Bogardus Plaza
BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC | The Friends of Bogardus Garden is moving forward with plans to improve the plaza at Hudson St. between Chambers St. and Reade St. and presented its preliminary design at the Wed., Sept. 10 Tribeca Committee meeting.
“One of the major impetuses of this project is how do we take a street and a garden and make a place?” said Signe Nielsen, a landscape architect with Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, who presented the plan.
Presently, the plaza has seven trees, a street bed, a sidewalk with three trees and a subway station, businesses, residences and a restaurant located on one side of it. Nielsen called the southern end of the plaza a movement hub — bus stops and people crossing — and the design keeps it as open as possible.
The plaza, now 1,800 sq. ft., will increase by 870 sq. ft. The new design includes adding more trees and a variety of fixed and moveable seating, and the reconfiguration of the lighting.
Currently, street lighting illuminates the plaza, which lies in a historic district. Included in the new design, more historically appropriate light poles, which can be seen on parts of Greenwich St. and also throughout Battery Park City, will be added, and have been approved by the City of New York and will be maintained by them.
There will be two tiers, and the second tier could serve as a platform for local events, or as a perch for people to sit. It will be quite narrow to deter people from sleeping on it and wood has been placed on its edge to discourage skateboarders.
The community expressed a desire to experience the garden, said Nielsen. Currently the garden area is surrounded by a 4-foot fence, which will remain but will be lowered.
“By virtue of the garden and the trees that exist, we really think we can make more of [a] tranquil — more of a respite, an oasis kind of space,” she said.
Also, because the water flows northward down the street, Nielsen explained, the new design includes planters that will clean storm water before it enters the sewer.
A drinking fountain, a Department of Transportation way-finding sign, a freestanding clock that was donated and possibly a new plaque elaborating on the contributions of the plaza’s namesake James Bogardus, an architect who worked with cast-iron, will be added.
Also, “eggs” that can be sat on.
“We have chosen to celebrate the history of the butter and egg district in Tribeca by having a playful element in the site, which are rather oversized eggs,” said Nielsen.
This was a nod to many in the community who expressed that they wanted something fun for children.
The plaza received a $2 million grant from the D.O.T.’s Plaza Program, because Bogardus Plaza “lies at such a critical nexus in our neighborhood, such a huge crossroads of transportation and destinations for many different kinds of folks,” said Nielsen.
In addition to the D.O.T grant, the organization raised over $300,000 and received public funds from elected officials: $300,000 from Borough President Scott Stringer and $135,000 from Councilmember Margaret Chin. The organization will continue to fundraise and has about $75,000 more to go, said president Tory Weil in a phone interview.
“This is a place for many more people than just us in the neighborhood,” said Nielsen, who has lived in Tribeca for more than 40 years and recalled when art was placed randomly at the traffic triangle in the ‘70s before it was a plaza.
The design was the result of two community workshops and suggestions from those meetings were integrated into the design. After her presentation, Nielsen noted comments and wrote down suggestions from those attending the meeting.
“We’re excited about this,” said Weil at the meeting before the presentation began. “This is a long-term process. This has been supported by the community from the get-go. We have hundreds of letters of support about making the plaza permanent. It became permanent because the community loved it so much as a temporary plaza.”
“All of the efforts of the Friends of Bogardus Garden are 100 percent voluntary,” said secretary Annie Tirschwell. “I think [it] really underscores how much community support we have.”
However, some One Hudson Street residents expressed criticism and concerns about a proposed kiosk, the new design that would increase the lighting of the plaza, the maintenance itself, and the fact that access to their front door has been limited.
Jonathan Schrag, a One Hudson resident, said that he had concerns about the kiosk, the addition of the egg seating, the sidewalk liability outside of his building, and garbage maintenance.
“I think there should be consideration for the 10 floors,” said Schrag.
The kiosk, which is not part of this design and project, has yet to be determined and would have to go through an approval process, but it could be a flower stand or a food vendor. Revenue earned from the kiosk would go towards maintenance of the space itself.
A possible kiosk that would sell food worried residents, who fear it would exacerbate Tribeca’s rat problem.
“I think the meeting got a little off course,” said Weil later in a phone interview. “We are doing everything we can to address the issues.”
The Landmarks Preservation Commission will also vet the design and, pending further approvals, construction should begin by the summer of 2016.
