The $5.85 million project was funded by $3.6 million from the City, $2 million from ISTEA, and $250,000 from the Conservancy. The rebuilt promenade features: 96,000 classic New York City six-sided carved blocks; 11,000 square feet of bluestone paving; 1,400 feet of completely redesigned hardwood-capped seawall railing inspired by a ship's rail design; and 44 new "World's Fair" benches placed within a few feet of the water's edge.
"We stand today in one of the jewels of this Parks system - the beautiful park at the tip of Manhattan where four million visitors come every year, many of them en route to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island," Mayor Giuliani said. "With the completion of the first capital improvement of Battery Park in 50 years, we are making it a better place to visit - and a better place for the people who use it every day.
"The renovation of Battery Park is another example of what public-private partnerships can accomplish. I want to thank Senator Moynihan for his leadership, the Parks Department and the Conservancy for Historic Battery Park for their efforts in making a restored Battery Park a great place for all New Yorkers to visit," the Mayor concluded.
Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern said, "European explorers and fur traders knew Battery Park as a safe anchorage for their vessels. Due to its prominent and strategic location, it later became the site of permanent gun batteries built to defend Manhattan. Now, a partnership between Federal and City government and the Conservancy, has completely reconstructed the Admiral George Dewey Promenade and Seawall. This is Battery Park's first major improvement in 50 years."
Warrie Price, President of the Conservancy for Historic Battery Park, said, "Today, the first phase of our $55 million master plan to rebuild Historic Battery Park and Castle Clinton National Monument is complete."
Prior to restoration, many of the pilings that support the seawall and platform had deteriorated and the Admiral Dewey Promenade consisted of cracked asphalt and rusted railings. No benches were within 30 feet of the water's edge.
The reconstruction project overhauled the seawall itself. In order to protect the environment and the seawall, more than 1000 feet of "timber" made from recycled plastic were installed at the waterline as part of a new protective fender system. All the pilings were wrapped in protective material to prevent damage from marine animals thriving in the Harbor.
Located at the southernmost tip of Manhattan, the Battery has inspired poets and writers for centuries since its founding in 1626. Castle Clinton, an old fort built in 1811 now owned by the National Park Service, is also undergoing its own renovation. The Castle was the first immigration depot in the United States.
Future plans include reconstruction of the Upper Promenade, which sits elevated alongside the Admiral Dewey Promenade.
The Conservancy for Historic Battery Park is a private, nonprofit organization committed to the Battery's revitalization.