Phase 1 Design
Phase 2 Design
Tournesol
Casa Enrique
Takumen
Hunters Point South WATERFRONT Park
Take the short trip across the East River to Long Island City, Queens to see the Hunters Point South Waterfront Park.
Phase 1:
The view of the Manhattan skyline is worth the trip alone, but have a look at the great park that was completed in 2013. The 11 acre park was designed by Weiss/Manfredi architects and Thomas Balsley Associates landscape architects. It is part of a mixed use development with hundreds of new apartments along with a school that overlook the park.
This part of Long Island City was an industrial waterfront for most of the 20th century. This park and the adjacent Gantry Plaza State Park retained some of the original railroad tracks and gantries that were used when railroad cars of goods were loaded on to barges and pushed across the river to Manhattan. The gantries were preserved as part of the state park, and are near Steven Holl’s Queens Public Library.
The park is designed around a oval lawn and a curved building that includes maintenance spaces, restrooms and an outdoor cafe. The oval and the curve play off each other and reach out to the skyline beyond. There is also a playground, a dog run and an event space. The design incorporates industrial elements like the railroad tracks that remind us of the earlier uses. The buildings have an accordion shaped roof that shades the cafe and is intended to accommodate solar panels in the future.
The waterfront promenade offers great views of Manhattan as well as Roosevelt Island. You can see from the Williamsburg Bridge to the 59th Street Bridge and beyond. The park has plenty of events so you might hear a concert or see an art installation. If you are here for the 4th of July, you have a front row seat for the Macy’s fireworks.
Phase 2:
The second phase of the Hunters Point South Park was completed in 2018 with innovative sustainable design features and infrastructure for the adjacent mixed use development that includes 5,000 apartments, retail space and a school. It’s just across the East River from Midtown Manhattan, extending the first phase of the park to the south to the mouth of Newtown Creek. The park was designed by Weiss/Manfredi architects, Balsley/SWA landscape architects and Arup engineers.
The design incorporates some new features that are intended to make the park more resilient. A salt marsh works with the flood patterns of the East River. The park splits into two levels, one level is along the street and the other closer to the water level. The lower level includes areas that can absorb water reducing runoff and mitigating the impact of storms.
There are passive spaces that give visitors the opportunity for solitude and relaxation with great views up and down the river and across to Manhattan. Narrow paths wind through the lower level. A platform shaped like a ship’s bow projects over the park for spectacular views.
Long Island City is well worth the short trip across the river to see this park and the view back to Manhattan.
There are plenty of places to eat or drink nearby, starting with the park’s cafe. Have a beer or a sandwich and enjoy the view. Back near the Vernon Jackson stop on the 7 train is the neighborhood French cafe Tournasol with a comfortable bistro atmosphere, great food or the Michelin star Mexican restaurant Casa Enrique and the Japanese restaurant Takumen for a cup of tea or a delicious dinner.
Getting here is really easy. Take the 7 train just one stop from Grand Central to the Vernon Jackson stop then a 5 minute walk to the park. The NYC Ferry is best way to get here from the Manhattan’s 34th Street or Brooklyn ferry stops. It’s only $2.75 and a ride along the top level on a nice day will give you a different perspective of New York.
Link to Tournasol:
Link to Casa Enrique:
https://henrinyc.com/casa-enrique/
Link to Takumen:
Link to the park: