Three acres of new green space open at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Photo by Alexa Hoyer
Three acres of new parkland opened at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Monday, putting construction of the waterfront park one step closer to completion. Located east of Pier 2, the Pier 2 Uplands features a 6,300 square foot lawn and a new water play area made up of salvaged pieces of Pier 3. Runoff water from the play area will be caught by an underground retention tank and will be reused for irrigation throughout the site.
The new section of the park includes a noise-reducing berm, 1,300 new trees and shrubs, and seating made of granite from the Brooklyn Bridge. The water play space includes a water garden and features with spray jets.
“Ten years after opening the first section of the Park, we are incredibly excited to today open the Pier 2 Uplands, now one step closer to finishing Brooklyn Bridge Park as originally designed,” Eric Landau, president of Brooklyn Bridge Park, said. “Parks have always been essential, but during this time, open space is more critical than ever. We’re thrilled to be able to open three more acres for people to spread out in and safely enjoy Brooklyn Bridge Park.”
The opening of the Pier 2 Uplands brings the park’s completion to 95 percent. As 6sqft reported in May, the city approved plans from the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates to build a public plaza under the bridge, which will connect the Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo sections of the park.
Work is expected to start on the plaza this fall and completed by December 2021, making it the final section of the park to be completed. Construction began in 2008 and has been opening in phases over the last decade.
“MVVA is thrilled that Pier 2 Uplands is finished. The completion of the sound attenuating berm along the BQE and the additional water play area for children that employs fragments of salvaged concrete piers are both exciting new additions to the urban oasis of Brooklyn Bridge Park,” Michael Van Valkenburgh, President and CEO of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, said.
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